The Cincinnati Bengals came away with a 27-9 preseason win over the Chicago Bears on Aug. 22 at Paycor Stadium. Moreover, the Bears‘ offensive line got a taste of facing Bengals defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II throughout the week, as both teams held joint practices.
Lawrence will look to be that difference-maker for the Bengals on defense, and Bears head coach Ben Johnson believes the veteran will give opposing defenses a headache this season.
After the Bears’ loss to the Bengals, Johnson was asked whether Chicago’s offensive line benefited from facing Lawrence this week as they eye back-to-back playoff appearances.
“I think [Lawrence is] a menace,” Johnson said postgame. “I mean, he’s an issue. That’s been the case for a number of years. I remember being in a joint practice setting with him a couple years ago, and he wrecks practice. That’s what he does. I will say I was proud of the way that Garrett [Bradbury] competed, and he did some good things against him.
“When you face a player like that and you know you’re going to a game, you certainly do need to make sure you limit the number of times anybody has a one-on-one with him because he’s just a special individual.”
Last season with the New York Giants, Lawrence played 754 snaps on defense, leading to a 75.6 overall PFF defensive grade. Moreover, he generated 34 total pressures, 27 hurries, 16 stops, two batted passes and seven QB hits. Meanwhile, against the run, Lawrence recorded 22 solo tackles.
Caleb Williams Also Has High Praise for Dexter Lawrence
Johnson wasn’t the only person on the Bears team to express how impressive Lawrence is. After the joint practice, Caleb Williams spoke with the media on Aug. 20 and shared his thoughts on facing Lawrence, the main piece the Bengals added to their defense this past offseason.
“[Lawrence is] an All-Pro guy,” Williams told reporters. “He’s one of the best, if not the best, defensive tackles with Chris Jones and all of them up there.
“He’s a force to be reckoned with, and that’s something that you go into a game week planning for him, planning to execute against him and doing things that aren’t necessarily in his favor – his body type, his style of play, the scheme and things like that, and where they have him.”
It’s Now or Never for Bengals Ahead of 2026 Season
The Bengals’ addition of Lawrence might pay off, and it would be ideal given that the team has put its chips on the table with the investment they made to their defense this past offseason.
Recently, Joe Burrow noted that this 2026 season is now or never, which might be accurate, as head coach Zach Taylor is probably on the hot seat and Cincinnati spent money this past offseason to improve the defense.
“I’m trying to put it out into the world; I’m trying to manifest it,” Burrow said. “I’m trying to show our guys the urgency that I have and that I want us to have as an organization to go and make it happen.
“You can keep pushing it down the road, or you can talk about it now and say, ‘This is the year.’ And I’m tired of saying, ‘Next year, next year, next year.’ This is it. Life is too short to keep pushing things down the road. I’m trying to instill some urgency and some intensity in everybody to go and be great every day and try to go make it happen.”
Ben Johnson Gets Blunt on Dexter Lawrence After Bengals Win