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, DB Bryan Cook, DB Kyle Dugger and DB Ja’Sir Taylor were signed 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 … yet) 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 and provide a push against opposing passers. 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.

DT Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade from the Giants and his name was immediately linked to the Bengals but given the draft capital likely needed to acquire a tackle of his stature, I don’t see the Bengals making this move, though it would be an massive upgrade to the defense. Every player on the field with Lawrence would get immediately better.

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.

-

TRANSACTIONS

April

7-Waived OL Matt Lee

2-Signed DB Ja’Sir Taylor, DB Kyle Dugger

March

25-Re-signed QB Joe Flacco

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

-

This past week was a huge time for pre-draft visits. Cincinnati hosted DL Rueben Bain Jr., LB Jacob Rodriguez, LB Sonny Styles, DB Lorenzo Styles Jr, DL Akheem Mesidor, LB Josiah Trotter, DB Chris Johnson and, drum roll for those speculators, RB Jeremiyah Love.

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 DL Rueben Bain Jr., DB Caleb Downs and LB Sonny Styles will be gone by 10.

The Love pick would send football fans into a frenzy but it would not be an entirely horrific pick. RB Chase Brown is very good, but is in the final year of his contract. My thoughts of not signing a running back to a second big-money contract would mean Brown is gone after this year so Love would take over as the top guy in 2027 while providing the best backup runner in the league in 2026.

Does Love fill a need? No. Would Love be the best player available at 10? Could be and there are those that feel the Bengals have filled needs with a lesser player in past drafts instead of taking the best player even if it is not a position of need.

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. The center position took on a bigger need with the release of OL Matt Lee.

Those picks at 10, 41, 72 could yield major help for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Would a trade back from 10 be a wise move? There are some who think so but a difference maker on defense on the line or at linebacker is a must for this team to reach its goals.

Rather than trade back, I’d make a jump for DT Dexter Lawrence, using the 10 pick. Signing Lawrence would require a good deal of money but that’s not a problem. Restructuring of contacts could be done easily but even without that, there is money for Lawrence. A defense as it is now, with the addition of Lawrence, would be good enough to make this team one of the AFC favorites.

Short of losing 3 picks this year to get Lawrence, a deal that cost 10 and 72 to get Lawrence and a 6th-round pick would be a no-brainer. The extra late pick would give the Bengals the opportunity to fill holes at OL, RB, and LB.

End.