Carl Lawson recorded 8.5 sacks for the Bengals while playing just under 42 percent of the team’s defensive snaps during his rookie season, but it doesn’t look like the team is going to see what he can produce with a sharp spike in playing time.
Lawson is now listed as a defensive end rather than at linebacker, but head coach Marvin Lewis said in a Tuesday press conference that won’t make a big difference in how he’s used during his second year with the team. Lewis said that his belief is that Lawson is most effective when playing a fixed amount of time.
“His role won’t change much,” Lawson said, via the team. “He still has to do both things. The biggest thing that was true for Carl from Auburn, and that is still true after his first season, is that by limiting his exposure we are going to get more production. He’s not that big of a person to go out and bang with the big guys all the time. It won’t be beneficial to him, and to what he’s going to get done at the end of the game when you need him to.”
With Carlos Dunlap, Michael Johnson, 2017 third-rounder Jordan Willis and 2018 third-rounder Sam Hubbard on hand, the Bengals have enough bodies on the edge to keep from overusing Lawson. Continued production at the same rate will likely lead some to wonder if the Bengals might change plans in the future, especially if Dunlap and Johnson move on as free agents after the 2018 season.