The Cincinnati Bengals have had an eventful free agency. After a disastrous 2025 season, it's no surprise that the team is making moves to improve its roster all around. While they haven't been as active as other teams, the moves that they've made have been impactful and noteworthy.
So far this offseason, the Bengals have signed three players in free agency. Let's analyze each signing and grade them accordingly.
Bryan Cook, S
Contract: 3 years, $42.5 million
The Bengals have had a massive hole at the safety position since 2022. Jessie Bates III was the heart of the Cincinnati defense that made it to two straight AFC Championship Games and nearly won in the Super Bowl. While Cincinnati's defense was never a lockdown unit like other teams, it did just enough to aid the high-powered offense and give them space to win their games.
Since Bates' departure, the Bengals have struggled to find a safety to fill his position. Dax Hill was drafted the year before Bates left in free agency, but he turned out to be a better fit at cornerback. After that realization, the Bengals brought in former Ravens safety Geno Stone to anchor their defense. However, Stone became a complete liability, especially in the 2025 season. His issues in tackling and sub-par coverage meant that Cincinnati's secondary was often gashed.
Thankfully for the Bengals, they were able to secure the services of the best safety available in this year's free agency class. Cook, a Cincinnati native who played for the Bearcats in college, is one of the premier safety talents in the league. PFF has him as the fourth-best safety in the league in 2025, recording 85 total tackles and six passes defended. Cook should be a clear upgrade over Stone and will ideally help sophomore safety Jordan Battle find his footing in the league.
Grade: A
Boye Mafe, EDGE
Contract: 3 years, $60 million
Defense was the theme of the Bengals' offseason, and one of their top priorities was finding a replacement for Trey Hendrickson. After playing under the franchise tag in 2025, Hendrickson's exit was all but guaranteed. With their young pass-rushers still not playing up to their potential, the Bengals need a veteran to hold down the fort on the defensive line.
Mafe is an excellent pickup for the Bengals this offseason. Coming from the 2025 Super Bowl champs Seattle Seahawks, Mafe fills the hole left by Hendrickson in free agency. On paper, Mafe's counting statistics don't stand out: he recorded just two sacks last season. That being said, he recorded 15 sacks from 2023 to 2024, including a nine-sack campaign in 2023. He was also consistently winning his pass-rush reps (17.4% pass rush win rate per PFF) and recorded a lot of pressures.
In some ways, Mafe's arrival is similar to the time that Hendrickson signed with the team in 2021. At the time, Hendrickson was just an up-and-coming pass rusher, not the eventual sacks leader that he would be in Cincinnati. The Bengals hope that Mafe's performance justifies the slight overpay that they had to make to sign the pass-rusher.
Grade: B+
Jonathan Allen, IDL
Contract: 2 years, $26 million
The Bengals' interior defensive line still needs a lot of work. They struggled heavily against the run last season as well last season, ranking towards the bottom of the league in rushing yards allowed. The defensive line often let running backs into the second level unopposed, and the linebackers struggled to contain these rushers.
On paper, signing a defensive lineman like Jonathan Allen is a good idea. He's a solid interior defensive lineman who recorded four sacks last season and finished sixth in solo tackles among all IDLs. However, he's also on the wrong side of 30 years old, did not perform well against the run last season, and the Bengals overpaid a little bit to get his services. Cincinnati did well in trying to fix their issues on that end, but you can't help but wonder if Cincinnati could have done better.
Grade: B-
Josh Johnson, QB
Contract: 1 year
The ultimate journeyman quarterback, Josh Johnson, finds his way back to the Bengals again after playing for them in 2013 and a short practice squad stint in 2015. With Joe Burrow's injury, Cincinnati is making sure that they have an insurance policy at quarterback. Johnson will have a lot of help if he does fill in for Burrow in a pinch, but the Bengals are surely hoping that their season won't come down to that.
Grade: C
