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Coming off a 6-11 finish in 2025 that saw Joe Burrow limited to eight games, the Cincinnati Bengals spent the offseason addressing the roster around their franchise quarterback. The headline move came on April 19, when the team announced a trade sending the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the New York Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
The abbreviated season for Burrow began with a Grade 3 case of turf toe, suffered in the second quarter of the Bengals’ Week 2 game against Jacksonville, which required surgery and carried a recovery timeline of at least three months.
The 29-year-old, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, still threw for 1,809 yards and 17 touchdowns, one season after leading the NFL in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43). This production has earned him a fan in one NFL legend in particular.
J.J. Watt was in Cincinnati for Friday’s international friendly between Burnley FC and FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium, a match the hosts won 3-1. Watt and his wife Kealia have been minority owners of the English club since May 2023.
Speaking with reporters (via FOX19’s Joe Danneman) in a video interview posted to X, Watt made his opinion of Burrow clear. Asked about the Lawrence trade, he said a team with a quarterback of Burrow’s caliber always has a chance in the league and that a club in that position must do everything it can to put the best roster around him.
In Watt’s view, the trade addressed the spot where Cincinnati needed the most help, the defensive side of the ball.
The 37-year-old also spoke about his long-running bond with the city in the interview.
“I feel like I have a kinship with Cincinnati over the years,” Watt said. “For some reason, the Bengals, the city of Cincinnati and myself have kind of been intertwined kind of my whole career.”
Selected No. 11 overall by Houston in the 2011 NFL draft, Watt recorded 114.5 career sacks and won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2012, 2014 and 2015 seasons before closing his career with the Arizona Cardinals.
As for Lawrence, the 28-year-old earned three Pro Bowl selections from 2022 through 2024 and a pair of second-team All-Pro honors with him. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo first reported he was landing in Cincinnati on the night of Saturday, April 18.
While Lawrence recorded just 0.5 sacks across 17 games in 2025, he had nine sacks in only 12 games during the 2024 season.
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The abbreviated season for Burrow began with a Grade 3 case of turf toe, suffered in the second quarter of the Bengals’ Week 2 game against Jacksonville, which required surgery and carried a recovery timeline of at least three months.
The 29-year-old, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, still threw for 1,809 yards and 17 touchdowns, one season after leading the NFL in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43). This production has earned him a fan in one NFL legend in particular.
J.J. Watt was in Cincinnati for Friday’s international friendly between Burnley FC and FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium, a match the hosts won 3-1. Watt and his wife Kealia have been minority owners of the English club since May 2023.
Speaking with reporters (via FOX19’s Joe Danneman) in a video interview posted to X, Watt made his opinion of Burrow clear. Asked about the Lawrence trade, he said a team with a quarterback of Burrow’s caliber always has a chance in the league and that a club in that position must do everything it can to put the best roster around him.
In Watt’s view, the trade addressed the spot where Cincinnati needed the most help, the defensive side of the ball.
The 37-year-old also spoke about his long-running bond with the city in the interview.
“I feel like I have a kinship with Cincinnati over the years,” Watt said. “For some reason, the Bengals, the city of Cincinnati and myself have kind of been intertwined kind of my whole career.”
Selected No. 11 overall by Houston in the 2011 NFL draft, Watt recorded 114.5 career sacks and won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2012, 2014 and 2015 seasons before closing his career with the Arizona Cardinals.
As for Lawrence, the 28-year-old earned three Pro Bowl selections from 2022 through 2024 and a pair of second-team All-Pro honors with him. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo first reported he was landing in Cincinnati on the night of Saturday, April 18.
While Lawrence recorded just 0.5 sacks across 17 games in 2025, he had nine sacks in only 12 games during the 2024 season.
Continue reading...
