Feb. 21, 2026, 9:55 a.m. ET

The Cincinnati Bengals don’t often get aggressive in trades.

But this offseason might be different. There’s an air of urgency after the Bengals did the bare minimum by throwing Duke Tobin into a season-ending press conference for the first time.

A slim NFL draft pool (thanks to NIL and other factors), plus a slim free-agency pool (thanks to the ever-rising cap) could force their hand a bit.

The Bengals will certainly have chances to strike up big trades. Consider this one from Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine, which has them sending a second-round pick and change to the New York Giants for defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence:  

“The 6’4″, 340-pound nose tackle is one of the most unique interior defenders in the league. Not only can he two-gap and stuff the run, but he also posts better pass-rush production than a lot of 3-techs.”

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Lawrence is 28 years old and had last season derailed a bit by an elbow injury. But in the three seasons before that, he had 21 sacks and was a versatile force all over schemes.

The Bengals love their do-it-all defensive linemen. Putting Lawrence on the same line as first-rounders Shermar Stewart and Myles Murphy could certainly provide a major boost.

There are red flags. The elbow injury is one. So is Lawrence’s roughly $27 million cap hit in 2026 on top of the cost to acquire him. 

But in this scenario, the Bengals haven’t exactly been knocking their second-round picks out of the park anyway. In fact, Kris Jenkins, the second-rounder from 2024, has been pretty much nowhere to be found so far at Lawrence’s same spot. 

Likely it happens? No, but the Bengals might just be better for it. Their best contention seasons lately have come after signing players other teams developed, after all. 

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