The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Demetrius Knight II in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Two rounds later, they selected Barrett Carter. Both players ended up as starting linebackers for the majority of the season.
Both players went through ups and downs during their rookie seasons. Missed tackles in particular have been a problem for the linebackers. Knight finished the season with 16 missed tackles on the year (15% missed tackle rate). Carter had 18 of his own (14.8% missed tackle rate).
The Bengals would be wise to add a talented free agent at the position this offseason. Let’s take a look at some of the top projected players at the position this year.
Devin Lloyd
Lloyd is a 27-year-old linebacker who just had the best season of his career in Jacksonville. He finished the year with 87 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 5 interceptions. He was impressive as a run defender with an 85.2 grade during the year. His 78.9 coverage grade was equally impressive. He did have some issues with missed tackles, though. Lloyd registered 12 total during the 2025 season.
The former first-round draft pick is projected to sign a 3-year contract for around $48 million in March.
Leo Chenal
One of the youngest free agent linebackers to hit the market this year will be Chenal. He posted PFF grades of 72.6 in coverage, 76.2 as a run defender, and had a 71.5 tackling grade in 2025. He had 58 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 interception on the season. He has generated 48 pressures since 2022. He missed just 4 total tackles during the 2025 season (8.2% missed tackle rate).
Chenal is currently projected to sign a contract for around 2 years and $12 million total. The Bengals should absolutely be interested at that price.
Devin Bush
Bush was a player that many expected to end up on the Bengals during the 2019 draft. The Steelers traded up in front of the Bengals to secure him. While he never worked out in Pittsburgh, he has been tremendous over the past two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Bush had 125 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles in 2025. He posted grades of 80.4 in coverage, 87.3 as a run defender, and had a 76.9 tackling grade.
Bush will turn 28 in July. His contract projection is for 3 years and $36 million. His 7% missed tackle rate during the season is the best for any player mentioned so far in this article.
Nakobe Dean
Dean dealt with injuries throughout much of the 2025 season for the Philadelphia Eagles. He still finished the year with 61 tackles, 4 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He had a 62.6 coverage grade, a 42.4 run defense grade, and a 54.9 tackle grade. He missed 10 tackles on the season (14.5% missed tackle rate). Dean is still just 25 years old, and he is one of the best blitzing linebackers in this free agent class.
Dean’s contract projection is currently 3 years and $41 million dollars.
Bobby Wagner
Wagner will be turning 36 years old in June. However, he is still playing at a high level as a run defender, while being an effective player on the blitz. Wagner had 162 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions this year for Washington. He had an extremely impressive 4.8% missed tackle rate. The coverage grade was only 52.3, but for teams looking for a reliable tackler with leadership qualities, Wagner should be high on the list.
He is projected to sign another one-year contract worth around $8.5 million.
Demario Davis
Davis is another older veteran linebacker. There is a connection here with the Bengals linebacker coach Mike Hodges having coached Davis in New Orleans. The 37-year-old recorded 143 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and .5 sack during the 2025 season. He had a 68.3 coverage grade, 88.9 run defense grade, and a 67.1 tackling grade. He had 17 missed tackles on the year (11.2% missed tackle rate). He is projected to sign for around $8 million dollars for one season.
Other projected free agent linebackers include Alex Anzalone, Kaden Elliss, Quay Walker, Germaine Pratt, Justin Strnad, Willie Gay, Eric Kendricks, Matt Milano, Quincy Williams, Alex Singleton, Elandon Roberts, Shaq Thompson, Lavonte David, Cole Holcomb, and Jerome Baker.
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