The Cincinnati Bengals made a significant offseason move to upgrade their defense, bringing in Dexter Lawrence II via trade from the New York Giants.

It meant giving the Giants their first-round pick, which was No. 10 in the 2026 NFL Draft. New York then selected offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa to help protect Jaxson Dart on the front line.

However, Cincinnati gained quite the addition to its defense, and with training camp underway, Lawrence is already drawing praise from the team's star quarterback, Joe Burrow, who recently spoke about the challenge of facing him at practice.

"I threw an interception on one of the first days, and I was saying, 'Dex is just so big; he makes throwing over the middle a little more difficult, just because of how big and imposing he is.' You have to slide right, slide left, just to be able to see around him," Burrow said while speaking to CBS Sports' Evan Washburn.

More news: Shedeur Sanders Says No ‘Petty QB Battles’ at Browns Training Camp

Lawrence, whom the Giants drafted from Wake Forest at No. 17 in the 2019 Draft, is now heading into his eighth season in the NFL. He's racked up 349 combined tackles, 103 quarterback hits, 30.5 sacks, 15 passes defended, and five forced fumbles across his previous seasons.

He will look to help Cincinnati improve an area where they ranked second-to-last in the league, as the Bengals allowed 380.5 yards of offense per game to opponents. Only the Washington Commanders were below them, and by just over three yards of offense allowed per game.

The Bengals were also third-worst in points allowed, giving up 28.9 per game last season to their opponents, with the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets below them.

Lawrence is one piece of the puzzle for the defense, as the Bengals made several other key moves. They also signed Boye Mafe to a three-year, $60 million deal to help with the pass rush, and signed Bryan Cook to a three-year, $40.25 million deal to boost the secondary.

In addition, the Bengals added veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who was a back-to-back Pro Bowl selection in 2021 and 2022 with the Commanders. Cincinnati will hope that these moves addressed their defensive issues, and with Burrow healthy as their starter, they can regain some of their previous success in the AFC.

More news: Aaron Rodgers Makes Surprising Admission About Steelers Playoff Loss

For more about the NFL, head over to Newsweek Sports.