It’s not just Dexter Lawrence being a great football player that makes it clear why the Bengals made the bold move to trade for him in mid-April.
Lawrence is an incredible leader, and he is very confident and secure in himself. He knows what his role needs to be with the Bengals. If you need proof of all of this, listen to two interviews with him that aired on the Bengals Preseason TV Network Thursday night in the Bengals’ win over the Detroit Lions.
Lawrence did an interview with the Voice of the Bengals, Dan Hoard, back in April, and Thursday night he spoke with Bengals Preseason TV Network sideline reporter, Joe Danneman. Both interviews, aired Thursday night, show the kind of player and leader the Bengals have on their defensive line and defense overall.
Or, take this interview he did recently on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
"My job is to make everybody's job around me easier."@Bengals DT Dexter Lawrence discussed his role in the Cincinnati defense.
📻 https://t.co/1S6vayaSYT#Bengals | #WhoDey | @SolomonsWisdom | @DLInTheTrenchespic.twitter.com/w3wLW4RA04
Here’s how I interpret that quote. Lawrence understands his role, but that doesn’t mean taking a back seat when it comes to individual stats. Lawrence stuffing his individual stat sheet probably means other players on the defensive line are also getting theirs, or making impacts in lesser-glorified stats.
With Lawrence clogging the middle, that’s going to enable Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, Cashius Howell, and Myles Murphy to collapse the pocket off the edge. Pressures can make a big enough impact, especially if they allow the interior defensive linemen to finish at the quarterback.
The excitement is building for the regular-season opener on September 13th against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Lawrence gets a sack in that game, it’s very likely he’ll be hitting the Sexy Dexy dance in The Jungle.
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