The 2025 Cincinnati Bengals have one of the strangest defenses you will ever see.
According to FTN data, Cincinnati’s Defensive DVOA of 30.1% in Weeks 1-9 is the worst in the metric’s history, currently dating back to 1977. But from Week 10 through the end of the regular season, the Bengals improved their Defensive DVOA to -2.2% (Defensive DVOA that’s better when it’s 3 DVOA). That didn’t quite erase the early season sins — the Bengals finished 30th in Defensive DVOA ahead of only the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets — but there was enough in the bones for management to spend both draft capital and actual dollars to improve things on that side of the ball.
So, uncharacteristically, they did. They exchanged No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 draft to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence, the 6’4″, 342-pound one-of-one defensive tackle, and then signed Lawrence to a one-year, $28 million contract with $10 million guaranteed. They also signed the former Washington and Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle to a $50 million to $50 million deal with Jonathan $50 million guaranteed. Also signed. they signed former Seattle Seahawks edge-rusher Boye Mafe to a three-year, $60 million contract with $19 million guaranteed, and they selected Texas A&M edge-rusher Cashius Howell with the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2026 draft.
A radical makeover, to be sure. how is everyone Well, the Bengals currently rank 14th in Defensive DVOA, and fifth in the NFL in Total DVOA, behind only the San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and the Kansas City Chiefs. And the newly minted defensive line made all the difference.
- The Bengals are pressuring opposing quarterbacks 41.6% this season, compared to 36.5% in 2025.
- The defense averaged 16.4 pressures per game this season, compared to 13.1 in 2025.
- The sack rate increased from 5.8% in 2025 to 8.6% in 2026, and through five games, the Bengals had nearly half as many sacks (17) as they did in the entire 2025 season (35).
All the new guys acquired via trade or free agency are balling out.
- Lawrence had 3.0 sacks and 14 pressures.
- Allen had 3.0 sacks and 16 pressures.
- Mafe had 3.0 sacks and 21 pressures.
But with Lawrence, you have to put metrics aside, because everything starts with him. Very few players in football history have displayed opposing offenses with Lawrence’s combination of size, strength, speed, agility, and technique. This season, Lawrence has been double-teamed on 94 of his 234 snaps, and while that’s exactly what you need to do with Sexy Dexy, it doesn’t always go as planned.
It’s a pretty crazy thing for a guy who spends as much time as Lawrence does straight in the middle, or shaded off to one side. Per Sports Info Solutions, Lawrence led the NFL with two sacks and 11 total pressures from 0-tech (head over) and 1-tech (shaded) alignments. No one in the NFL had more than six pressures from those alignments.
Of course, Lawrence isn’t just there to cause trouble alone; part of his value is how he opens things up for his linemates. That’s where Jonathan Allen comes in. All three of Allen’s sacks this season came when he was inside the line with Lawrence.
Level 1 of that particular kung fu is simply having Allen and Lawrence in gap concepts designed to maximize their specific attributes.
Level 2 of kung fu occurs when Allen and Lawrence start stunting. That is not a pleasant experience for any offensive line.
Then there’s Mafe, who is a notable player in his own right — but also celebrates the fact that when Lawrence and Allen do their thing… well, Mafe has only been doubled up 10 times this season, and for good reason.
Defensive coordinator Al Golden and defensive line coach/run game coordinator Jerry Montgomery have done a good job of rotating defensive linemen — six different guys have more than 80 snaps this season — and when you combine that with the talent above, it’s become one of the toughest fronts to tackle in the NFL.
“It’s the fewest snaps I’ve played in a long time, but it was really good,” Allen said after the Bengals’ 33-27 Week 1 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Allen had a sack in that game. “The rotation was great. In the third quarter [when Allen got his sack] and fourth quarter, we were fresh and just rolling.”
Lawrence only played 35 snaps in that game, but he announced himself with three pressures.
“It appears because of the production that a lot of people around him get often,” head coach Zac Taylor said of Lawrence and the general idea. “He’s still there and making his presence felt, and Baker [Mayfield] had to try to get away from him several times. [Lawrence] had some runs really affected him too. But as much as anything, you only see the production that goes to other people because of the attention he catches.”
So yes, Dexter Lawrence is the star of this show, but he has all kinds of stars around him, and enough talent to keep it all fresh. That should make this Bengals defense a problem for every opponent they face this season… and their season could last well beyond Week 18 at this rate.