How the Cincinnati Bengals Can Rebuild Their Porous Defense This Offseason
Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium – Source: Unsplash
Zac Taylor stood at the podium after Week 18, himself lucky to remain in a job, staring at a stat sheet that read like organizational malpractice: 492 points allowed, 30th in the NFL, 58 more points than their already-catastrophic 2024 campaign. The Bengals finished 6-11, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year despite Joe Burrow’s brilliance. Even the veteran Joe Flacco posted monster numbers when the franchise QB was crocked for much of the season, but that wasn’t enough to drag that porous defence to anywhere near enough victories.
Somewhere in the bowels of Paycor Stadium, Trey Hendrickson cleaned out his locker, knowing he’d played his last down in stripes. The franchise’s only reliable pass rusher is walking toward a projected three-year, $78 million deal elsewhere, while Cincinnati’s defense ranked dead last in most statistical categories for the second straight season. This isn’t just a bad defense anymore. It’s an active threat to Burrow’s championship window.
By the time the 2026 season rolls around, not only must Cincy have a rebuilt defence, but their backers will have a new favorite platform where they can bet on the Bengals each and every week. The release of the Ozoon sports betting platform is due in the coming weeks and is poised to provide an almighty offering of markets on all of North America’s favorite sporting events.
But how will the Bengals’ defence look by the time September rolls around and the new Canadian outlet has a foothold in the market? If it isn’t completely revamped, then Burrow and Co. could be in deep trouble once again. Luckily, there’s a whole offseason that stands between now and then, and there’s a slew of targets that Taylor and Duke Tobin should aim at.
The Free Agency Chess Match
K’Lavon Chaisson won’t sell jerseys, but he might save jobs. The 27-year-old former first-rounder finally cracked 7.5 sacks in 2025 with New England after years of untapped potential. He totaled 31 tackles across 16 games, emerging as a legitimate rotation piece in the Patriots’ pass rush. But perhaps most importantly, Chaisson won the 2019 National Championship with Burrow at LSU. Does that chemistry matter, or is Cincinnati just shopping the discount aisle again while Kansas City spends real money? Chaisson won’t command Hendrickson’s $26 million per year, which is either smart team-building or organizational cheapness disguised as prudence.
Nakobe Dean represents the high-wire act Tobin loves. The 25-year-old Georgia product has compiled 141 solo tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles across just 47 games in Philadelphia—elite playmaking ability when vertical. Spotrac projects a four-year, $61.9 million contract. Also? He tore his patellar tendon in the 2024 playoffs. Missed 12 games in 2023 with a Lisfranc injury. He returned in Week 6 of 2025 and looked decent across 10 games, but the Eagles won’t re-sign him because rookie Jihaad Campbell emerged, and cap space is finite.
The safer plays come in the secondary. Kamren Curl led all NFL safeties with 1,112 snaps in 2025, recording 79 solo tackles and two interceptions without the injury red flags. Jaylinn Hawkins posted four interceptions and an 83.3 PFF grade, offering veteran stability at a reasonable cost. They’re not sexy. They won’t trend on social media. But they might keep Burrow from watching opponents score 30-plus points a game every week.
The Draft War Room
Every mock draft has Caleb Downs going to Cincinnati at #10. Mel Kiper. Field Yates. Local beat writers. National analysts. The Ohio State safety is a consensus top-five prospect—a two-time unanimous All-American and Jim Thorpe Award winner who would become just the second safety drafted top-10 since Jamal Adams in 2017, should Cincy blast their first round pick on him. Downs recorded 68 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions, and delivered the game-ending pick in last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal as Ohio State won the national title. He allowed just 9.3 points per game in 2025, and plays deep safety, box, and nickel with elite football IQ.
But can one rookie really fix Geno Stone’s liability and Jordan Battle’s inconsistency? Downs enters a secondary that hemorrhages yards at historic rates. The pressure on this six-foot, 205-pound kid to immediately transform a 32nd-ranked defense borders on unreasonable. If he struggles? Cincinnati wasted a top-10 pick while edge rushers like Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr.—the consensus top overall prospect at 6-3, 275 pounds—went elsewhere.
Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy complicates the board. The 6-0, 193-pound corner earned first-team All-SEC and second-team All-American honors in 2024 with a 97.2% coverage grade, baiting quarterbacks into mistakes with exceptional awareness. Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist before everything collapsed. He tore his ACL in January 2025 offseason training. Does Tobin draft him anyway, knowing this secondary can’t wait another year? Or does medical caution cost them the top corner in the class?
Texas Tech’s David Bailey offers different intrigue. The 6-3, 250-pound edge led the Big 12 with 13.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss, ranking second nationally in the former of those two categories. He earned a 93.2 PFF pass-rush grade—the highest among all FBS edge defenders—while reaching speeds of 20.5+ mph. Unanimous All-American, Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, and the third-highest single-season sack total in Texas Tech history. Named “Best Speed-Rusher” in the 2026 class. He’s projected late in the first or early in the second round. If Cincinnati passes on Downs for Bailey, they’re betting on explosive athleticism over secondary stability.
The Blockbuster Scenarios
Las Vegas is rebuilding. Cincinnati could offer its 2026 first-round pick, a 2027 second, and Myles Murphy for Maxx Crosby. The three-time Pro Bowler provides elite edge production immediately. Denver might move Patrick Surtain II if Cincinnati packages their 2026 first, 2026 third, and 2027 second for the All-Pro corner. Baltimore won’t trade Roquan Smith within the division, but a 2026 second, 2027 third, and B.J. Hill might tempt them.
These are desperation plays. Cincinnati doesn’t make blockbuster trades. They find value. They draft smart. They extend homegrown talent. Except their homegrown defense just allowed 492 points, and Burrow’s championship window is slamming shut. Ja’Marr Chase is watching. The margin for error vanished 58 points ago.
