Did acquiring Dexter Lawrence cost the Bengals a potentially generational talent like Caleb Downs?
The Cincinnati Bengals needed help on defense. That’s not a debatable point. Their unit was among the worst in the league last season, and with Joe Burrow still capable of carrying an offense, the pressure was on general manager Duke Tobin to build something around him.
Trading away the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for Dexter Lawrence felt like a decisive answer to that problem. But now that Round 1 is in the books, it’s worth asking: did Cincinnati get this right?
The Case For the Dexter Lawrence Trade
Let’s be fair to the Bengals. Lawrence is a two-time second-team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler who is regarded as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the NFL. Cincinnati also locked him for the future, signing him to a one-year, $28 million extension that keeps him under contract through the 2028 season. That’s a proven, elite defender in his prime, the kind you simply don’t get at pick No. 41 in the second round.
Not to mention, the Bengals aren’t rebuilding just yet. Despite three consecutive seasons without making the playoffs, they remain a Burrow offense away from being dangerous, and a plug-and-play interior anchor is exactly the kind of move that keeps a contention window open.
But Here’s Where It Stings
Sonny Styles went to the Washington Commanders at No. 7, and Caleb Downs fell all the way to No. 11, where the Dallas Cowboys traded up one spot to snag him. Sit with that for a second.
Downs, widely considered on some boards as the top overall prospect in this class, was available at No. 10. The Bengals, who desperately needed safety help after the departure of Jordan Battle, could have had arguably the best defensive back in the draft without giving up a single veteran asset.
The Cowboys traded two fifth-round picks to jump one spot and get him, but Cincinnati essentially needed to do nothing.
The pick the Giants used, the one they got from Cincinnati, became No. 10 overall, which New York used on Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa. So the Bengals watched from the sideline as Downs walked out onto that stage at Acrisure Stadium knowing they could have been the ones calling his name.
Lawrence is a known commodity who makes Cincinnati better right now, and no draft pick comes with guarantees. But Downs is the kind of transcendent safety that comes around once a decade, and the Bengals play in an AFC North that already has Lamar Jackson torching secondaries twice a year. There’s an argument they needed that position more than they needed a defensive tackle, and they gave up a top-10 pick while still in need of a player like Downs.
Second-Round Draft Outlook
Cincinnati begins Day 2 with the No. 41 overall pick, their first selection of the draft. A cornerback, linebacker or safety could all be in play as defense remains the priority at Paycor Stadium.
The good news is this draft class has real depth on that side of the ball. Several Day 2 prospects, including safeties and cornerbacks, fell out of Round 1 due to injury concerns or scheme fit questions, which gives Tobin a real chance to add legitimate starters on Friday.
How well the Bengals use picks Nos. 41 and 72 will go a long way toward determining whether the Lawrence trade looks like a masterstroke or a missed opportunity.