The Bengals have made the surprising decision to acquire defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II from the Giants in exchange for the No. 10 pick in the draft.
Lawrence, 28, landed on the trade block this month after he and the Giants made little progress on a contract extension. So with just five days to go until the 2026 NFL draft, New York is dealing Lawrence to Cincinnati, pending a physical.
ORR: Trading Dexter Lawrence II Didn’t Make Sense—but the Outcome Is Brilliant for All Sides
After the blockbuster move, here’s a look at what’s next for both the Giants and Bengals.
Giants
Rejoice, New York! The Giants now have the No. 5 and No. 10 picks in this year’s draft. This provides the Giants a great opportunity to bring in two blue chip prospects in what is primarily considered a weaker draft class, particularly after the top 15 picks in the class. The Giants were expected to receive a mid to late first-round pick back for Lawrence, but by landing the No. 10 pick, they can come away from the first night of the draft with two great players.
Of course, the Giants must hit on those picks. The Giants recently had two top-10 picks in 2022, and used them on Kayvon Thibodeaux (No. 5) and Evan Neal (No. 7). Those picks have not aged well, particularly with Thibodeaux constantly involved in trade rumors and Neal agreeing to re-sign with New York this offseason on a veteran minimum salary.
Who will the Giants use those picks on? Top prospects such as running back Jeremiyah Love, safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Sonny Styles remain candidates at the No. 5 pick. Perhaps one player the Giants could target at No. 10 is Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, one of the top receiving prospects in this draft. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Giants general manager Joe Schoen attended Tyson’s pre-draft workout and had dinner with him the night before. Given the Giants and Bengals were working on this trade for two weeks, it makes sense that Schoen went to check out Tyson in person this week as New York looks to add a wide receiver opposite Malik Nabers. The Giants could go in another direction with the pick, but Tyson seems to be a candidate with their second pick.
While the prospect of two first-round picks is exciting, the Giants now have a massive void at defensive tackle. The Giants’ strength is their edge rush, but defensive tackle is now a weakness. This is particularly important since the Giants finished the 2025 season 31st in rushing yards per game. The Giants likely won’t select a defensive tackle until at least the second round, but even then, it will be hard to replace Lawrence, who is one of the best at the position in the game.
Bengals
The start of the draft will be longer for the Bengals, who will not be picking in the first round for just the second time in franchise history and the first time since 1989. Barring any other moves, the Bengals’ first pick will instead be No. 41 on Day 2 of the draft. They have seven picks total, including two in the first 100 selections.
Related: 2026 NFL Draft Guides: Needs, Fits and Each Team’s Path to Success
Overall, this deal is a uncharacteristic risk for the Bengals, who are counting on Lawrence bouncing back after a down year in 2025. Lawrence notched nine sacks in 12 games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending injury. As he returned from injury in 2025, he started all 17 games but recorded just 0.5 sacks.
In addition, the Bengals had to pay Lawrence, who was seeking a raise when he decided to request a trade. Lawrence was making $22.5 million per year, which ranks No. 12 among defensive tackles. Chris Jones of the Chiefs is the NFL’s highest paid defensive tackle at a salary of $31.75 million, making over $5 million more than any other defensive tackle. The Bengals signed Lawrence to a one year, $28 million extension, per Schefter, so he is now under contract for three years.
On the bright side, sacks and statistics don’t always capture the overall impact of a player, particularly a defensive tackle. As Warren Sharp noted, Lawrence’s presence on the field was paramount for the Giants, down year or not. Per Sharp, the Giants defense ranked No. 7 in opponent passing success rate, No. 8 in yards per attempt, No. 9 in sack rate and No. 10 in EPA per pass when Lawrence was on the field. When he was off the field? The Giants defense ranked No. 26 or worse in all four categories. This will be crucial for a Bengals defense in need of a high-impact player after Hendrickson departed in free agency.
For the Bengals, what’s ultimately next is to win and return to the postseason. The Bengals have not made the playoffs since 2022 in large part because of their defensive woes, and they’re seriously trying to turn their fortunes with the help of Lawrence. The Bengals have received criticism for how much they’re giving up to acquire Lawrence, but if he helps the defense improve and the team make the postseason, it will all be worth it—especially if they don’t anticipate a similar impact from any player that would have been available at No. 10.
More NFL from Sports Illustrated
- What Recent History Says About Drafting Jeremiyah Love in the Top 10
- Trading Dexter Lawrence II Didn’t Make Sense—but the Outcome Is Brilliant for All Sides
- Giants Trading Pro Bowl DT Dexter Lawrence II to Bengals Ahead of NFL Draft
- Why Jacoby Brissett Is Not Attending Cardinals' Offseason Program
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What’s Next for Giants, Bengals After Dexter Lawrence II Trade.
