Tag: Bengals free agency

Bengals host multiple players on workouts before Week 16

The Bengals are looking for help as the season winds down.

The Cincinnati Bengals hosted several players on workouts before the Week 16 game against the Cleveland Browns.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the Bengals worked out the following names:

  • Nelson Ceaser
  • Akeem Dent
  • Joe Giles-Harris
  • Kalen Hayes
  • Calton Johnson,
  • Jaylen Key
  • Chris Russell,
  • David Ugwoegbu
  • Craig Young

Of note, safety Jaylen Key was this year’s Mr. Irrelevant as the 257th and final pick of the draft.

These workouts are probably a combination of attempting to fill current needs, but also looking at prospects before nailing down futures deals after the regular season ends.

The Bengals later signed linebacker Joe Giles-Harris and safety Jaylen Key to the practice squad.

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One AFC team could apparently be ready to offer Tee Higgins ‘the moon’

The Bengals have a tall task ahead of them when it comes to Tee Higgins.

The pressure on the Cincinnati Bengals when it comes to Tee Higgins isn’t just coming from inside the building.

It should go without saying, but plenty of teams around the NFL have Higgins on some sort of 2025 NFL free agency big board.

One of those might just be the New England Patriots, as Chad Graff of The Athletic noted in a recent mailbag.

“The Patriots are going to be all in on Tee Higgins,” Graff wrote. “They’ve shown an interest in established receivers, and Higgins is the best free agent. I expect them to offer him the moon. The question is whether he says yes or no.”

That’s what the Bengals have to contend with in the wake of Joe Burrow applying pressure about Higgins on the front office multiple times. Ja’Marr Chase has now down the same.

The mailbag mentioning the Patriots’ interest came before word broke that Higgins moved on from his agent, though. If part of the reason for the split was due to an inability to get a deal done with the Bengals, there’s an outside chance that teams like the Patriots will never get a chance.

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Bengals lose Tee Higgins to NFC in free-agency projections

Can the Bengals keep NFC teams away from Tee Higgins?

With the Cincinnati Bengals’ season approaching its end and the playoff picture becoming clearer with only four weeks remaining in the regular season, Bleacher Report took a look at some of the biggest weaknesses each team is going to be looking to fix over the offseason.

Although there has been talk from Joe Burrow recently about how he believes the team will be able to keep Tee Higgins around, the Bleacher Report NFL scouting department might not be as confident in that and believes that the Carolina Panthers should make a run at the Bengals pass catcher in free agency.

Here’s what the article said about the Panthers and why Higgins would be a fit:

Bryce Young has played well enough recently to earn a chance at remaining the starting quarterback in Carolina next season, but the offense could use some extra weapons for Young to throw to.

Higgins will likely be the top wide receiver in free agency since he’ll be just 26 years old in January and has No. 1 receiver potential. Meanwhile, the front office is projected to have about $33.6 million of cap space in the offseason, per Over The Cap, to help make this pairing happen.

At this point, all Bengals fans can do is sit back and wait to see what happens with the receiver, but it seems that any outcome is possible at this point.

While dealing with some injuries this season, Higgins has been able to catch 45 passes for 581 yards and five touchdowns in just eight games, far outpacing his 42 catches for 656 yards and five scores he had in 2023.

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Bengals tabbed as fit for Eagles free agent to fix defense

Should the Bengals go after this free agent next offseason?

The Cincinnati Bengals will retool their defense next offseason, perhaps with a new coaching staff leading the way, too. 

How the Bengals might go about that is much more interesting at this point.

One suggested move? Bleacher Report likes the idea of re-doing the linebacker spot with projected Philadelphia Eagles free agent Zack Baun:

Zack Baun is experiencing an incredible career turnaround with the Philadelphia Eagles, so it would be kind of surprising to see him leave Philly. Then again, the Eagles haven’t always valued the linebacker position, so it isn’t impossible. If he does wind up hitting the open market, the Bengals should be looking into him.

Baun, a third-round pick in 2020, is a strong run defender in the middle who has posted an 89.6 PFF grade this season.

While the defensive line in front of the linebackers has been a huge problem, this season hasn’t exactly been stellar for Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson, either.

Wilson is under contract through 2027, but Pratt only has one year left on his current deal and would be a pretty sizeable cap hit if released.

That said, the Bengals could use some more speed and dynamic play from the linebacker spot regardless of what happens in the trenches. Baun might be out of their price range, but he’s a good example of the type of guy they could look for next offseason.

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Bengals starter leaves for Steelers in free agency projections

The Bengals lose a player to the Steelers in a new free agency preview.

With the way Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talks about Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Tee Higgins, one would think free agency projections have that happening.

