Dexter Lawrence wanted out. And he’s getting his wish.
NFL Network reports that the Giants are trading the defensive tackle to the Bengals for the 10th overall pick in the 2026 draft. PFT has confirmed that the deal is in place.
Via Jordan Raanan of ESPN, the deal is subject to Lawrence passing a physical. Which means it won’t be final until he passes. That wrinkle needs to be resolved by Thursday, obviously.
The next question is whether the Bengals will address Lawrence’s contract on the way in. Our understanding is that it hasn’t happened yet, but that something is expected to occur sooner than later.
Lawrence was the 17th overall pick in the 2019 draft. Signed through 2027, Lawrence was due to earn $20 million in 2026.
He had been trying to get a new deal from the Giants, given the changes to the market for interior defensive linemen. Twelve days ago, Lawrence went public with his request for a trade.
Joe Flacco has played 209 games in his career, and he’s back with the Bengals this year at the age of 41. He has managed to keep going despite the wear and tear of 18 NFL seasons, but he has concerns about the season getting longer.
Flacco said that with NFL owners wanting to add a game to the regular season, he questions whether the 18-game season will turn into 20, and then 22, and whether the constant desire for more money will hurt the players, and the product on the field.
“It’s got to stop at some point,” Flacco told Front Office Sports. “What happens when we go to 18? Are they going to want 20? Are they going to want 22? We used to play 14 games before I was born. At some point it has to stop.”
Flacco said that he thinks players will eventually go along with the longer season and the more money that will come with it.
“If we’re asked to play 18 games, I think you’re not going to see much difference, and it looks like we’re probably eventually going to play 18 games, and we’ll just have to do it, and it is what it is,” Flacco said. “The revenue’s going to go up, and the salary cap is going to go up, and over time you are going to be making more money.”
Flacco thinks the quality of the playoffs has already been hurt by playing 17-game seasons.
“Ultimately it seems like we’re going to go there and we’re going to be able to do it,” Flacco said. “As a player I loved playing 16 games, and I think the NFL had an awesome formula for 16 games and four rounds of playoffs and it was super competitive. I don’t think people realize when you put guys through an 18-game regular season schedule, I think what could happen is the playoffs start to suffer. Teams are so beat up by that point in the year that they’re not at their best, so instead of getting top-level football you’re getting a couple teams going against each other at 75 percent.”
The NFL has announced the names of the current and former players that will take part in next week’s draft by announcing second-round picks.
The list includes players associated with all 32 teams, including Cardinals running back James Conner. Conner has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area after playing for the Steelers and attending Pitt, which likely made him an easy choice as the Cardinals’ representative.
Former Bears tackle Jimbo Covert, former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett, former Chiefs defensive lineman Bill Maas, current Vikings tackle Brian O’Neill, former Jets running back Curtis Martin, and former 49ers punter Andy Lee are other Pitt alums who are set to take part.
The hometown team will be represented by four players. Former Steelers Jerome Bettis and John Stallworth will be joined by Joey Porter Sr. and Jr. next Friday.
The other players taking part and their team affiliations appear below:
Falcons: Michael Turner
Ravens: Mark Ingram
Bills: Shane Conlan
Panthers: Jake Delhomme
Bengals: Ken Anderson
Browns: Phil Dawson
Cowboys: Drew Pearson
Broncos: T.J. Ward
Lions: Calvin Johnson
Packers: John Kuhn
Texans: Billy Miller
Colts: Pat McAfee
Jaguars: Paul Posluszny
Raiders: Matt Millen
Chargers: Shawne Merriman
Rams: Tavon Austin
Dolphins: Dwight Stephenson
Patriots: Deion Branch
Saints: Marques Colston
Giants: Osi Umenyiora
Eagles: Brian Westbrook
Seahawks: Cliff Avril
Buccaneers: Ronde Barber
Titans: Jeffery Simmons
Commanders: Mark Rypien
Indiana running back Kaelon Black has had a busy pre-draft itinerary.
He had ktop-30 visits that included the Jets, Broncos, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Dolphins, Packers, Vikings, Patriots, Raiders and Bengals.
