Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is still considered one of the best at his position despite not lighting up the box score in 2025.

ESPN’s annual survey of over 70 NFL executives, coaches, and scouts ranked Lawrence the No. 7 DT in the league entering 2026. He dropped from the No. 1 spot he held in last year’s rankings.

The drop-off makes sense on the surface. Lawrence’s production in 2025 did not match the Pro Bowl-caliber output from his earlier years with the New York Giants. Lawrence himself acknowledged last season was not his best, and the dip had nothing to do with injuries.

That context is precisely why there’s reason for optimism in Cincinnati while many consider its trade to land Lawrence a major risk.

A fresh start should lead to Dexter Lawrence’s return to dominance

Lawrence spent the first seven years of his career with the Giants, making the playoffs just once and never seeing 10 wins in a season. This was despite the former first-round pick making three Pro Bowls and rising to the top of his craft.

A few weeks before the 2026 NFL Draft, Lawrence officially requested a trade out of New York. Reports indicated he was wanting a fresh start for several months, and without a massive pay increase, he did not want to stick around after watching other great teammates move on to greener pastures such as Saquon Barkley and Leonard Williams.

At a certain point, a player of Lawrence’s caliber is right to feel wasted in his environment. An NFC scout surveyed by ESPN believes the change of scenery will do Lawrence good.

I think he’ll be rejuvenated there. He wasn’t happy in New York. He’s got to keep his conditioning in check, but when he’s at his best, he’s next to impossible to block.

That’s exactly why the Bengals were comfortable making an unprecedented move in franchise history. Trading the No. 10 pick in the 2026 draft for a veteran whose stock dipped a bit carries obvious risk, but the reward is immense when you consider how dominant Lawrence has been at his peak.

Lawrence remains a different kind of problem for offensive lines

The majority of the defensive tackles ranked ahead of or near Lawrence are pure 3-techniques who win as pass rushers. Lawrence is one of the only nose tackles on the list, and that distinction matters.

According to ESPN’s stats, Lawrence “faced a double-team 71.3% of the time in 2025, a league high for players with at least 300 pass-rush opportunities.”

He wasn’t sacking quarterbacks as much as he did in previous years, but Lawrence still recorded the sixth-highest pass rush win rate among starting DTs according to Pro Football Focus. His spot there is the same when looking at all pass rushing snaps, and against only true pass sets.

Lawrence commands an insane level of attention and even when he’s not fully bought in, he still wins. That is a scary thought now that he seems to be locked in and surrounded by a hungry defensive line featuring the likes of defensive ends Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, and veteran DTs B.J. Hill and Jonathan Allen.

Motivation is everything

This deal will ultimately be defined by how motivated Lawrence remains for the duration of his Bengals career. Everything we’ve seen and heard over his first couple of months in Cincinnati has been encouraging. He’s said the right things, been completely present for workouts, and has already taken a leadership role on the practice field.

That needs to continue throughout the season and beyond. The Bengals’ defense is counting on it. Early returns suggest Lawrence feels revived and more motivated to play up to his ability in a new environment. A motivated version of him playing at his ceiling would make Cincinnati look like a completely different team.

It would also see him climb back up this list for 2027.