Help may be on the horizon.
The Cincinnati Bengals entered the 2024 season with high aspirations. Anything short of the Super Bowl would be a disappointment.
Well, here we are, disappointed. To say the least.
And the biggest reason for that disappointment was an underachieving defense that couldn’t stop anyone when it mattered most. The Bengals finished ranked 21st in pass defense, 19th in rush defense, and 23rd in third-down defense. They were 25th in scoring defense and 30th in red-zone defense.
While Cincinnati struggled on the back end, its biggest area of need comes along the defensive line. The Bengals ranked 25th in total sacks with 36. Trey Hendrickson accounted for 17.5 of those on his own.
During the first eight games of the season, Cincinnati allowed an average of 140 yards per game on the ground, including 170 yards in the season-opening loss to a New England Patriots team drafting in the top five of this year’s NFL Draft. Over the last nine games, that number fell to 111 yards per game, with a high of 156 in the week 13 win over the Cowboys.
Fortunately for the Bengals, there is plenty of talent available through free agency along the defensive line. Of course, don’t expect Cincinnati to make a run at any of the top available talent. But that doesn’t mean it cannot find some good ones in the middle and lower tiers.
Levi Onwuzurike
Former Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike, at 6-3 and 304 pounds, can not only help plug the middle for the Bengals but has shown himself to be the interior pass rusher that every team covets. His 12.5% pass-rush win rate ranked among the top 15 at his position in the league.
Early projections have Onwuzurike signing a contract that pays him in the range of $8-10 million annually.
Derek Barnett
There are a couple of pretty good bargains out there, as well. Edge Derek Barnett’s best days may be behind him, but he still has a knack for making game-changing plays.
Barnett finished with five sacks and two fumbles returned for touchdowns on just 226 pass-rushing snaps for the Texans last year and can probably be had for a manageable deal that pays him around $5-8 million annually.
However, the Bengals got burned this past season in signing Sheldon Rankins from the Texans, who have a loaded defense that helped Rankins look better than his two-year, $24.5 million deal was worth, even when he was healthy. Will that make the Bengals weary of signing other Houston defenders?
D.J. Jones
Defensive lineman D.J. Jones is still one of the more disruptive run defenders in the NFL, and his 11.3% run-stop rate ranked third among interior defenders. He also finished with a career-high 70.6 pass-rushing grade via PFF.
His current value is around $7-9 million per year. At age 30, Jones is a bit long in the tooth, but he’d likely provide Cincinnati with a nice boost to the interior defensive line.
Chase Young
Tops on that list should be edge Chase Young of the New Orleans Saints. A former first-round pick of the Washington Football Team in the 2020 NFL Draft, Young signed a one-year, prove-it deal with the Saints in 2024 and certainly earned his keep.
The former Ohio State standout was a top-20 edge defender in total quarterback pressures (66) and pressure rate (14.6%) and earned an overall grade of 66.4 from Pro Football Focus.
Injuries and inconsistent play make Young a tough free agent to project for what his next contract will look like, but he figures to make over $10 million annually. He won’t come cheap, but the former Buckeye could be just what the Bengals need.
Of course, defense was not the only area where the Bengals fell short in 2024. Despite the fact that Cincinnati had one of the better offenses in the NFL, quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked 48 times, tying him for fifth-most in the league.
To put that in perspective, Burrow was sacked 32 times in 2020, 51 times in 2021 (the Bengals’ Super Bowl season), 41 times in 2022, and 24 times in 2023.
The biggest culprit was at offensive guard. Left guard Cordell Volson allowed six of those sacks, and right guard Alex Cappa allowed eight, ranking him 134th out of 135 eligible guards. Cody Ford, who filled in at guard and tackle, allowed five sacks, while tackle Amarius Mims surrendered four, Orlando Brown Jr. three, and Trent Brown one.
James Daniels
There are a number of guards available in free agency, but the best choice might just be Pittsburgh’s James Daniels, who is only 27 years old. Not only does it give Cincinnati an upgrade in the position, but it gives them the choice to weaken a division rival.
Daniels just wrapped up the third year of a three-year, $26,500,000 contract, with an average annual salary of $8,833,333, which is very affordable if he signs for something similar in free agency this year.
Will Hernandez
Another option, and one that is probably more in Cincinnati’s price range, is Arizona Cardinals’ guard Will Hernandez. Hernandez suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 5 and offers a high floor as a pass protector.
At the time, Hernandez had a career-best 69.3 PFF grade before going down. He did not allow a sack or a hit in 163 pass-blocking snaps, though he did surrender eight pressures. His average annual value will probably be around $6 million.
Of course, if the Bengals fail to keep Tee Higgins, they will be on the hunt for wide receivers. Chris Godwin, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, DeAndre Hopkins, and Marquise Brown are among the top available options there, but that is a story for another day.
