Dexter Lawrence is already making an impact in Cincinnati

• Elite start in Cincinnati: Dexter Lawrence leads all interior defenders in PFF overall grade (91.0) through two games.

• Producing through double-teams: Lawrence has generated two sacks and six hurries despite being double-teamed on a position-high 79.4% of his pass-rush snaps.

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The Cincinnati Bengals paid a premium to acquire Dexter Lawrence this offseason, and two games into his tenure, the veteran defensive tackle is already producing like one of the NFL’s best interior defenders.

Cincinnati acquired Lawrence from the New York Giants in April in exchange for the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The deal gave New York eight selections in the draft and a second top-10 pick, marking the third time under general manager Joe Schoen that the Giants held multiple first-round selections.

Lawrence, meanwhile, has quickly made his presence felt in Cincinnati.

Through two games, Lawrence has been one of the NFL’s most dominant interior defenders, earning a position-leading 91.0 PFF overall grade. His impact has been felt in every phase, too: His 83.2 pass-rush grade is tied for fourth among interior defensive linemen, while his 89.9 run-defense grade leads the position.

The eighth-year pro has generated two sacks and six hurries across 64 pass-rush snaps despite being double-teamed on a position-high 79.4% of those snaps. And that attention hasn’t stopped Lawrence from winning his matchups, as his 15.0% pass-rush win rate ranks 10th among qualifying players at the position, an impressive mark considering no other player at the position has faced a double-team rate higher than his.

And Lawrence has been even more dominant against the run.

His 89.9 PFF run-defense grade ranks first among interior defenders through two weeks. Lawrence has recorded three defensive stops on just 21 run-defense snaps, good for a 15.0% run-stop rate.

The play-by-play grading paints an even clearer picture of his impact. Lawrence has earned a positive grade on 40.0% of his run-defense snaps, the second-highest rate among interior defenders, while he has yet to record a negatively graded play against the run. His three tackles have also come at an average depth of 0.0 yards.

Lawrence was double-teamed on 80.0% of his pass-rush snaps in Cincinnati’s season opener against Tampa Bay, finishing with three pressures and a 71.1 pass-rush grade.

He followed that with his best performance as a Bengal in Week 2 against Houston, earning a 91.5 overall grade and an 83.9 pass-rush grade while producing five pressures on 39 pass-rush snaps despite being double-teamed on 78.9% of snaps.

The early production also represents a return to the high-end play Lawrence established during his best seasons in New York.

He earned pass-rush grades of 92.2 and 92.6 in 2022 and 2023, respectively, generating 135 pressures across those two seasons. His 2023 campaign remains his career high in pressures (65), while his 92.6 pass-rush grade marked his best single-season figure.

Lawrence’s double-team rate has steadily climbed along with that production. After facing double-teams on 58.0% of his pass-rush snaps in 2020 and 59.9% in 2021, that figure increased to at least 66.4% in each of his final four seasons with New York. It reached 73.2% in 2024 before dipping to 69.5% last season.

Two games into his Bengals career, opposing offenses have taken that attention to another level. Lawrence is seeing a double-team on nearly four out of every five pass rushes while continuing to win at a high rate, and his work against the run has been just as impressive.