Nose Tackle · Cincinnati Bengals

Dexter Lawrence

No. 97 · 8th season

One ESPN analyst looked at the Bengals' offseason and wrote a C

Not everyone is sold on what Cincinnati built this spring.

Dexter Lawrence arrived in Cincinnati as one of the more imposing defensive linemen in the league — a player who has spent years making life difficult for quarterbacks and guards alike. When a team lands someone like that, it tends to feel like a statement. The Bengals clearly thought so.

One ESPN analyst did not agree. After looking at the full picture of what Cincinnati did this offseason, including the trade that brought Lawrence in, they handed the Bengals a C grade — not a disaster, but not a ringing endorsement either. Average. Good enough, maybe. Not enough to get excited about.

A C grade means the people doing the grading think the Bengals left something on the table. Whether that is about price, fit, or what else the roster still needs, a C is a C. It is the grade that says: sure, but.

Lawrence will get a chance to make the analyst look wrong. That is always the other side of an offseason grade.

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