The last one was not easy.
After spending Tuesday in Las Vegas with the Raiders, Black flew to Chicago, where his connecting flight to Cincinnati was canceled. So, Black spent Tuesday night at O’Hare, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.
The Bengals sent an Uber to pick up Black on Wednesday morning to drive him the 316 miles to Cincinnati.
There is no word on how much the Uber ride cost, or how much the Bengals tipped the driver.
Black played under head coach Curt Cignetti at James Madison for two years before transferring to follow Cignetti to Indiana in 2024.
He rushed for 251 yards for Indiana in 2024 before becoming one of the Hoosiers’ two 1,000-yard backs in 2025, finishing the season with 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 36 yards.
Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown wouldn’t mind seeing his team make a big swing in the trade market.
Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was not at the team’s offseason workouts last week after requesting a trade amid a push for a new contract. During an appearance on Up & Adams, Brown said that Lawrence “would make our football team better” when asked about the possibility of the Bengals trading for him.
“Dexter Lawrence is a baller,” Brown said. “I think he’d be even more of a baller in orange and black. I don’t know how that kind of stuff goes necessarily, I don’t have all the answers.”
Lawrence requested a trade because he’d like to rework a contract with two years left on it and hasn’t found common ground with the Giants. Brown doesn’t control the purse strings in Cincinnati and the contract could be a sticking point for them, but they’d also need the Giants to pivot after head coach John Harbaugh said he thinks Lawrence will remain with the team.
Cornerback Mansoor Delane has a handful of pre-draft visits planned for the coming days.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Delane is slated to meet with the Bengals, Ravens and Commanders before the window to visit teams closes this week. Delane also spent time with the Dolphins and Giants recently.
Delane is bidding to be the top cornerback selected this year. He spent the 2025 season at LSU after playing at Virginia Tech and was an All-American during his lone season in Baton Rouge. He had 45 tackles and two interceptions for the Tigers.
Avieon Terrell and Jermod McCoy are also at the top of the list of cornerback prospects this year.
The Bengals are doubling down on meetings with draft prospects on the defensive side of the ball on Friday.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that former Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez is visiting with the team. Former Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain is also meeting with the team.
Rodriguez won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, and Chuck Bednarik Award in recognition of his efforts for the Red Raiders during the 2025 season. He finished the year with 128 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, a sack, four interceptions, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a fumble return for a touchdown. He also ran for a pair of touchdowns while moonlighting as a running back.
The Bengals are set to pick 10th in the first round and adding defensive help seems like a likely direction for a team that’s struggled on that side of the ball for the last couple of seasons.
Rueben Bain’s busy pre-draft season is continuing on Friday.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Bain is visiting with the Bengals on Friday.
Cincinnati has the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft.
Bain had a visit with the Chiefs on Thursday after previously meeting with multiple teams, including the Titans and Dolphins.
Bain had a strong junior season in 2025, helping Miami reach the CFP National Championship game. He registered 9.5 sacks with 15.5 tackles for loss plus an interception last season. In his three years with the Hurricanes, he tallied 20.5 sacks with 33.5 tackles for loss.
The 49ers have added some depth to their defensive line.
Free agent defensive end Cam Sample has agreed to a one-year deal in San Francisco, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The 26-year-old Sample has played his entire NFL career with the Bengals, who chose him in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Sample has been a backup for most of his career, starting just five of the 61 games he has played in. Last year he had two sacks in 14 games.
Having won the CFP National Championship with Indiana in January, running back Kaelon Black has a busy pre-draft schedule.
Black has several teams on his list for pre-draft, top 30 visits, including the Jets, Broncos, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Dolphins, Packers, Vikings, Patriots, and Raiders, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT.
He may also meet with the Bengals.
Black played under head coach Curt Cignetti at James Madison for two years before transferring to follow Cignetti to Indiana in 2024.
He rushed for 251 yards for Indiana in 2024 before becoming one of the Hoosiers’ two 1,000-yard backs in 2025, finishing the season with 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 36 yards.
