The Cincinnati Bengals took a big swing in fixing their defense this offseason, which desperately needed to be done. One of their biggest moves this spring was acquiring Dexter Lawrence in a trade with the New York Giants. The addition of Lawrence gives Cincinnati's d-line a much-needed boost and Bengals fans are excited to see what the three-time Pro Bowler can bring to the Queen City.
Not everyone seems to be convinced that this was a good move for the Bengals though. Jake Elman of GMEN HQ, FanSided's site dedicated to the NY Giants, pointed out how Lawrence's name has yet to be revealed on the NFL Top 100, signaling they were right to move on from him.
"We’re nearly halfway through this year’s rankings, and Lawrence is nowhere to be found," Elman wrote. "And although the NFL’s Top 100 isn’t to be taken as gospel, Lawrence’s looming omission speaks to a broader point... Seeing as the players vote on the NFL Top 100, it’s especially telling that they didn’t force Lawrence onto the list based solely on his reputation."
Giants fans see warning signs in Bengals' Dexter Lawrence move
On the one hand, okay, sure, Lawrence probably didn't make the NFL Top 100 at this point. On the other hand, why does that matter? This is the same ranking system that somehow had Lamar Jackson as the 69th best player when even Bengals fans would admit he's far better than that.
Elman did eventually go into detail about why the NFL Top 100 is problematic but it's hard to ignore his main message here. Clearly, Giants fans think that the Bengals made a mistake bringing Lawrence in. Let's hope that they're totally off base here because Cincy's defense has to be better this year if the stripes want to turn things around.
Statiscally, Lawrence did have a down year in 2025 and that could be problematic for Cincinnati. The good news is that, prior to last year, he had been an absolute stud, tallying a career-high nine sacks in 2024. The Bengals could certainly use that kind of production on the defensive side of the ball so fingers crossed that Lawrence proves Elman and Giants fans wrong during his inaugural season with the Bengals.
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