Intriguing Free Agent Possibilities for the Bengals: Part 1
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
The Bengals have ample space to make some splashes this spring. Who might be on their radar? The Cincinnati Bengals are poised to have another active free agency period. Though they have some high-profile in-house players upon which to decide, they have wiggle room to sign outside impact players once again.
Currently sitting at No. 8 in projected 2024 salary cap space at just north of $61 Million (per Spotrac), the Bengals could make some significant moves. Of course, decisions on Tee Higgins, DJ Reader, and others loom, but they could continue to go for those mid-tier or higher players on the open market.
Here is a very early look at a few possibilities. Of course, tags have not been placed, nor has the “legal tampering period”, so things could change pretty quickly. Here are some names in which the Bengals may be interested.
Pass-Catchers
How many of last year’s tight ends will the Bengals look to re-sign? Which ones do they keep? These are questions that will direct their focus on free agent options.
Meanwhile, the ongoing saga with Tee Higgins is something to monitor. If both he and Tyler Boyd leave, Cincinnati will both be leaning on two 2023 rookies and may be scrambling for a veteran option.
Additionally, Joe Mixon had major questions about his future last year, but after a contract restructure, Mixon churned out his usual, solid statistical season. What will the Bengals do at these two spots?
Dalton Schultz, Tight End
After a productive five-year stretch with the Cowboys, Schultz signed a one-year rental deal with the upstart Texans. And, unlike some veteran free agent acquisitions, Schultz continued his solid stat line with C.J. Stroud in Houston.
He’s made himself some money again this spring and it will be interesting to see if the market is different for him than that of last year. Cincinnati currently doesn’t have a single tight end under contract, and they’re undoubtedly looking for “the guy” in this position group this year.
Hunter Henry, Tight End
The veteran tight end has been a touchdown machine in his eight-year career. He’s had 38 touchdown receptions in total, including six last year. Speaking of last year, rumor has it the Bengals inquired about acquiring Henry from the Patriots before the trade deadline, but nothing came of it.
On one hand, Henry is creeping close to 30 years old, which has been a no-no in outside free agency under Zac Taylor. However, that’s around the same age Hayden Hurst was when the Bengals took a successful flyer on him in 2022.
Noah Fant, Tight End
This has been a popular name in Bengals’ circles of late. Fant has been a hard player to get a grasp on since he entered the league in 2019.
After being a first round pick, Fant notched 14 touchdowns through his first four years in the league. He weathered the storm that was a trade between the Broncos (who drafted him) and the Seahawks for Russell Wilson. However, he failed to get into the end zone this past year.
He’s a well-rounded tight end who can catch, block, and has a first-round pedigree—even if the numbers haven’t lined up there. These types of players have long been favorites in free agency for Cincinnati.
Gerald Everett, Tight End
The veteran tight end has ties with Zac Taylor, who was on Sean McVay’s offensive staff with the Rams when he was on their roster. He’s since made two other stops with the Seahawks and Chargers, respectively, and keeps putting up decent numbers.
He’s notched 284 receptions and 19 touchdowns in seven seasons and has been pretty durable, averaging just one missed game per year in his NFL career.
Michael Pittman, Jr., Wide Receiver
This one may make a lot of sense, and it could be a big head-scratcher in others. Really, this is a remedy for an unexpected departure for Higgins.
Pittman has a lot of similar skills—tall, rangy, big catch radius, and isn’t afraid of the physical catches. However, if the Bengals won’t pay Higgins, would they pay Pittman, who will likely look for a similar type of deal?
Austin Ekeler, Running Back
Yeah, this is probably weird on the surface, right? After scoring 38 total touchdowns in 2021-2022 and amassing nearly 3,200 scrimmage yards in that span, rumors began spinning about Cincinnati being connected to Ekeler, in one way or another, last spring.
Now, entering free agency, Ekeler has lost a bit of leverage with teams. His yards per carry fell off by a full yard (from 4.5 in 2022 to 3.5 in 2023), and he had only a third of the total touchdowns year-over-year (18 in 2022, six in 2023).
Still, the Chargers were a mess last year, and with Ekeler nearing 29 years old, he may find renewed life as a versatile, ancillary weapon with Joe Burrow. And, he may do so on a much friendlier deal than what it would have taken the Bengals to get him in a trade last spring.
Shoring up the Trenches
A couple of longtime Bengals have questions following them once again this offseason. In terms of the offensive line, Jonah Williams had a nice year at right tackle after a big transition, with his health being the biggest feather in his cap heading into free agency.
Meanwhile, on defense, the Bengals have big questions on their interior defensive line. Aside from trying to re-create what Larry Ogunjobi gave them in 2021, nose tackle is a major concern going forward. D.J. Reader is both a free agent and a guy rehabbing a major, late-season injury, while Josh Tupou is also an impending free agent.
Justin Madubuike, Defensive Line
This guy has been a blooming star for the past four years. In almost every major statistical category, Madubuike has shown solid improvement year over year.
It culminated in a second-team All-Pro designation this year, with 13 sacks and a whopping 33 quarterback hits this year. Baltimore led the NFL with 60 quarterback sacks this year, with the pressure on opposing quarterbacks being a big key to their success.
It may seem like a pipe dream for Cincinnati to snag Madubuike, but what was your outlook with Orlando Brown, Jr. last year?
Sheldon Rankins, Defensive Line
Going into 2021, Cincinnati made a big push for Rankins, before he darted off to the Jets. And, when Rankins was coming out in the draft, the Bengals were reportedly intrigued in his skill set back then, as well.
Now entering his ninth season, there are questions about his ability to contribute, but he was a Godsend for the Texans this year. He put up six sacks and 10 quarterback hits (the second-most in each category in his eight-year career), with three of those sacks and four of those hits coming against Burrow and the Bengals in the middle of this season.
DaQuan Jones, Defensive Line
Rankins and Madubuike are good three-tech options, but Jones brings a bit more versatility along the line. While playing in a lot of 3-4 packages, Jones has played in all spots along NFL lines.
At 320 pounds and showing the occasional pass-rush prowess, Jones could be a nice movable piece for the Bengals in the rough-and-tumble AFC North. Cincinnati needs to shore up the physicality of its defense, and even with his age being suboptimal (32 years old), he could be a helpful player for 2024.
Oh, and oddly enough, Pro Football Focus compared his free agent profile to that of Mike Daniels when the Bengals signed him back in 2020.
Michael Onwenu, Offensive Tackle
Onwenu is a Bengals option only if they move on from Williams at right tackle. Onwenu had an overall PFF score of 71.5 last year with four penalties called against him,
Others: Jermaine Eluemenor, Offensive Tackle; Christian Wilkins, Defensive Tackle; Teair Tart, Defensive Tackle; Grover Stewart, Defensive Tackle
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