After three consecutive seasons without making the playoffs, the Cincinnati Bengals needed to make major changes in order to return to championship contention.
After the 2025 season ended, the Bengals appeared to have the necessary assets to undergo a major transformation, as they were among the top 10 teams in available cap space and also had a top 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
With those assets, the Cincinnati Bengals were aggressive this offseason. In free agency, the team signed Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook and Jonathan Allen to contracts that could be worth up to a combined $125 million. And with the team’s 10th overall pick, the Bengals pulled off their most aggressive move yet as they traded for three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence. However, that move has been recently called out by an ESPN analyst.
Cincinnati Bengals Called Out for Blockbuster Trade
ESPN’s Seth Walder gave out his offseason grades for all 32 NFL teams, and listed which moves he liked and disliked. Unfortunately for the Bengals, their biggest offseason move, which was trading for Lawrence, was also the one Walder disliked the most for Cincinnati.
Walder wrote:
“The Bengals made a high-profile trade, sending the No. 10 pick to the Giants in exchange for Lawrence. The move was both uncharacteristic and unwise. Yes, Cincinnati needs to invest resources into its defense. But this was not the way to do it. Lawrence is a good player who has been elite in the past. But he is coming off a down season — just an 8.4% pass rush win rate and 0.5 sacks. There’s also a big difference between sending the No. 10 pick and, say, a late first-rounder. And that’s why this was too pricey a trade.
At the time I graded the deal I thought Lawrence would get a significantly revamped contract, which would have basically meant the Bengals paid a first-round pick for market value. However, the contract revisions were minor, so that part was not as bad as anticipated.”
Additionally, Walder said trading Lawrence was the best move for the New York Giants. For the Giants portion, Walder wrote: “But in terms of players, the biggest decision the Giants made was to trade Lawrence to the Bengals for the No. 10 pick. That was a huge win. As much as I — and probably the Giants! — like Lawrence as a player, he was coming off a down season, and the value of the No. 10 pick was simply a much better return than the veteran defensive tackle is likely worth.”
Additional Bengals Moves
Trading for Dexter Lawrence was not the only Bengals move Walder criticized. Regarding the addition of two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jonathan Allen in free agency, Walder wrote: “The Bengals also added Jonathan Allen to play next to Lawrence on a two-year, $25 million deal. Allen was great in his prime, but it has been several years since he was that player — he didn’t produce much last season in Minnesota or in eight games with the Commanders the year before. So, this is not how I would have spent my money if I were the Bengals.”
While Walder did not appear high on Cincinnati’s offseason, as evidenced by the “C” grade he gave the team, he did like the team’s addition of former Seahawks pass rusher Boye Mafe. Regarding that move, Walder wrote: “I wasn’t down on every Bengals defensive addition, though. They added Mafe in free agency on a $20 million-per-year contract. Mafe has always fared well in the win rates and finished in the 80th percentile or better in both pass rush win rate and run stop win rate last season. The question will be whether he can keep up that level of play with a larger workload in Cincinnati. If he can, he’ll offer a heck of a value.”
Bengals Called Out For Dexter Lawrence Decision