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Bengals head coach Zac Taylor shared his thoughts on Cincinnati acquiring Dexter Lawrence

While the rest of the league is focused on Day 1 of the NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals are still feeling the excitement of acquiring three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence. 

The move was an aggressive one for Cincinnati, as not only did the team give up a premium asset in the No. 10 overall pick, but they also signed Lawrence to a one-year extension. The Bengals’ aggressiveness aligns with previous reporting that the team wanted to do everything necessary to ensure that quarterback Joe Burrow was happy and wanted to remain with the organization.

It appears trading for Lawrence did just that for the time being. Now, head coach Zac Taylor has shared his thoughts on the trade.

Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Shares Thoughts

“So it’s one of those things that just elevates everybody, and we gotta go win. You add Dexter, you add all these guys on defense that we’ve added,” Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters after the team traded for Lawrence. “Again, credit upstairs to personnel and those guys for getting these guys down here in the locker room, because you can just feel the presence of everybody we’ve added on top of the guys that we already have, young and old.”

Taylor added, “And we got a really great collection of guys. We’re in a tremendous position going into the draft this weekend to just add pieces on either side of the ball that can help us go win. But I’m really excited about the position we’re in today”

Regarding the stakes and the urgency the Bengals have to win after the trade, Bengals on SI’s Zach Pressnell wrote:

“The Bengals can’t afford to lose now. They traded a top draft pick to acquire a 28-year-old defensive tackle with a bit of an injury history. It’s a risk. They’re mortgaging the future to try to win now.

The only way the Bengals can make this trade worth the investment is by winning. The coaching staff knows it. The players know it. There is going to be a lot of pressure on the team this season.”

Cincinnati Bengals Original Draft Plans

Once the trade was finalized, reports began to surface that the Bengals considered several things with the No. 10 selection. The team reportedly explored trading that pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in order to acquire pass rusher Maxx Crosby, but they did not want to meet the price of two first-round picks.

Had a trade not been made and Cincinnati stayed at No. 10, a new report indicated that the team planned to select Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods with that selection. Woods would likely have been seen as a reach, as he was ranked by NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah as the 39th-best prospect in this year’s class. 

Regarding Woods, Jeremiah wrote:

“Woods is a thick, square DT prospect with fabulous quickness and violent hands. As a run defender, he can hold the point of attack when blockers are lined up over his nose. He uses his leverage and lower-body strength to absorb blocks and hold his ground. He has lateral range to make plays outside the tackle box, and I applaud his effort to chase downfield”

In the past, Lawrence has already proven to be able to do what Jeremiah projects Woods to perhaps do. Despite the higher cost, Cincinnati opted to take the sure thing with Pro Bowl experience.