Sources: Giants trade DT Lawrence to Bengals for No. 10 pick
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Well baby
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CINCINNATI — The New York Giants have traded Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick in next week’s draft, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter Saturday night.
The Giants now own the rights to the fifth and 10th first-round picks.
The trade comes after the Giants and Lawrence reached an impasse in negotiations over a new deal. Lawrence finally requested a trade after seven years in New York. The former Clemson star has two years left on his contract, but he has no guaranteed money left.
Lawrence, who turns 29 in November, was selected to the Pro Bowl from 2022 to 2024 and was an All-Pro finalist in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Over his career, he has 30.5 sacks and 40 tackles for loss in 109 career games.
With this move, the Bengals solidified an offseason strategy built around strengthening the line of scrimmage. In free agency, Cincinnati signed former Seahawks edge man Boye Mafe to a three-year deal for $60 million and also added former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Jonathan Allen to a two-year deal worth $25 million.
Aside from those additions and the signing of former Kansas City defender Bryan Cook (three years, $40.25 million), Cincinnati had a relatively smooth offseason. But the acquisition of Lawrence significantly changes the length of the Bengals’ moves. Cincinnati is looking to quickly improve a defense that struggled last season as the team missed the playoffs for the third straight year.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan contributed to this report.
