Las Vegas Raiders: AFC North 2021 free agents to ‘steal’
Carl Lawson is another talented pass rusher on the market
The Cincinnati Bengals did not have a great season in 2020 but they had several defensive players that were bright spots for the team. Carl Lawson is one of those players as the former fourth round pick of out Auburn became a regular starter and responded with an excellent season for Cincinnati.
In 16 games and 11 starts, Lawson recorded 5.5 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, and 32 QB hits for the Bengals. He lead the team in sacks and QB hits by a wide margin and was able to put up respectable numbers despite being the only pass rushing threat on the defense. He was previously used almost exclusively as a situational pass rusher and special teams player but his 20 sacks in 51 games, including 8 in his rookie season alone, shows he knows how to get to the QB.
Similar to Yannick Ngakoue, Lawson would fill a need on the Raiders for a pass rusher and he is still just 25 years old having come in to the league in 2017. His combination of age and potential could make him another foundational piece for the Raiders defense.
The market is hot for Lawson but the Raiders can entice him with a long term deal and the prospect of playing for a team on the brink of playoff contention which would be a nice change for him after 4 years of losing in Cincinnati.