Bengals Fanbase
Hey Bengals fans - Sexy Dexy is coming to Cincy. Is this the biggest trade in the history of the franchise? Certainly feels like it, at least thinking about trades in recent memory.
You can check out the summary stats for the Bengals fan map above and see the map for yourself here.
Know any other bengals fans? Forward this to them so they can add themselves to the fan map above!
THE BIG MOVE
Dexter Lawrence
No. 10 to New York. Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati. Straight up. No second-round pick sweetener, no pick swap, just the 10th overall selection for a three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle who turns 29 in November. This is the most uncharacteristic thing this franchise has ever done, and that's exactly why it matters.
The business case was always there. Lawrence saw a 53% double-team rate since 2021, highest in the NFL over that span, which means BJ Hill, Boye Mafe, and Shemar Stewart are all about to benefit from someone else eating two blockers on every down. The Bengals had the worst run defense in the league last year. That's not a problem you solve with a Day 2 pick.
Yes, Lawrence had 0.5 sacks in 2025. Yes, he's going to get paid north of $25 million a year on the extension they're reportedly hammering out. Yes, a few outlets gave this a C-minus because the Giants theoretically should've been happy with a second-round pick. All of that is fair to note. But Daniel Jeremiah texted with a GM right before the trade broke and they both agreed the Bengals were "screwed" at 10 with how the board was shaping up. They aren't screwed anymore. They have a centerpiece. NFL insider Jordan Schultz put it plainly: "A changing organization. And their actions confirm it."
This is Burrow's prime. The offense was never the problem. Now the Bengals have Lawrence, Mafe, Jonathan Allen, Kyle Dugger, and Bryan Cook all arriving in the same offseason. That's not tinkering. That's a statement.
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DEFENSIVE LINE
Big Expectations For Boye Mafe
The Bengals broke their own record to get Boye Mafe. Three years, $60 million is the most Cincinnati has ever paid an outside free agent, and it went to an edge rusher. Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery and senior defensive assistant Sean Desai, who was with the Seahawks when Mafe was drafted, vouched hard for the character fit. If Mafe translates his pass-rush production to a full-time role, $20 million per year looks like a bargain inside two seasons.
Stewart didn't play like a first-round pick last year, and Montgomery said it plainly: "There were times he wasn't ready to be out there." He's healthy now, with a full offseason behind him. Put him next to Lawrence and Mafe and that interior suddenly looks like something.
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AROUND THE EDGES
Hendrickson Drama
Trey Hendrickson showed up to the Ravens' jersey reveal and said something about playing in the AFC North "on the right side of the ball." Whether it was a deliberate shot or a throwaway line, Bengals fans were not going to receive any version of that speech charitably — and honestly, who can blame them. What matters now is that he's there and we have to beat him twice a year. That's the only reply worth giving.
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Let Us Know What You Think About This Newsletter
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Bengal Jim and Friends Updates
Talking Football With Bengal Jim and Friends
Season 6 episode 33 - Tonight at 8:00 pm. You can watch here
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