Bengals pushed for Maxx Crosby trade before landing Dexter Lawrence, per report

The Cincinnati Bengals made the splash of the offseason last week when they traded the 10th overall pick to the New York Giants for All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.

However, they attempted to make another major splash with a trade for a different defender before landing Lawrence.

Tony Pauline wrote in a recent article that the Bengals held previous discussions with the Las Vegas Raiders about trading for Maxx Crosby. Here is exactly what he had to say about a potential deal between the two teams,

“Sources tell me that long before the Cincinnati Bengals surrendered the 10th pick of the draft to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence, the team discussed trading that selection to the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby. But the Bengals were unwilling to match the pair of first-round picks the Baltimore Ravens initially sent to Vegas for Crosby before a failed physical nixed the deal,” Pauline wrote.

So while it sounds like the two teams at least had conversations, nothing was actually close to getting done if the asking price was always going to be two first-round picks, which the Raiders briefly got from the Ravens in a trade that Baltimore ultimately nixed after getting cold feet.

Ultimately, the Bengals traded their 10th overall draft pick for Dexter Lawrence and gave him a one year extension through the 2028 season.