Bengals acquire Dexter Lawrence from Giants for No 10 pick in NFL draft

The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to acquire three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants for the 10th overall pick in next week’s NFL draft, according to two people with knowledge of the trade who spoke to the Associated Press on Saturday night.

Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending a physical.

The trade gives the Giants the fifth and 10th picks in the first round. New York is heading into its first draft under new coach John Harbaugh after finishing 4-13 last season.

The Bengals paid a steep price for the 28-year-old Lawrence, who requested a trade because he wanted a new contract. He is in the middle of a four-year, $90 million extension signed in 2023.

If the deal goes through, it will be the first time Cincinnati has gone without a first-round pick since 1989, when the Bengals traded the next-to-last pick in the draft, No 27, to Atlanta for a second-round pick, No 35, a fourth-round pick, No 89, and a 10th-round pick, No 256.

The 6ft 4in, 340lb Lawrence had a career-high nine sacks in 2024, but only registered a half-sack last season. He made the Pro Bowl from 2022 through 2024 and was a second-team Associated Press All-Pro in 2022 and 2023.

The Bengals ranked near the bottom of the league in several defensive categories last season. They were 31st in yards allowed, 30th in points allowed and 30th against the run.

With Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins leading a dynamic offense, improving the defense was a priority this offseason. Lawrence gives Cincinnati an established presence in the middle of the defensive line, though the cost was significant.

The Giants will become the 22nd team in the common draft era, since 1967, to hold two top-10 picks, and the fifth in the last five years. They also did it in 2022 with Kayvon Thibodeaux at fifth and Evan Neal at seventh. The Bears took Caleb Williams first and Rome Odunze ninth in 2024. The Texans selected CJ Stroud second and Will Anderson Jr third in 2023. The Jets chose Sauce Gardner fourth and Garrett Wilson 10th in 2022.

On Tuesday, Giants general manager Joe Schoen said the team was having productive talks with Lawrence’s camp.

“We’d like for Dexter to be here, and at some point we’ll come to a resolution here, whatever that may be,” Schoen said. “We’ll see. But conversations have been really good, they’ve been productive and we’ll see what happens here down the road.”

But owning two top-10 picks was too good to pass up.