The Saturday, April 18 trade by the Cincinnati Bengals for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants was still the talk of the NFL shows Monday morning April 20.
The "un-Bengal-like" move to bypass the club's 10th-round selection overall and trade the pick to the Giants to sign Lawrence to a one-year $28 million extension was viewed differently by some of the league's top insiders.
On ESPN's "Get Up" show with Mike Greenberg, Adam Schefter said many believe the Lawrence trade is to keep quarterback Joe Burrow happy.
"If there's another season that goes South, it's hard to imagine that Joe Burrow would be particularly pleased with that and who knows what questions would arise?" Schefter said.
He pointed out last year's signings of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at Burrow's request. Schefter says Lawrence's performance was down last year, but in past years, he was a force on the Giants' defensive line, often being double-teamed.
"This is a critical season for Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. ... The Bengals are doing what they can ... to make sure that they try to win this year to keep Joe Burrow happy."—@AdamSchefter on the Dexter Lawrence trade between the Giants and Bengals ✍️ pic.twitter.com/Pj0pozzHvG
A former college and NFL quarterback himself, Orlovsky's thoughts on the Bengals improving their defensive line focused more on the offensive line.
Pointing out that the most sacks since 2020 belong to Myles Garrett of the Browns, TJ Watt of the Steelers and former Bengal Trey Henderickson, now of the Ravens (all AFC Central), Orlovsky said, "The Cincy defensive improvements will be lipstick on a pig if they can't block those guys."
Most sacks since 2020: Myles Garrett (95.0)⁰T.J. Watt (80.5)⁰Trey Hendrickson (74.5)The Cincy defensive improvements will be lipstick on a pig if they can’t block those guys. @PaulHembo
Pellisero noted the current NFL draft didn't have as many blue-chip players. Pellisero said a Bengals source told him, "10 would have been a slow death".
Thus, the trade for the 28-year-old, three-time Pro Bowler Lawrence and the extension making him the NFL's second-highest paid NFL defensive tackle.
"A bold move for the franchise that doesn't have a history of making bold trades," Pellisero said. "They made a statement in terms of acquiring Dexter Lawrence."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dexter Lawrence trade reactions from NFL experts