The Bengals were active in free agency, hoping to improve a defense that was horrible for the first part of the 2025 season. The team defense did improve in the second half of the year but still needed to get much, much better.

So DT Jonathan Allen, DE Boye Mafe and DB Bryan Cook were signed to big contracts with the hope of complementing the offense well enough to get this team back to the Super Bowl.

Did the Bengals do enough? Most X jockeys say no. Time will tell. For sure, this defense is better than the second half of the year when it was good but still not consistent enough to be great.

Certainly a need to improve the team at linebacker (which General Manager Duke Tobin said the Bengals would do but have not) remains but there are a few veteran upgrades still out there - LB Bobby Wagner, LB Bobby Okereka, LB Germaine Pratt - among the most prominent.

The defense also is in need of help on the inside of the line in an attempt to get better against the run. Among the free agents remaining are DT D.J. Reader, DT Calais Campbell. Reader has been ticketed for the Bengals for a month but nothing has happened yet.

On the offensive side of the ball, QB Josh Johnson was signed, the presumption being he is the third quarterback and QB Joe Flacco comes back to the Bengals as immediate backup to QB Joe Burrow.

There are some who believe tight end is a position of need. If the team looks at free agents, TE David Njoku is the top prize but likely to be out of the Bengals price range. Njoku would give the team a legit pass-catching third option behind WR Ja'Marr Chase and WR Tee Higgins.

Currently, WR Andre Iosivas has been underwhelming, WR Mitchell Tinsley has not been given a full-time chance and WR Charlie Jones just is not that good.

TE Mike Gesicki has had moments but not enough to counted on as the third receiving option.

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TRANSACTIONS

March

14-Signed QB Josh Johnson

13-Signed DT Jonathan Allen

12-Signed OT Orlando Brown Jr. to contract extension

12-Signed DB Bryan Cook

12-Signed DE Boye Mafe

11-The contracts for the following 12 players expired making them unrestricted free agents: DB Tycen Anderson, LB Brian Asamoah II, TE Noah Fant, QB Joe Flacco, DE Trey Hendrickson, DE Joseph Ossai, OL Lucas Patrick, DE Cam Sample, DB Geno Stone, DB Cam Taylor-Britt, OL Cordell Volson, DB Marco Wilson.

11-QB Jake Browning became a free agent.

2-Signed OL Dalton Risner to contract extension

February

20-Signed DB Jalen Davis to contract extension.

20-Re-signed RB Kendall Milton

18-Re-signed WR Kendric Pryor

9-Activated from Reserve/Injured List LB Brian Asamoah II, DE Trey Hendrickson, DT Kris Jenkins Jr., OL Matt Lee, DB Cam Taylor-Britt, OL Cordell Volson, DB Marco Wilson

9-Activated from Reserve/PUP List TE Erick All Jr.

9-Activated from Reserve/Future List LB Liam Anderson, OL Jacob Bayer, RB Gary Brightwell, QB Sean Clifford, OT Andrew Coker, DT Howard Cross III, OT Javon Foster, WR Xavier Johnson, CB Jalen Kimber, CB Bralyn Lux, WR Jordan Moore, LB Antwaun Powell-Ryland, DB Russ Yeast.

DRAFT

Rd 1, Pick 10

Rd 2, Pick 41

Rd 3, Pick 72

Rd 4, Pick 110

Rd 6, Pick 189

Rd 6, Pick 199

Rd 7, Pick 221

Rd 7, Pick 226

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So what could the draft yield. At 10, the most likely candidate now appears to be DB Mansoor Delane, DB Jermod McCoy or DB Dillon Thieneman. General consensus is DB Caleb Downs and LB Sonny Styles will be gone by 10. If either are there, they would be the choice.

At 41, there is some thinking DT Peter Woods, once upon a time projected to be a hot item at 10, could slip to 41. Others are DB D'Angelo Ponds, LB Jacob Rodriguez could go based on that pick at 10.

At 72, DE Dani Dennis-Sutton would be a slam dunk pick to improve the pass rush. If the team passed on linebacker at 10 and 41, then LB Jake Golday would seem to fit nicely.

Beyond that, it is a crap shoot. A wide receiver could be a pick or an interior offensive lineman to replace Risner or current OC Ted Karras in a year or two.

End.