The Cincinnati Bengals included Carl Lawson in the major roster turnover of the last few years during the rebuild.
Now Lawson could be a free agent again this offseason if the New York Jets cut him, something ESPN’s Rich Cimini lists as a possibility.
Lawson was a point of contention for some Bengals fans though, as the team spent the money at defensive end on Trey Hendrickson instead. That ended up working splendidly for Cincinnati, of course, given Hendrickson’s continued elite play.
But the idea Lawson could be available again is an intriguing one. He’s still just 27 years old and last year over 17 games he had seven sacks, largely performing as the same player he’s always been.
Those Jets are in a bit of a cap bind and using the out they built into Lawson’s contract would save them major cash, hence the idea he’d be released. If that happens, the question becomes whether another team on the market would pay him top dollar again.
And while Lawson had seven sacks this past season, he missed all of 2021 with injury. To date, he’s played more than 500 snaps in a season just twice since entering the league in 2017.
The idea of having Lawson as a rotational edge rusher who can rotate in with Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard and Joseph Ossai is really appealing. Another pass-rusher is a need for the defense, so getting Lawson back would likely free up some draft picks for other things.
In all likelihood? If the Jets cut Lawson, he’s going to get more money than the Bengals would like on the market because pass-rush is such a precious commodity. But it would be interesting to see if the front office and coaching staff even consider it, as all involved know what he’s capable of as player and the boost he could provide on a rotational basis.
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