Bengals defensive tackle acquired from the Giants in March 2026 to anchor the Cincinnati front.
Dexter Lawrence II was the Giants' best defensive player for six seasons: three Pro Bowls, two first-team All-Pros, and a 9-sack 2024 from the interior. New York traded him to Cincinnati in March 2026 for two first-round picks as part of the Giants' rebuild around Abdul Carter. Lawrence now anchors a Bengals defense desperate for interior presence.
Path to the league
Clemson national champion (2018) taken 17th overall by the Giants in 2019. Took several years to break through. Became one of the league's premier interior rushers by 2022.
Career highlights
3x Pro Bowl. 2x First-team All-Pro (2022, 2023). 40+ career sacks (interior). 2018 CFP National Champion (Clemson). Highest-paid DT in the NFL at the time of his 2024 extension.
2025-2026 outlook
Played 14 games for the Giants in 2025 (6 sacks). The Bengals' trade gives Joe Burrow's team the kind of interior force it has not had since Geno Atkins. Lawrence's contract runs through 2028. Cincinnati paid premium picks because they had to fix the defense before the Burrow window narrowed.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Dexter Lawrence II
- Pro Football Reference: Dexter Lawrence
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | giants | 17 | 31 | 14 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2024 | giants | 12 | 44 | 23 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | giants | 16 | 53 | 32 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022 | giants | 16 | 68 | 35 | 7.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 2021 | giants | 16 | 54 | 27 | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2020 | giants | 16 | 53 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2019 | giants | 16 | 38 | 24 | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Clemson
- Hometown
- Wake Forest, NC, USA
- Age
- 28
- Status
- active
