Dexter Lawrence might be an elite defensive player, but his addition to the Cincinnati Bengals apparently wasn’t enough to give them a top group of triplets among NFL defenses.
Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano put Lawrence, Demetrius Knight Jr., and Dax Hill at 29th among such triplets, which must be comprised of one pass rusher, one inside linebacker, and one defensive back.
Manzano wrote:
The Bengals would be ranked higher if this list were based solely on defensive linemen. This team has serious
issues at off-ball linebacker and throughout the secondary. But the trade for Lawrence should provide some relief for the shaky back end of the defense.
To be fair, having to include an inside linebacker really hurt Cincinnati here, though Knight could be primed for a breakout year.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams, who acquired Myles Garrett in a trade from the Cleveland Browns, jumped to first overall, now that their triplets consist of Garrett, Nate Landman, and Trent McDuffie.
And the Browns, who lost arguably the best pass rusher in the trade, only dropped to ninth, since they received Jared Verse in return.
To round out the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers were ranked 11th thanks to T.J. Watt, Patrick Queen, and Jamel Dean.
And the Baltimore Ravens were given the 10th spot after acquiring Trey Hendrickson from the Bengals to team with Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton.
