Tag: Carl Lawson

Carl Lawson calls Bengals ‘front-runner’ in candid free-agency chat

Cincinnati Bengals free agent Carl Lawson just had quite the revealing interview.

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Cincinnati Bengals pass-rusher Carl Lawson sounds like a guy who wants to stick with his team despite an impending trip to free agency where he’ll be one of the most sought-after pressure creators in the NFL.

Lawson, after escaping the franchise tag at this week’s deadline, heads to market next week a few days after legal tampering begins.

But before that, Lawson sat down for an extensive, superb interview with Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. Tucked in there is a telling quote about his plans for free agency:

“Of course the Bengals are the front-runner; we just haven’t gotten to any of the negotiations and stuff yet…I just know, talking with the Bengals, I think they would do right by me. And we’ll get that situation talked about first, but there is a lot of interest out there; that’s what I’m hearing. So it will be interesting to see what happens the next couple weeks. … Of course, I’m comfortable where I’m at. But it doesn’t make sense to not listen to what people have to say, but if there are better options for me and my family, then people will understand that. It’s not like they don’t have a great shot at landing me. Why would you tag me if you know you have a good shot at talking with me?”

The whole interview, not done through the team, is downright incredible (especially the part about fans misconstruing some of his social media posts that have nothing to do with football).

But the above text is the most important — Lawson wants to stick in Cincinnati, but he’d be doing himself a disservice by not seeing what the market has to offer if and when the time comes, too.

The Bengals can’t really afford to lose a player like Lawson given the sour state of the pass-rush as it is. All Lawson’s candid interview does is confirm the Bengals need to get on the ball about re-signing him over the weekend before the tampering window opens.

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7 NFL players not franchise tagged that the Bills could target

Players that were not recently franchise tagged that the Buffalo Bills could have interest in.

On Tuesday at 4 p.m., the NFL’s deadline for teams to place the franchise tag on players passed. In total, it happened nine times.

It was expected the Bills wouldn’t be one of the teams doing so… and they didn’t. But with only a few guys getting the franchise tag slapped on them, that leaves a lot more that are now likely to become free agents. Among those, could any interest the Bills?

While the price tags for such players might be a bit higher, here are seven such players that could interest the Bills:

Bengals don’t use franchise tag, still want Carl Lawson back

The Cincinnati Bengals opted not to use the franchise tag on Carl Lawson or William Jackson.

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Tuesday’s franchise tag deadline zipped past without word from the Cincinnati Bengals about Carl Lawson or William Jackson.

It’s at least a mild surprise, as Lawson is one of the best pass-rushers headed to the open market and Jackson might just be the outright best corner. Both were far and away the best players at the respective positions on the Bengals.

Despite the team not using a tag on either player, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Bengals would still like to get Lawson back in the mix. No word on Jackson, though that doesn’t mean much at this point.

There’s nothing too shocking about the Bengals still wanting to extend both guys. It might be a simple case of money, as the team wants to throw as much cash as possible at free-agent offensive linemen, while spreading the immediate cap hits of Jackson and Lawson on extensions out to future years.

If that’s the case, the Bengals have until Monday afternoon to work out extensions with these players before they can start negotiating with other teams.

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Bengals pass-rusher Carl Lawson tabbed as a top-15 free agent

The Cincinnati Bengals have a key free agent in Carl Lawson. He’s listed as a top-15 free agent outright this year.

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At this point, it’s safe to say Carl Lawson is by far the team’s most important free agent this offseason.

While one could argue William Jackson is right there with Lawson because of the team’s problems keeping great corners on the roster, there just aren’t many players like Lawson in free agency.

Case in point, Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com listing Lawson as the 14th-best free agent this year:

“Pass rush in a bottle. I can’t imagine why the Bengals would not tag Lawson, who finished fourth in pressures (64) and second in QB hits (24) among edge rushers, per PFF.”

Besides the front-facing numbers, Lawson also created more sacks for players around him than almost any player in the league last season.

So yes, Lawson is going to be expensive. But most teams would love to have a player like him and from a Bengals perspective…he was the only quality pass-rusher on the team last year.

Losing Lawson would be, in a word, devastating. And given the ranking here, it’s clear the Bengals need to try and work something out with him before the market opens.

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Should the Texans target Bengals DE Carl Lawson in free agency?

The Houston Texans will need to revamp their defensive line, and it makes sense to give Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson a look.

The Houston Texans were headed for a revamp of their defensive line regardless of whether or not they released J.J. Watt.

With new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith intent on deploying a Tampa-2 scheme with four down linemen, the Texans were going to have to find edge defenders willing to put their hand in the artificial turf at NRG Stadium.

One soon-to-be free agent the Texans ought to consider to play defensive end in their new 4-3 is the Cincinnati Bengals’ Carl Lawson.

According to Doug Farrar from the Touchdown Wire, Lawson ranks as the 10th-most underrated defensive free agent.

The Bengals’ defense has been a schematic disaster under defensive coordinator Lou Anaromo over the last two seasons, especially when it comes to coverage, but Lawson hasn’t let that affect his pass-rush abilities. Last season, in 16 games and 11 starts, Lawson put up 3.5 sacks, 24 quarterback hits, 34 quarterback hurries, 20 stops, and two forced fumbles.

