The Cincinnati Bengals won’t stop earning praise for their big offseason anytime soon.
Granted, the most important praise comes from Joe Burrow himself.
But during a quiet part of the offseason, it sure doesn’t hurt to see and hear praise from the national lens, either.
Said praise deals with the Dexter Lawrence trade, of course.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando recently listed his favorite offseason move from every team and highlighted that Lawrence trade for the Bengals.
“The Bengals needed to do something big for a defense that ranked 29th in EPA per play last season and has struggled for years,” Sando wrote. “Lawrence, 28, certainly qualifies. The 6-foot-4, 340-pound tackle could become the latest Giants castoff to revive his career elsewhere, as Leonard Williams did with Seattle. Landing Lawrence for the 10th pick in the draft beat trusting the Bengals to find an impact player in an underwhelming draft class.”
Bengals fans know the drill by now. Lawrence is one of the best nose tackles in the NFL with a pretty unique ability to rush the passer. There’s a ripple effect he might be able to produce for the entire unit, which helps the performance of it and aids the development of younger players.
Speaking of development, Lawrence has already been mentoring Shemar Stewart during practices, so it’s starting to pay off already.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Yet more national praise for Bengals’ biggest offseason move
