The Cincinnati Bengals appear to have committed the football equivalent of grand larceny in their Dexter Lawrence trade in the wake of the Los Angeles Rams' trade for Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett.
We now know the full trade details of the Garrett blockbuster. It marks the Rams' latest, hilariously aggressive all-in move, but also jets Garrett out of the AFC North.
Los Angeles sacrificed a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Oh, did I mention young superstar edge defender Jared Verse? Yeah, he was the centerpiece of the package.
Bengals' Dexter Lawrence blockbuster cost a fraction of Rams' Myles Garrett trade
Is Dexter Lawrence on Myles Garrett's level as a player? No. Nobody is. Garrett is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and single-season sack record holder.
Buckle up for a series of other questions whose responses are in the affirmative. A little vintage Brett Favre press conference vernacular for y'all here.
Does Lawrence have at least a comparable impact to Garrett? Is he about two years younger? Will he ultimately cost a lot less than Garrett when the Rams have to make the ex-Brown the league's highest-paid defender (again)? Will the Bengals have more draft assets and cap flexibility going forward than the Rams?
Yes to all indeed.
Dexter Lawrence 2025 only:
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 6, 2026
OFF field:
#32 YPA (8.4)
#31 sack rate (4.1%)
#27 EPA/pass (+0.13)
#26 pass success (47%)
#23 pressure rate (32%)
ON field:
#7 pass success (40%)
#8 YPA (6.6)
#9 sack rate (7.7%)
#10 EPA/pass (+0.09)
#22 pressure rate (33%)https://t.co/Xbo2p6JtJe
pressures when aligned at nose tackle, since 2022:
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 7, 2026
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We already know what the New York Giants did on their side of the Lawrence trade. They spent the 10th overall pick on a right guard. Francis Mauigoa is a solid prospect out of Miami (Florida), but he was a college right tackle who will not play that position in the NFL, at least to start.
Unless Mauigoa is, like, the second coming of Zach Martin or Quenton Nelson, I'm pretty confident in saying Cincinnati won that trade by a landslide.
Look at the numbers above from Lawrence. Now imagine him in a scenario where he plays with a lead with Joe Burrow as his quarterback in Cincinnati.
And to be fair, that last point goes for Garrett in LA, too. He produced at a ridiculous level for many years despite a medley of putrid Browns offensive units. Although he turns 31 in December, Garrett is easily in the best position he's ever been in to succeed, both from the standpoint of chasing a Super Bowl and being at his freshest to chase opposing QBs.
The Rams will pay Garrett in lieu of giving Verse a second contract, but the latter is obviously way younger and has established himself as one of the game's best just two years into his career.
If you exclude quarterbacks from the 2024 NFL Draft, where six went in the top 12 picks, Verse would probably be the second player off the board in the event of a redo. Only Brock Bowers is in the conversation to beat Verse out as the first non-QB selected.
So really, Verse is more like a top-five pick who's actually proven himself in the league. His extension wouldn't cost as much as Garrett's next market-topping deal in all likelihood.
Do I like the Rams' trade overall? Yes, it's awesome for them. They're going to be really good. But they really gave up a lot. If they can't deliver the second Super Bowl of the Sean McVay-Les Snead era in the next two years, they'll be viewed as a colossal disappointment.
Can't help but be impressed by the courage of the McVay-Snead tandem to push all their chips into the middle of the table almost every single year. This feels different, though.
I'm just happy Dexter Lawrence is a Bengal. Under contract through 2028 at $23.3 million per year in average annual value. All for one draft pick spent on a guard. Meanwhile, Garrett will command a payday of $50-plus million to exceed the recent three-year, $150 million mega deal for Will Anderson Jr.
Then, yeah, two additional draft picks in the second and third rounds, which you typically aspire to hit on, and a legit franchise cornerstone in Verse. Myles Garrett is worthy of such a steep cost, but again, compared to the lone asset the Bengals gave up for Lawrence, what an absolute steal for Cincinnati.
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