In what’s shaping up to be a critical offseason for the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s clear this franchise needs a successful NFL Draft to help rebound from three straight non-playoff seasons.
However, the Bengals cannot make the mistake of thinking they can rely solely on the draft to elevate this roster back to contender status. They have way too many needs this year that need to be filled and can’t all be addressed with a handful of picks.
There are plenty of players, including Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, who made comments publicly with the desire of the front office to be heavily involved in free agency and help this team succeed. The front office listened to Burrow when he called for Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Mike Gesicki to get long-term deals, but they weren’t quite able to officially sign Trey Hendrickson. He had to settle for a contract restructure.
The Bengals need to find at least one key player throughout the defense: A clear run stopper and pass rusher, an aggressive linebacker, and a spy safety.
The Bengals are once again in the top 10 in cap space this offseason. It was year after year where this front office said they had confidence in certain players, and nobody believed that, or they told the team and fans they were going to help, and they picked up a few free agents who were unable to fill the gaps.
Burrow has spoken to the media publicly a few years in a row now, along with other players this year, and in order to succeed, the front office needs to make a cannonball-type splash this offseason. There can be no question marks as to why they did something. There cannot be any hidden issues or traits. They need to sign a handful of free agents who make it known they are making splashes.
With eight draft picks this year, I’d like to see the Bengals with an additional five free agency or trade transactions, totaling 13. This will give them plenty of choices for starting options, along with depth.
This front office needs to enter the NFL Draft, expecting their first three picks to play heavy snaps immediately, or at least at some point in 2026. Obvious talent is meant for the first day and a half, with hidden gems found later on.
There is more than enough room for this team to be very good and make another Super Bowl run, but the first step is for the front office to provide quality players and not settle for cheap pickups.
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