Dexter Lawrence trade grades: Did the Giants fleece the Bengals?

Bengals: B

A team that’s finished second to last league-wide in total defense in two of the past three seasons (and 25th overall in 2024) continues to get a major remake on that side of the ball. The acquisition of Lawrence, who’s just 28, comes at a time when the team seems to have as good a shot as any to win its division − especially with Burrow in his prime. And given how weak the 2026 draft seems to be on top-tier talent, and especially so at defensive tackle, this seems like a calculated risk that could pay off handsomely − despite its cost in draft capital and actual funds. Lawrence will obviously need to play better than he did in 2025.

The Athletic

Giants: A

… the Giants created momentum with wide receiver Malik Nabers and quarterback Jaxson Dart as the headliners of their last two draft classes, and now they’ve got two quality assets to keep it going.

They also got incredible value for a player who publicly requested a trade.

Bengals: A-

It’s an aggressive move, but the Bengals have to stop wasting Joe Burrow’s prime years. The defense was in total disarray over the past two seasons, and the firing of coordinator Lou Anarumo following the 2024 season was always a curious move, especially since they got worse in the aftermath. The contractual spat with defensive end Trey Hendrickson became an exhausting storyline before he left last month in free agency.

CBS Sports

Giants: A

A star player wanted out, and the Giants were hesitant to pay him the raise he was after. The fact that they netted a first-round pick that comes in the top 10 for Lawrence is certainly a win for them.

The Giants are all of a sudden one of the most intriguing storylines in the draft.

Bengals: B

This move is pretty un-Bengals-like. This franchise is famous for waiting too long to pay star players, like defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Cincy watched him put up back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, and still didn’t want to commit to him. Now, they trade a top 10 pick for a defensive tackle coming off his worst NFL season, and start working on giving him a massive raise? Yes, Lawrence is a bit younger than Hendrickson at 28-years-old, but still, surprising.

Yahoo! Sports

Giants: A

Losing a prime talent like Lawrence hurts, but new Giants head coach John Harbaugh probably couldn’t have dreamed of better compensation than the No. 10 pick of this draft.

New York also avoids any more offseason drama over Lawrence’s contract and dodge a potential monster extension that would eat up the salary cap.

This draft isn’t stocked with potential superstars, but there is high quality available. And the Giants just gave themselves a better shot at landing multiple elite players with the Bengals’ unprecedented surrender of draft capital.

Bengals: C-

It’s stunning what the Bengals gave up for Lawrence considering that in their team history, they’ve never surrendered a top-10 draft pick for a player, according to ESPN.

Sure, they got a two-time Pro Bowler on a defense starving for talent, particularly after the loss of Trey Hendrickson to free agency. However, Lawrence had a down 2025 season and is approaching the wrong side of 30, turning 29 midway through the 2026 season.

Perhaps the Bengals didn’t believe they could’ve landed their needed defensive prospect in the draft at No. 10. Spending that premium pick on a proven commodity, coupled with a hefty extension for that player, was bold, but it feels like they could’ve gotten more than a one-for-one swap. The price looks especially bonkers considering an NFC executive told [Jori] Epstein that they didn’t believe the Giants could get more than a second-round pick for Lawrence.

Sporting News

Giants: A

Trading a defensive anchor just as you’re expecting to come out of a rebuild and make a leap isn’t ideal, but the Giants clearly drew a line in the sand in contract negotiations with Lawrence. Is that because they believe he won’t be the player he once was? Only time will tell.

Regardless, landing a second top-10 pick is a major coup that will allow coach John Harbaugh to better put his stamp on the Giants’ roster. No, that player might not have the immediate impact of someone like Lawrence, but New York now has two chances to add a cost-controlled, high-level talent to its roster and more flexibility to move around in the first round if needed.

Bengals: C

Make no mistake: the Bengals badly need a talent infusion on their defense, and that was true even before Trey Hendrickson’s exit in free agency. Lawrence makes their defense better from day one, and a stronger defense is critical to Cincinnati’s hopes of returning to the playoffs with Joe Burrow.

This is still a hefty price to pay for player heading into his eighth season who is presumably asking to become one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in the NFL. The Bengals might not get a player of Lawrence’s caliber with the No. 10 pick — ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the team considers 2026 “a big year” and want an immediate impact — but considering how much more cost-controlled that player would be, Cincinnati has to hope Lawrence plays like an All-Pro to live up to this deal.

Instead, a Bengals team that needs help just about everywhere other than the skill positions now owns only three top-180 picks in the 2026 draft.

The Bengals are betting that Lawrence will prove his 2025 was an aberration. He wasn’t as effective at getting to the passer or stopping the run, something he owed to playing through an elbow injury. Lawrence was much more effective in 2024 and even more effective in 2022 and 2023, when he was an All-Pro Second-Team selection.

It’s certainly possible Lawrence becomes that type of player again, but there is enough uncertainty to say this trade could be looked back upon as a desperation move.