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AFC Notes: Joe Burrow, Quinshon Judkins, Dexter Lawrence, Bengals, Browns
May 6, 2026Wyatt GrindleyNFL Trade Rumors
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Bengals The Bengals took a huge swing to acquire DT Dexter Lawrence from the Giants in exchange for the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. When discussing the process of trading for Lawrence, GM Duke Tobin said executive vice president Katie Blackburn was a big factor in the move, given how they worked the salary cap. “The star of the show is Katie, and she was able to fit it all together,” Tobin said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. Despite having limited cap space, Tobin said they are always on the phones working on trades. “We consider trades every year with most teams, because teams are calling around,” Tobin said. “Do you have interest? What would be the level you would be looking for? The reason that more of them don’t happen is that the need and the compensation and the cap situation don’t all align.” Tobin said he initially didn’t expect Lawrence to become available when the offseason started. “You can’t put that together at the onset,” Tobin said. “You have to be able to adapt and be flexible. And that’s what we were when the Dexter thing came upon us. The opportunity to do that, we had to be flexible because it was something that was meaningful for our football team and would elevate us all.” Bengals Bengals QB Joe Burrow is satisfied with the big moves the team has made to improve and solidify the defense ahead of next season. “I’m really excited about the moves we made this offseason,” Burrow said, via Pro Football Talk . “We need to get better, so it was exciting to see the initiative from everybody in the organization to realize that we’re in this exciting stage. We’re in our primes playing great football. Finding guys like Dexter and Bryan Cook and Boye, to, you know, really solidify that defense so the young guys can also kind of rise up. We’re really going to try to achieve what we want to achieve.” Browns Zac Jackson of The Athletic says that Browns RB Quinshon Judkins has been overlooked this offseason, and a leap forward from him could be huge for the team’s offense this coming season. Jackson notes that newly signed LB Quincy Williams will have to play at a high level in order to replace LB Devin Bush , as the linebacker group remains thin despite the team selecting Alabama LB Justin Jefferson on day three of the draft. Browns QB Dillon Gabriel is in a bad situation with the team, per Jackson. He was drafted too high, and the team must now wait for a market to develop for him or attempt to still use him at some point in their now crowded quarterback room. Jackson points out that the team did not select a cornerback in the draft, which is an endorsement of CB Myles Harden . Harden played more than half the team’s defensive snaps and will likely be the main option for the slot. As for DT Mike Hall and G Zak Zinter , Jackson wonders what the future will hold for both players, as it appears they are losing their footing on the depth chart due to underperformance. The post AFC Notes: Joe Burrow, Quinshon Judkins, Dexter Lawrence, Bengals, Browns appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co .