10 winners and 2 losers from the Bengals’ massive trade for Giants star Dexter Lawrence

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) sprints onto the field for a preseason game at MetLife Stadium on August 21, 2022, in East Rutherford. Nfl Ny Giants Preseason Game Vs Bengals Bengals At Giants The Cincinnati Bengals shocked the NFL world Saturday night when they landed All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence in a trade with the New York Giants . It features the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft going to the G-Men for Lawrence straight up, making this far and away the biggest trade the Bengals have ever made in acquiring a player.

This move will have massive ramifications throughout the roster and franchise as a whole. It not only makes the Bengals a stronger title contender, but it also shows Mike Brown and crew mean business when it comes to building a team that can win championships. Now, let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from this monstrous trade.

Winners Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Last year was nothing short of a disaster for rookie linebackers Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight, who were thrown into the fire far sooner than they were prepared for, and their shortcomings were a key reason why the defense struggled so much. But to be fair, the defensive line rarely did them any favors, and the defensive tackles were especially bad. Good defensive tackles make life soooooo much easier on the linebackers, especially when it’s a guy the caliber of Lawrence, a two-time Second-Team All-Pro selection.

With Carter and Knight both set to keep their starting jobs this year, getting them more help up front was imperative to do this offseason. Between Lawrence and the free agency addition of Jonathan Allen, life just got a whole lot easier for the young backers. B.