CINCINNATI -- First came the text. Then came the dance.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery was at home with his family when his phone pinged with the news -- after weeks of subtle pursuit, the team had successfully traded for Dexter Lawrence II, one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. Havana, Montgomery's 8-year-old daughter, hit a solid version of the "Sexy Dexy," Lawrence's sack celebration.
Over the last month of training camp, Lawrence has validated all of the excitement that accompanied his arrival into town.
"If he's not making the play, it's probably because there's four hands on him," Montgomery told ESPN. "If there's four hands on him, there's people running free. So now you have other guys making plays and then building confidence as a defense."
And even when opponents have gotten ahold of Lawrence, the imposing lineman has found a way to get his 10.5-inch hands on players. Just ask Bengals running back Chase Brown.
In one of the most memorable plays of training camp, Brown was trying to wriggle through the offensive line on a rushing play.
Then Lawrence intervened. His hand emerged from the mass of bodies in the middle of the line of scrimmage and grabbed Brown by the shoulder. That was it for the play -- and Brown's shoulder pads, which needed repair.
"It's stitched with what I'm assuming is a really strong thread, and he ripped the pad off," Brown said. "It's like I got grabbed by a monster or something. I couldn't get off."
That seems to be a common theme among the locker room. When trying to describe Lawrence, teammates try to come up with an appropriate description that goes beyond the 6-foot-5, 350-pound characteristics listed in Cincinnati's media guide.
Fellow running back Samaje Perine had another way to put it -- a brick wall.
"There are big people all around the league," Perine said, "but usually when they're that big, they have a little give because they're a little bit fluffy-ish. But with him, it's just like a massive ball of muscle and there's no moving him."
And throughout Cincinnati's training camp, the combination of Lawrence's unique physicality combined with someone enjoying a new environment has yielded a very potent player. Lawrence made his way to Cincinnati following a trade request submitted to the New York Giants, where he spent the first seven years of his career.
Last year was statistically his worst. He finished with a career-low 0.5 sacks and his lowest pressure rate (5.3%) since 2020.
In the lead-up to his first season with the Bengals, Lawrence has been adamant about not feeling the need to prove anything to anyone. The former first-round pick just wants to do what he has always done.
"It's more about proving myself right," Lawrence told ESPN in July. "I know who I am."
Heard ya wanted to see this. pic.twitter.com/wvbDn5Q4Pu
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 20, 2026
But Bengals center Ted Karras, who has had to block Lawrence almost every day for the past month, knew Cincinnati would be getting the best version of Lawrence following the trade.
"You get an energy boost when you go to a new team," Karras said. "I think he's excited for a fresh start and he's been everything we could ever have imagined to anchor our defense."
Karras said that Lawrence makes everyone around him "10 points better," which fits one of the big descriptions of the offense. Back at the NFL combine in late February, Cincinnati's coaches talked about adding "force multipliers" that elevate others on the team.
That is exactly what Lawrence has done. And despite an already accomplished career and a lot of fanfare, he has been committed to doing what is asked of him by Montgomery and Cincinnati's staff.
"You got guys like Dexter and Jon Allen who want to be coached," Montgomery said. "I've been around other guys that don't want to be coached. They think their s--- doesn't stink. (But) these guys want to be coached. They're pros. [They ask:] 'How can we get better?'"
Montgomery doesn't want to make any early declarations on just how much better Cincinnati's defense will be with Lawrence in the middle. The Bengals spent the offseason adding pieces to improve a unit that finished 27th in points allowed per drive, per ESPN Research.
But the early returns have been promising. In the joint practice against the Chicago Bears, Lawrence intercepted a ball he batted near the line of scrimmage. That created a turnover that sparked the defense to a big finish against the Bears, one of the NFC's most promising teams.
"He's a menace," Bears coach Ben Johnson said. "He's an issue. That's been the case for a number of years. I remember being in a joint practice setting a couple years ago, he wrecks practice. That's what he does."
Over the last month, Lawrence has shown that if he's not creating problems in the middle, somebody else on the defensive line is. And there should be plenty of opportunities for him and others to show off their version of the "Sexy Dexy" as well.
