'A once in a lifetime player.' Bengals react to Dexter Lawrence

Hill's been known to face double-team blocking, and he's in a position to argue that Lawrence will make life easier because Lawrence is also accustomed to facing double-teams, too. He's the type of player opponents alter the game plans to account for, and even then he can still wreck those plans. And Hill might benefit from Lawrence's presence more than most with the attention he figures to hog up from opposing offensive coordinators.

"You love to have a guy like this in the room," Hill said. "Can’t find one flaw in his game. He does everything well. He’s a rare guy. He can rush the passer, stop the run, play physical. Whatever we need, he can do it all."

Some of the most glowing praise for Lawrence's arrival came from Bengals offensive line veteran Amarius Mims, He knows a good defensive tackle simply by the nature of his job. And while Mims' life might be made a little more challenging in training camp and practices this year because of Lawrence, he was effusive in his praise for his new teammate.

"I feel the energy in the locker room. I feel it when we’re working out," Mims said. "You gotta understand, like, this is a once-in-a-lifetime player. This guy is a game-changer. Not only, just like I said, on the defense, but he can change the whole team dynamic. Everybody’s happy about it … We’re excited to have him, and let’s go win, man. Like, oh my God.

Mims contended Lawrence could alter the entire team's culture. Listening to Lawrence field questions from reporters on April 20, it's not hard to imagine that from his personality alone. Lawrence filled the Paycor Stadium news conference room with an infectious laughter. He fielded all manner of questions, including some about a dip in production in some areas of his game in 2025 (Lawrence was held to half a sack in 2025, and he contended offensive linemen wised up to his approach).

Lawrence also took a question in stride regarding the nature of his departure from the Giants, which has been characterized in some reports as contentious. Lawrence disagreed, saying he enjoyed his time in New York and liked playing on a team quarterbacked and led by Jaxson Dart. He even had brief words of praise for first-year Giants head coach John Harbaugh, and the two men barely had time to overlap within the organization.

Lawrence was just going through the business side of his industry and playing career, he indicated.

Throughout all the questions, the smile never left Lawrence's face, and he expressed gratitude to the Bengals for parting with the No. 10 overall NFL Draft pick to land him. He pledged to continue punishing opponents as a show of his gratitude.

"He's such a positive person," Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden said. "He's very engaging. I think he's an uplifter. I think he's a mentor. He seems himself that way. He's a leader. Just in the short time that I've been exposed to him, he's been impressive. He makes everybody around him better. I think the way he plays the game, he's so technically sound. Just watching reels of him the last couple days. The way he uses his hands. The way he finishes on the ball carrier. The pocket push that he gets inside is at an elite level, so, excited to build on that."

Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden talks about newly signed defense tackle Dexter Lawrence in a press conference at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Monday, April 20, 2026.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals players, coaches react to Dexter Lawrence signing