In his Bengals regular-season debut, Dexter Lawrence didn't post any traditional counting stats and was still one of the most important players on the field.
Just like the Bengals planned it.
No, really.
This is what they wanted and expected when they swapped the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for Lawrence in an April trade with the New York Giants.
Lawrence didn't record a tackle against Tampa Bay, let alone a sack. He had one quarterback hit. Didn't matter. The presence of the 6-foot-5, 350-pounder was still immense.
That started with Lawrence winning his individual matchup in the trenches 36% of the time, according to PFF. That was the best percentage among defensive linemen in the NFL for Week 1.
Taylor described Lawrence's impact during
the win over the Buccaneers as big.
"It's not always going to show up on the stat sheet. It shows up because of the production a lot of guys around him get oftentimes," Taylor said. "And he still was in there and made his presence felt, and (Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield) had to try to get away from him a couple times. Had some runs he really affected as well. But as much as anything, you just see the production that comes to other people because of the attention he draws."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati's Dexter Lawrence still dominant, even without the stats
