After a blockbuster trade, All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence is already transforming the Cincinnati Bengals locker room with his relentless work ethic.
Dexter Lawrence hasn’t played a single regular-season snap in a Cincinnati Bengals uniform yet. And somehow, he has already changed everything about this football team.
Acquired from the New York Giant in a trade that sent the Bengals’ 10th overall pick the other way, Lawrence is expected to anchor Cincinnati’s already revamped defense
Head coach Zac Taylor recently addressed the media and didn’t hold back in describing what Lawrence’s presence has meant in the early stages of the offseason program.
“I was shocked that he was here every day since we traded for him,” Taylor said. “It shows how excited he is to be here. He really has uplifted this locker room” (h/t WLWT’s Jaron May).
Lawrence has been a fixture at voluntary offseason workouts since Phase One began April 20, and his engagement has extended well beyond the practice field. On May 2, he made a surprise appearance at Myles Murphy’s Gears and Grills Auto Showcase at St. Xavier High School, a charity event hosted by the Bengals’ defensive end to benefit underserved youth in Cincinnati and Atlanta.
Lawrence spent over an hour at the event, posing for photos and interacting with fans. “He was over here for over an hour,” Murphy said. “The more teammates can hang out outside of the locker room, it means a lot. It just brings us closer together.”
B.J. Hill, Lawrence’s best friend and longtime teammate, articulated the full scope of his impact better than anyone. “His personality, who he is outside of football — he’s a great human being. I just love being around him,” Hill remarked after the trade in April. “He makes everybody’s job easier. Mine. Allen’s. Defensive ends. Linebackers. Safeties. Even the defensive coordinator’s. Having him in the room is a plus, for sure.”
Lawrence is 28 years old and settled into Cincinnati quickly, describing the city’s pace as matching his lifestyle. “It’s not New York, much slower, but that is my lifestyle,” Lawrence said at his introductory press conference in April.
He left the Giants under difficult circumstances; a prolonged contract standoff that stretched across two offseasons; and arrived in Cincinnati with a stated desire to prove he made the right call.
“I know they gave up a lot for me, and I appreciate that. I don’t take that for granted. I have a fire in me,” Lawrence added.
Center Ted Karras, who faces Lawrence every day in practice, described a glimpse of what opposing offenses in the league will experience. “This is a big trench division, and we got the best in the last 30 years,” Karras said. “When that schedule comes out and you see Dexter Lawrence as a center, you’re circling that from May onward. He’s a big, scary player, and I think we have a very serious team.”
Lawrence is already making an impact and everyone in the building can only watch and applaud. The All-Pro nose tackle and the rest of the unit will have an opportunity to show the world what this new-look Bengals defense is all about when the regular season resumes in September.