Bengals Tuesday Trenches: Free agency half measures

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots is pressured by Boye Mafe #53 of the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Cincinnati Bengals still have a lot of work to do in free agency. I expect them to add several players over the next few weeks as they build toward the draft, and they'll probably sign a guy or two afterward as well. These won't be the players they truly need, though. Those players are already gone.

The remaining options are depth pieces, camp bodies, and injury insurance. They did land the best safety available on the market, which was huge, and they signed Boye Mafe (more on that in a minute) to soften the blow of losing Trey Hendrickson. They also brought in defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, a veteran they're hoping still has a little football left in him.

Did they do enough? Not even close.

They've completely neglected linebacker, and they still need help at defensive end and corner. A backup tight end, offensive line depth, and a WR4 would help as well. None of those offensive spots are glaring needs, but it would be nice not to have questions there when the draft arrives.

Right now, the Bengals appear ready to roll with Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter. The hope is they develop heading into Year 2 - or they'll ask a rookie to figure out NFL football on the fly. Neither is a particularly strong plan.

Corner isn't much better. DJ Turner looks like a legit CB1, and I like what I've seen from Dax Hill, but who's starting opposite Turner now that Cam Taylor-Britt is gone? Who fills the CB2/CB3 roles? Is that another draft pick?

It seems the Bengals are comfortable entering the draft with a tight list of needs - DE, DT, LB, S, and CB - knowing they'll have to find at least one starter, maybe multiple, at No. 10. After that, they'll fill out the roster from the free-agent scrap pile.

And then there's Mafe's contract.

He signed a three-year, $60 million deal with the Bengals. Trey Hendrickson signed a four-year, $112 million contract with the Ravens. Mafe carries a $17 million cap hit in 2025. Hendrickson's is $15 million. Hendrickson also has a void year to spread the cost out. Mafe does not.

Why do they continue to structure contracts like this? Do they not understand the concept? Or do they have a 300-year-old bookkeeper in a green visor cranking a mechanical adding machine to figure it out?

Who knows, but it puts them at a disadvantage. Winning a Super Bowl in Cincinnati isn't impossible, but it adds another unnecessary hurdle. That means they'll need some luck - or they'll have to absolutely nail this draft.

And lately, the draft hasn't been their strong suit. There have been more misses than hits.

Still, this class has plenty of talented defenders, and the Bengals have a top-10 pick. Someone will be waiting there in late April - a defensive difference-maker the Bengals will desperately need to hit on.

For me, the Bengals' free agency grade sits somewhere between a C+ and a B-. I like some of what they've done, but it's not enough, and the way they structured some of these deals makes things more expensive than they need to be.

What about you? What grade would you give the Bengals' free agency so far?

Projected Starting Lineups

OFFENSE

QB: Joe Burrow
HB: Chase Brown

LT: Orlando Brown Jr.
LG: Dylan Fairchild
C: Ted Karras
RG: Dalton Risner
RT: Amarius Mims

WR1: Ja'Marr Chase
WR2: Tee Higgins
WR3: Andrei Iosivas

TE: Mike Gesicki

I don't love the offensive line depth, but this is about as talented an offense as you'll find in the NFL. If the line builds on what it did in 2025 and Burrow stays healthy, there's no reason this can't be the best offense in football.

DEFENSE

DE: Boye Mafe
DT: Jonathan Allen
DT: B.J. Hill
DE: Shemar Stewart / Myles Murphy

LB: Barrett Carter
LB: Demetrius Knight Jr.

CB: Dax Hill
CB: DJ Turner
SCB: Jalen Davis?

S: Bryan Cook
S: Jordan Battle

This isn't good enough. They need help all over the defense. The goal shouldn't be to field a barely adequate unit - it should be to build a good one. Right now, this isn't it.

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Evan McPherson
P: Ryan Rehkow
LS: William Wagner

Nothing to see here.

The draft can't come quickly enough.

It's St. Patty's day. It's been a long time since I celebrated, but when I did, I celebrated hard. Enjoy, but do so responsibly.

Who Dey!

Relevant Song Lyrics:

When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, tis like the morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angel sing.