The Bengals will need to hit with their draft picks, and that’s not something they’ve consistently done in recent years. Here are five positions that needed attention this offseason and where they stand after free agency and going into the draft.
1. Defensive end
Sam Hubbard retired after a memorable seven-year career with his hometown team, but the Bengals needed an upgrade anyway and still don’t have a solution.
They re-signed Joseph Ossai, giving him another year to prove his five sacks over the final seven games of 2024 were no fluke, and they apparently still have hope 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy can make big strides. But, that’s a lot of uncertainty and wishing.
At the same time, Trey Hendrickson’s contract situation is still hanging in the air. Reports indicate a trade is off the table, but Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin admitted he deserved a raise and now Hendrickson wants to see it. He’s under contract but the Bengals can’t afford to risk a holdout from their only reliable pass rusher. The fact he is the only reliable pass rusher is a big concern.
Cincinnati has to be looking at edge rushers the first two days of the draft. First-round prospects that could be available at No. 17 include Tennessee’s James Pearce, Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku and Marshall’s Mike Green.
2. Defensive tackle
The Bengals signed former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle TJ Slaton to a two-year deal worth $15.1 million, and they now have a big-body run stopper to replace DJ Reader a year late. They also re-signed B.J. Hill for three years in a somewhat surprising decision, considering he turns 30 next month, and free agency was a chance to upgrade with a younger option.
Hill says he didn’t play much over his first contract with the Giants so he’s still got plenty left in the tank. The Bengals need him to keep performing, while also hoping 2024 draft picks Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson continue developing.
Cincinnati still needs more out of the interior pass rush. That can be found in this draft with a deep defensive tackle class. First-round options could be Michigan’s Kenneth Grant or Ole Miss product Walter Nolan.
3. Offensive guard
The Bengals released Alex Cappa and still had concerns at left guard, where Cordell Volson ended up benched late last season, but waited address those holes and finally ended up signing free agent Lucas Patrick on March 21. Patrick has allowed no sacks in his last 893 pass blocks, according to Pro Football Focus, but it looks like Cincinnati will be relying on a competition between Cody Ford and a draft pick at the other guard spot.
Options in free agency dwindled quickly, but it helped the Bengals were able to add to their pass protection with the return of running back Samaje Perine, a player they liked in a third-down role before he departed for Denver in 2023 and Kansas City in 2024.
Guard should be another priority on Days 1 and 2 of the draft. Texas product Kelvin Banks, who played tackle but can move inside, and Alabama’s Tyler Booker are two names to watch.
4. Linebacker
Germaine Pratt requested a trade and doesn’t appear to be in Al Golden’s plans, but if a move doesn’t work out, the Bengals can save almost $6 million in cap space by cutting him. Regardless, they need an upgrade at his position and they haven’t signed one yet.
The addition of Orlen Burks, an eighth-year player who turned heads during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run in 2024, isn’t expected to be the starter next to Logan Wilson but seems more like a replacement for Akeem Davis-Gaither, who was the No. 3 linebacker and a top contributor on special teams. Burks has just 17 starts to his name but appeared in all four of the Eagles’ playoff games, stepping in for injured Nakobe Dean for the final three games.
Given the defense’s struggles with missed tackles last year and how much Pratt was a part of that, Cincinnati has to have a better plan in place for that position.
5. Safety
It didn’t go as planned with Geno Stone and Vonn Bell last year, and they were supposed to be the proven solution to the 2023 failings with Dax Hill and Nick Scott. Jordan Battle, who ended up replacing Bell in 2024 like he did Scott the year prior, continued to show promise and seems to remain in the Bengals’ plans, but do they still believe Stone can get back to the level he was playing with the Ravens in 2023?
Cincinnati has invested a lot of draft picks into the secondary over the past four years but might need to go back to that spot again. If an elite cornerback falls, it might be hard not to take a shot there, but safety seems to be the bigger need. Hill and Turner at least were starting to figure things out at outsider corner before their season-ending injuries.
Georgia’s Malaki Starks is considered a top 10 prospect that could be available, but Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson picked South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori over him in his latest media mock draft, noting he would be a better fit in the AFC North because of his size and athleticism.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
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