Dexter Lawrence Is Dominating Bengals OL, But There’s No Reason to Panic

Dexter Lawrence’s terrorizing of the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line has been on full display throughout training camp. He’s gotten consistent pressure on the quarterback, taking the quickest route possible: straight through the center. 

That’s one of the more interesting things about training camp. The double-edged sword fans deal with: being excited about one side or a specific player doing well while thinking about possible deficiencies on the other side of the ball. 

Ted Karras and Dexter Lawrence have been the biggest examples of that. Every bull rush or swim move Lawrence uses to get to Joe Burrow, fans start to think that there might be concerns at center with Karras. 

Dexter Lawrence doesn’t think that’s the case and tells Kay Adams that this has been one of the more competitive camps he’s been a part of in his career. 

"I'm learning how to get through the double teams they send or work on where my hands need to be on certain blocks. They have me thinking about making one less mistake or one less error."

There is one important thing that fans need to remember when they start to pick apart the defensive line after seeing questionable clips online: They aren’t game-planning against the Bengals defensive line. If they were, they’d be sliding another guard to Lawrence to double-team him, as any offensive line would. 

It’s unfair to expect Ted Karras to dominate Dexter Lawrence in practice. I don’t know if any center in the NFL would be up to that task. If that were the case- if Karras seriously limited Lawrence- there would be a much more adverse reaction from the fanbase, as the instant returns on that No. 10 NFL pick trade don't live up to expectations.

It’s the same reason why fans shouldn’t overreact if Dexter Lawrence isn’t the player through the start of the season that he has been in camp. Offensive game plans will center on him as the game-wrecker. He said it himself to Sirius XM just the other day: He thinks one of his biggest impacts will be making everything easier on the offensive line. 

The Bengals' offensive line took a big step forward last season in pressure rate allowed. Now, they’re bringing back that same group that posted an actually respectable season for the second straight year, with three players who are trending up with Amarius Mims, Dylan Fairchild and Dalton Risner. Ted Karras and Orlando Brown Jr. continue to provide veteran leadership and consistency in the prime of their careers. 

Don’t let eye-popping training camp clips fool you: The Bengals' offensive and defensive lines are in good shape heading into the season. When joint camp comes, if there are clear weaknesses, it might be worth having those conversations.