Hours after the Jets agreed to terms with LB Jarrad Davis, the Green & White added another significant defensive piece with the signing of edge rusher Carl Lawson.Â
Last season with the Bengals, the 6-2, 265-pound Lawson racked up 5.5 sacks and his 64 QB pressures ranked fourth in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. Over the past two years, Lawson totaled 10.5 sacks and his 54 hits over that time trailed only the Chargers' Joey Bosa on the DL.
Lawson, an Auburn product who was a fourth-round pick (No. 116 overall) of the Bengals in 2017, registered an NFL rookie-high 8.5 sacks his first pro season and was named to Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team. On Sep. 24, 2017, Lawson registered 2.5 sacks of Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, becoming just the second Bengal rookie to record at least 2.5 sacks in a game. While an ACL injury limited Lawson to seven games his sophomore campaign, Lawson played in 12 games for the Bengals in 2019. He shined in the season's second half, amassing 20 of his team-high 22 QB hits and four of his five sacks coming in the final eight games.
At Auburn, Lawson had 14 sacks and 27 TFLs in 33 career games. A two-time team captain (2015 and '16), Lawson played a valuable role as a freshman on an Auburn team that appeared in the National Championship game while finishing with 7.5 TFLs, 4 sacks and 2 FF.
Just 25, Lawson had 81 tackles (49 solos), 20 sacks and 2 FF with the Bengals in 51 games.
See the Best Photos of the Former Bengals Defensive End and Jets Free Agency Signing