CINCINNATI, Ohio — The Bengals will have a very rare quiet first day of the 2026 NFL Draft. That’s because they made so much noise on Saturday when they traded the 10th pick for Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor reacted to the Dexter Lawrence trade, sharing how the move impacts the team and expectations.

On Saturday, with less than a week before the 2026 NFL draft, the New York Giants traded nose tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the No. 10 overall pick on Thursday night.

NFL insiders are split on whether the New York Giants will target offense or defense first when making their two top-ten selections in the 2026 NFL draft.

Patrick cited Burrow’s desire for the Bengals to keep both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as evidence, plus his public support for Trey Henrickson over the years, in addition to the sourced report. But this takes it a step beyond, outright suggesting Burrow is throwing around demands and the Lawrence trade is a result.

The Bengals signed DL Dexter Lawrence to a one-year contract extension following a trade from the New York Giants that includes a $10 million roster bonus, an $8.125 million option in 2027, and up to $1 million annually in per-game active roster bonuses.

With the Dexter Lawrence trade in the rearview mirror, we project how John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen will leverage picks No. 5 and No. 10 to establish a physical new identity in East Rutherford.