Lawson has played in nothing but the 4-3 scheme under Marvin Lewis and later Anaromo when Zac Taylor took over as coach in 2019. The former 2017 fourth-round pick has four seasons under his belt and is on a trend of improvement. Lawson is entering a phase where is body is still young enough and he has enough experience to blend the two and provide a credible threat as an edge defender.

“He’s a strong player,” Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said of Lawson on Dec. 24, 2020, before their Week 16 encounter with Cincinnati. “He plays with an incredible motor. That to me is, again, the one thing that stands out is they play hard. Lawson is strong. He’s got really strong hands. Low center of gravity. Plays with good pad level. If you’re not right with your technique and if you’re not able to handle his pass rush moves, it could be a long day.”

The Texans will have to rely on veterans to help give their new defensive line a shot, and Lawson would be a nice transition piece.

12 pass-rushing options for Bills after J.J. Watt signs with Cardinals

Who could the Buffalo Bills target for a pass rusher following JJ Watt signing with the Arizona Cardinals?

The Buffalo Bills will not have three-time Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt in the fold in 2021. On Monday amid some speculation once again connecting the Bills to Watt, the 31-year-old decided to announce his new team.

The Arizona Cardinals.

While Watt is gone, the Bills’ needs remain. What direction could the team and general manager Brandon Beane go in now in terms of improving the team’s pass rush now?

Here is a quick rundown of options remaining for the Bills, post-Watt:

Giants’ Darius Slayton wants to see Carl Lawson in blue

New York Giants WR Darius Slayton threw out an aggressive recruitment pitch to pending free agent edge rusher Carl Lawson.

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The New York Giants will enter free agency with several key needs, including a reliable edge rusher who can relieve the interior defensive line of some pressure.

One such option may be the 25-year-old Carl Lawson, who has seen increasing buzz of late.

Many still consider Lawson to be a secondary option to the likes of J.J. Watt, Shaq Barrett, Jadeveon Clowney and Yannick Ngakoue, but for the Giants, that may actually be the sweet spot. The team sports limited cap space and aren’t expected to chase down many of the top prize free agents — especially on defense — so a player like Lawson may fit the bill.

And as fate would have it, the Giants currently have one of Lawson’s former Auburn teammates already on their roster: wide receiver Darius Slayton.

Slayton has been known to pitch the Giants to free agents in the past, but when it came to Lawson, he basically told the edge rusher that he will be bringing his talents to East Rutherford.

Lawson seemed to approve of the statement.

After bursting onto the scene as a fourth-round rookie in 2017, Lawson’s sack numbers have dwindled a bit. He’s recorded just 11.5 over the previous three seasons after posting 8.5 in his first season. However, Lawson’s QB hits have steadily risen, peaking with a career-high 32 in 2020.

That jump in QB hits is reflected in Lawson’s pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus, earning an 84.9 last season. His overall grade of 76.3 was good for 14th in the NFL and was the second-highest overall grade of his career.

Lawson does seem to be an ideal fit for the Giants, but will they be in pursuit? And what, if any, impact with Slayton’s recruitment have? It’s certainly something to keep an eye on.

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Free agent pass rushers for the Browns to consider in the 2021 offseason

Free agent pass rushers for the Browns to consider in the 2021 offseason

Finding someone to start at defensive end opposite Pro Bowler Myles Garrett is one of the Browns’ biggest needs this offseason. Garrett is a viable defensive player of the year candidate, but the other DE spot is filled with uncertainty.

Olivier Vernon is a pending free agent and also tore his Achilles in December. Even if the Browns want him back, betting on Vernon is risky. Current reserves Porter Gustin and Joe Jackson have roles but not as starters.

The primary focus here is on defensive ends who can align in a 4-man front, but more versatile OLB-type EDGE players can work in Joe Woods’ defense too.

Here are a few pending free agents for the Browns to consider. All listed here will be unrestricted free agents one the 2021 offseason begins.

Colts’ 2021 free agency target: DE Carl Lawson

Previewing Carl Lawson as a free agent target for Indy.

The Indianapolis Colts could be spenders in free agency during the 2021 offseason so we will be profiling several potential targets at positions of need.

Among those is the edge rusher position. With Justin Houston, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Denico Autry set to hit free agency, the Colts have a big need to add more talent to the edge. As it currently stands, Kemoko Turay and Ben Banogu are the starting defensive ends.

So as free agency gets closer, we will do our best to preview and profile potential targets for the Colts this offseason. With roughly $43 million in projected salary-cap space, the Colts can go after whoever they want.

Other defensive ends we have previewed;

  • Romeo Okwara (link)

5 teams that could target Bengals DE Carl Lawson in free agency

Here are some teams that could target Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson in free agency.

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Cincinnati Bengals edge presence Carl Lawson figures to be one of the most sought-after defenders in free agency this offseason.

Lawson was Cincinnati’s only reliable pressure creator in 2020 while creating double-digit sack opportunities for guys around him. He’s one of two elite names in the projected free-agent class (alongside Shaq Barrett).

The Bengals could ultimately bring back Lawson — and probably should. But he’s going to create a massive bidding war if he slips to the open market, where a few notables could serve as his eventual new destination.