The Cincinnati Bengals need to go shopping.
The Bengals need to win this free agency season if they want to be a contender again for the Lombardi Trophy. The Bengals can start preliminary talks with players and their representatives on Monday in an effort to restock at spots that need it most.
For the Bengals, defensive tackle, safety, right tackle, and tight end are the main need positions. The Bengals’ draft plans will be significantly influenced by their actions in free agency. Cincinnati will have a projected $52 million in cap space when it enters free agency.
Top cap hits for the Cincinnati Bengals as they enter NFL free agency
Joe Burrow: $29 million
Tee Higgins: $21 million
Trey Hendrickson: $20 million
Orlando Brown: $16 million
BJ Hill: $10 million
Sam Hubbard: $10 million
This year, the Bengals require the departure of at least three starters via free agency. According to their positioning needs, they could target the people listed below.
Five unrestricted NFL players The Bengals may target
defensive tackle Grouber Stewart.
Previous team: Indianapolis Colts
30 years old
Last contract: $30.7M for three years with a $19M guarantee, with an average yearly salary of $10.2M
Because of this, he complements the Bengals: Last season, the Bengals were among the NFL’s worst teams when it came to stopping the run. Cincinnati’s run defense would immediately get better after signing Stewart. Stewart is currently among the finest defensive tackles in the league when it comes to stopping runs.
Out of all interior defensive lineman, Pro Football Focus ranked Stewart as their fifth-best run defender for 2023. Stewart’s effectiveness as a pass rusher inside the defensive line is his lone drawback. He has just nine sacks in seven seasons.
Stewart’s run defense is his greatest asset, and the Bengals need to get better in this area the following season. In the NFL last year, Cincinnati ranked No. 26 against the run. Cincinnati knows how important it is to be consistently strong against the run, especially because they play in the AFC North against some of the top running offenses in the league.
defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins
Previous group: Houston Texans
29 years old
Last deal: $9.7 million for a year with a signing bonus of $7 million
Because of this, he complements the Bengals: The Bengals’ pass rush needs to be more effective. Trey Hendrickson was responsible for 17.5 of the 44 sacks that Cincinnati recorded at the end of 2023. Rankins might provide the Bengals with extra pass rush, since they need it from players other than Hendrickson.
Rankins will receive a contract offer from the Bengals, but despite aging, his output has actually grown. This is his third NFL contract. Rankins was rated 31st among interior defensive lineman in Pro Football Focus’ pass rush rankings.
It seems that Rankins would be willing to sign a one-year contract someplace, based on his previous contract. The Bengals could be intrigued by this. Rankins entered the league in 2018 and has since accumulated 29.5 sacks.
Geno Stone, safety
Previous group: Baltimore Ravens
24 years old
Last deal: $1.6 million, one year
Why the Bengals think Stone will work well with them: In the team’s opening game against Baltimore in 2023, Stone picked off Joe Burrow, thus the Bengals have direct knowledge of his abilities. In addition to Jordan Battle, a second-year safety, Stone would provide the Bengals with a long-term solution at free safety.
The Bengals need to revamp their secondary after losing Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates in the same summer. After a dismal debut season as a starter, Dax Hill doesn’t seem to be the solve at free safety. The Bengals get familiarity with a player and experience at a position they need by signing Stone.
Stone will be trying to establish himself because he has never started every game and has never started a season as the full-time starter. The Bengals acquire in Stone a player who can force turnovers—a quality Cincinnati looks for in its safeties. In 11 starts during the previous season, Stone had seven interceptions with the Ravens.
George Fant, tackle
Previous team: Houston Texans
31 years old
Previous agreement: $3 million for a year, with a $500,000 signing bonus
Why he fits with the Bengals: The Bengals are looking for a right tackle once more. In keeping with their one-year veteran contracts, Fant is a viable right tackle alternative. This year, I think the Bengals will select a lineman in the first round, and he will go up against Fant. The abundance of potential at tackle this year and their desire to find a long-term solution indicate that Cincinnati will take care of this need through the draft. Without a reliable backup plan, the Bengals won’t start the season depending on a rookie to start at tackle. Fant originates from a well-known scheme in Houston and will be on the less expensive end of the market. The offensive concept used by Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is akin to Cincinnati’s.
Fant started 13 games for the Texans most recently after starting 36 of 37 games with the New York Jets from 2020–22.
Gerald Everett, tight end
Former team: Chargers of Los Angeles
29 years old
Last agreement: a $12 million, two-year deal
Why the Bengals should sign him: Cincinnati’s tight end situation is precarious. They still need to find a long-term solution at wide receiver, but because they will be paying Tee Higgins’ franchise tag this year, they won’t have a lot of money to spend on it. Because of his relationship with head coach Zac Taylor, which dates back to their time together with the Rams in Los Angeles, Everett could jump right in and succeed. When Taylor was an assistant coach in the 2017 NFL Draft, LA selected Everett in the second round.
I predict that the Bengals will select a tight end in the draft this year to go with Everett, and the coaching staff has high expectations for Drew Sample’s blocking abilities. In Cincinnati last season, Tanner Hudson also changed during the course of the season.
Everett finished the previous season with 51 receptions for 411 yards and three touchdowns.
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