Bengals Offseason Grade: Dexter Lawrence and Draft TRANSFORM 2026 Outlook

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4.7 • 853 Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2026

⏱️ 33 minutes

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Summary

A lot has changed for the Cincinnati Bengals since we first graded their free agency additions, most notably the huge swing to trade for Dexter Lawrence. They also re-signed Joe Flacco, signed Kyle Dugger, and added Cashius Howell and others in a draft class that we generally liked. With that in mind, it's time for Jake Liscow and James Rapien to grade the Bengals' entire offseason to date, which includes a major upgrade for veteran additions after the Lawrence trade that should make a significant difference for the defense, and improved depth around the roster that should improve resiliency in 2026.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Bengals have been active since mid-March, so we need to revisit our off-season grades after the Dexter Lawrence trade and the NFL draft.
0:16.6	You are Locked-on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast.
0:22.0	Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.
0:27.2	What up, Bengals fans, and welcome to another episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast.
0:31.0	He's James Rapine. I'm Jake Lisko, and today we are revisiting our free agency grades,
0:36.1	at which time the Bengals had not not resigned joe flacco they had
0:40.1	not traded for dexter lawrence we did not know what the draft was going to look like and we were
0:44.7	just being critical at the time of the moves they didn't make because now as then we like the moves
0:50.8	they did make in free agency we like the additions of boy Boye-Maffei, of Brian Cook, of Jonathan Allen.
0:57.1	But the moves they didn't make to solidify slot quarter and linebacker,
1:01.7	honestly, are moves that they still haven't made.
1:04.0	But when you take a swing as large as the Dexter Lawrence swing,
1:08.7	that's going to move the needle.
1:10.1	That will be the thrust of today's episode as we're going to think about how we were
1:16.0	talking about the team on March 17th, which is when we graded free agency and how much
1:20.2	that tenor has changed today on May 5th, happy Cinco de Mayo, as we are revisiting how we feel about this offseason now that
1:30.6	the majority of talent acquisition is completed.
1:35.7	Yeah, I got to be honest, Jake.
1:38.8	I think they completely flipped it on us.
1:43.4	And in the way they were able to pull off that Dexter Lawrence trade, what it does, how it feels, the vibes, the energy, the optimism, how he fits with this defense.
1:55.3	Like it completely changes how I feel about a lot of what they've done this offseason.
2:00.2	And it with that piece,
	...

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