Dexter Lawrence Is Already Reshaping the Bengals D-Line as a Mentor
Cincinnati traded a draft pick for Lawrence, and less than an offseason in, teammates say he's coaching up the tackles like a second position coach.
IDP upside is real, but wait for Week 1 before you commit.
- Bengals gave up a draft pick to land Lawrence
- Impact showing up in offseason, not a full one yet
- Murphy credits Lawrence with D-line block shedding
- First real test comes Week 1 vs. a new opponent
Cincinnati gave up a draft pick to bring in Dexter Lawrence, and the early returns aren't showing up on a stat sheet yet — they're showing up in the meeting room. Teammate Myles Murphy told a local outlet that Lawrence has spent much of his short time with the Bengals passing along knowledge to the defensive tackles, and it's already changing how the whole front operates.
Murphy described Lawrence as essentially a second coach on the D-line, saying the veteran's tips are helping everyone get off blocks more cleanly. That's a big claim from a player who has been in Cincinnati less than a full offseason, and it's exactly the kind of intangible return the Bengals were betting on when they parted with that pick.
Lawrence has built his reputation on being a dominant interior force, but the point Murphy keeps circling back to is the mental side. In the trenches, technique and preparation matter as much as raw power, and Lawrence has apparently been generous with both. He's stepped into a leadership role fast — the kind of guy the rest of the room actually listens to.
The honest caveat here: everything so far is offseason talk. Murphy admitted it'll be hard to truly gauge the impact until the Bengals line up against a real opponent in Week 1. Practice reps against your own teammates only tell you so much. Chemistry and technique gains are easy to hype in August and harder to prove in September.
The Fantasy Fallout
For IDP managers, this is a monitor-it situation rather than a draft-day mandate. A healthier, better-coached Bengals front could funnel more tackles and pressures toward the linebackers and edge rushers behind it, which is where the fantasy points usually land. Lawrence himself is a tackle-and-occasional-sack profile, useful in deep IDP formats but rarely a league-winner on his own.
Bottom line: don't overreact to feel-good camp quotes. If you're in a standard league, Lawrence isn't a priority add. In deep IDP setups, flag him and watch that Week 1 debut — if the block-shedding chatter turns into real backfield disruption, the whole Cincinnati front becomes worth a second look.
