Bengals Lair: Cincy makes waves in free agency but still lack depth
Despite being a Bengals fan for nearly 20 years, I have never written a regular piece on them.
Now, as the Super Bowl window appears to be at its widest with Joe Burrow at the helm, it seems like a good time to start.
Despite the cheesy name, the Bengals Lair will hopefully give you a weekly insight into my thoughts and feelings of all things Cincy.
As a starting point, it only seems fair to give my take on an eventful off-season to date. In our inaugural column, we will examine the moves the Bengals made as they aim for a title in 2025.
Chase and Higgins locked in*
Yes, that’s an asterisk. This is the Bengals, after all; there’s always an asterisk. Priority number one of this offseason was locking down their two top receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. This time last year, it seemed improbable, if not impossible. Take a change in Higgins’ agent, and here we are with perhaps the most talented and definitely the most expensive receiving duo in the league.
Joe Burrow and fans can breathe a sigh of relief. The franchise QB made his views on retaining his receiving talent very clear. So much so that the Bengals even chucked in tight end Mike Gesicki as part of the deal. However, it didn’t come without cost.
The structure of the deals was less than ideal; even a small amount of tweaking would have allowed the Bengals to free up roughly $10 million of extra cap space for 2025. Not to be sniffed at, especially as we genuinely are in Super Bowl window territory. By doing so, the Bengals’ brass gave themselves an easy ‘get out of spending’ card. On paper, they will tell you that the receiving deals mean cash is limited, and they are too tight on cap spending to make any substantial moves. Those of you who’ve been with us for a long time will be less than surprised at that messaging!
Returning players must make the leap
One area de-facto GM Duke Tobin did seem happy to spend money on was returning players. It was somewhat of a surprise considering early in the offseason he stated:
‘I don’t want to just pay more money for the same team we had last year.’
Re-signing BJ Hill, Joseph Ossai, and Cam Sample suggests he was more than comfortable paying a higher price for the same team! The critical factor in all these signings is that they need to take a step forward. The defensive line lost Sam Hubbard, so Ossai and Sample need to up their production from the edge spot, considering they managed seven sacks between them.
The same can be said for the secondary. This is a young group, but the failure to add any more depth suggests the front office believes they deserve more time to improve under new defensive coordinator Al Golden. Dax Hill should return from injury and looked closer to what the Bengals had expected when they drafted him in the 1st round, playing at outside corner. Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner should fill the other two spots. While Jordan Battle could have a new partner at safety after the turbulent first season of Geno Stone in Cincy.
It won’t be easy for Golden in year 1 with no further reinforcements to a defense that struggled mightily in 2024. Both staff and fans need Tobin to unearth at least 2 or 3 starters for this group come draft weekend.
No disruption needed at Bengals camp
Contract negotiations have derailed a sense of harmony in Cincinnati too many seasons in a row now. Tee Higgins speculation has grumbled around for the last two seasons, Trey Hendrickson has been unsettled, and even Ja’Marr Chase’s future was in doubt last offseason. Getting the receivers tied up goes some way to providing team unity, but there remain two players with an axe to grind.
Hendrickson threatened retirement before signing a 1-year extension for $21 million in 2023. Now, quite rightly, he wants a bump after a stellar season where he led the league in sacks. Hendrickson most likely wants to hit around the $30 million mark, but the Bengals hold all the cards. While financially, they have the upper hand, the Bengals could do to avoid more speculation rumbling around training camp.
The other player who wants out is linebacker Germaine Pratt. The Bengals are light at the position, and that’s probably why nothing has happened so far. However, if the Bengals find one or more options in the draft, Pratt’s trade wish could be realised.
Zac Taylor has already stated that senior players will play a bigger role in preseason this year; the last thing they need is two of those feeling unloved by the organisation. I’m all for negotiation, but come training camp, a line must be drawn underneath these issues.
Rory-Joe Daniels
NFL & Cfb contributor
AS A LONG-SUFFERING CINCINNATI BENGALS FAN, RORY HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL FOR OVER 20 YEARS. HIS PASSION FOR THE DRAFT LED HIM TO GET ENTANGLED WITH COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND HE HAS BEEN WRITING ABOUT PROSPECTS AND THE CFB LANDSCAPE EVER SINCE.