Aug. 22, 2026, 7:02 a.m. ET
For the Cincinnati Bengals, this week has been all about Dexter Lawrence.
Lawrence wrecked the Chicago Bears and had Bears media singing his praises. His mere presence during joint practices helped others on the Bengals’ line emerge as huge winners.
And he’s under the spotlight for the guys on the offensive line responsible for blocking him in practice, too.
“He’s going to be overwhelming,” center Ted Karras said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Strong with good hands.
Very, very savvy player. You’ve got to be right 100 percent of the time. You’ve got to be ready to go or he’ll dump you.”
All that aside, Karras said he was just happy to see another offensive line finally struggle to deal with Lawrence.
“Our defensive line validated what’s been a hard month for us,” Karras told Hobson. “It’s been back and forth. That’s a real unit over there.”
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It’s to the point where this doesn’t just feel like typical positive offseason buzz for a team: Dexter Lawrence is that big of a deal.
If Lawrence is this as-adverstised during the regular season, those hopes that he helps the entire defense play better while spurring the development of the likes of Shemar Stewart have a much better chance of coming to fruition.
