Dexter Lawrence and Tee Higgins played together at Clemson for two seasons from 2017-18, and won a national championship together when the Tigers defeated Alabama at the end of the 2018 campaign.

Now, the former Tigers have reunited as NFL teammates, and they’ve gotten off to a strong start to the 2026 NFL season as key cogs for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Both Lawence and Higgins were honored by a national outlet for their early-season performance.

Lawrence was named to Pro Football Focus’ 2026 NFL First-Quarter All-Pro First Team, while Higgins earned a Second-Team selection.

After being acquired via a blockbuster trade with the New York Giants this past offseason, Lawrence has been a dominant force on the interior of Cincinnati’s defensive line. He earned an 86.9 overall PFF grade over his first four games, while registering three sacks, nine hurries, 15 total pressures and six solo tackles.

According to PFF, Lawrence’s 86.9 overall PFF defensive grade ranked second among 131 qualified interior defensive linemen through four weeks, while his PFF pass-rush grade of 84.7 ranked third among 131 qualified interior defensive linemen, and his run-defense grade of 73.1 ranked 14th at the position.

Meanwhile, Higgins has posted an excellent 91.3 overall PFF grade, while racking up 25 receptions for 401 yards and a touchdown through the first four weeks of the season.

Per PFF, Higgins’ 91.3 overall PFF grade ranked second among 78 qualified wide receivers through four weeks, and his PFF receiving grade of 90.7 ranked fourth among 78 qualified wide receivers.

Higgins is coming off a monster performance in Week 4, where he hauled in 11 receptions for 157 yards in the Bengals’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars before suffering an adductor injury in the fourth quarter (it appears he has likely avoided a long-term injury).

Higgins was selected by Cincinnati in the second round (33rd overall pick) of the 2020 NFL Draft, while Lawrence was selected by the Giants in the first round (17th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Higgins earned his first career Pro Bowl selection in 2025. In 15 games last year, he registered 59 receptions for 846 yards, and he tied for second in the NFL with a career-high 11 touchdown receptions despite missing a couple of games due to concussions.

Prior to the 2025 season, Lawrence collected three straight Pro Bowl selections from 2022-24 and also earned second-team All-Pro honors in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He became the first Giants player to be voted to three straight Pro Bowls since safety Landon Collins from 2016-18.