But in a new set of free agency predictions, a defensive Bengals player actually leaves for the Steelers.

Over at Bleacher Report, projections suggest that cornerback Mike Hilton could leave the Bengals and rejoin his former team in Pittsburgh:

Mike Hilton has always excelled in that role, but they let him walk in the 2021 offseason. Looking back, that was probably a mistake. He’s played the role well for the Bengals and the Steelers should be interested in bringing him back next season.

It’s going to be really interesting to see if the Bengals bring Hilton back. There’s a blowup about to happen on that side of the ball next offseason.

Hilton has been a key member of the team and remains a key leader, but he appears to have lost a step with age, too, putting the coaches and team in a tough spot.

On paper, the Bengals hope they have a long-term replacement for Hilton with rookie Josh Newton. If he does end up leaving on the open market, his returning back to the Steelers would make plenty of sense.

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Bengals urged to target underrated name in 2025 NFL free agency

Should the Bengals go after this name in free agency to fix a huge problem?

When it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals and next offseason, projections won’t stop looking for help for the struggling defense.

Safety is an understandable focal point for many projections right now. Geno Stone has struggled since signing, Vonn Bell has lost a step and Jordan Battle hasn’t been able to break onto the field often.

Over at Bleacher Report, one of the suggested fits is Camryn Bynum in free agency next offseason:

Cutting Stone and targeting Camryn Bynum with some of the cap savings could be a major move toward fixing things. Bynum is only 26 years old and has excelled in multiple defensive systems with the Vikings.

Bynum isn’t really a household name, but he is a former fourth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings who has earned a nice role for himself and picked off eight passes with 27 passes defended over four years.

The Bengals will probably approach the safety problem from a few different angles, including the draft. But Bynum is one of those names to put on a list and know going into the offseason.

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Bengals should steal Texans practice squad player, says NFL analyst

A suggested move might be able to help the Bengals right now.

The Cincinnati Bengals have shied away from making major moves to help the roster right now as playoff hopes fade.

While the Bengals did make a minor trade for a running back and have done the usual poaching on the waiver wire at times, the big splash just hasn’t come.

So, when suggesting moves that teams should make, Bleacher Report kept it simple by pointing out that the Bengals could swipe cornerback Myles Byrant off the Houston Texans’ practice squad:

It can’t get any worse for the Bengals at cornerback right now. The fact that the Bengals’ pass defense is so bad that they lose games where Joe Burrow put up brilliant performances is one of the biggest frustrations in the NFL right now. The Bengals brought in Xavien Howard for a visit, but he walked away with no deal.

At this point, getting some more talent in the door would be wise and Bryant is still just 26 years old, so he’d be nice short-term depth and perhaps a long-term member of the roster.

The Bengals need to keep thinking about the future at the premium position, too. DJ Turner is now out for the season, as is Dax Hill, while Cam Taylor-Britt has had a disaster of a campaign that has seen him benched multiple times.

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Bengals suggested top free-agent target for 2025

The Bengals should attack this need in free agency next offseason.

At this point, one could describe every level of the Cincinnati Bengals defense as its weakest point.

The defensive line doesn’t get much in the way of pass-rush, the linebackers aren’t playing well behind a poor line, and the defensive backs room as a whole is a complete mess.

When attempting to single out the team’s biggest weakness and find a way to fix it in 2025 NFL free agency, though, Bleacher Report circled the cornerback spot and suggested targeting Byron Murphy Jr. next offseason:

One of the biggest reasons the Bengals have underperformed this season is a secondary that is just not holding up its end of the bargain. The Bengals are one of the worst third-down defenses in the league and will need to make changes next season.

Murphy, a second-round pick in 2019, has been with Minnesota over the last two seasons and has a strong 70.5 PFF grade this year. He’s just one of many strong veteran examples of guys possibly headed to the market next offseason that should interest the Bengals.
Cam Taylor-Britt’s major dropoff is a huge issue to tackle this offseason now, and both Dax Hill and DJ Turner will attempt to work their way back from season-ending injuries.

Someone like Murphy, then, will be an obvious target to get some experience in the door, even if he doesn’t start.

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Bengals projected to lose star to Cowboys in 2025 free agency

Are the Bengals in danger of losing a star to the Cowboys in free agency?

The Cincinnati Bengals losing B.J. Hill in 2025 free agency is a topic that keeps coming up in recent weeks.

And it’s not hard to see why, either. As the season has progressed, it has become more and more apparent the team will need to put big money into fixing problem areas like the secondary and pass-rush — on top of a big extension for Ja’Marr Chase and other items.

As such, Bleacher Report has projected that Hill could go join the Dallas Cowboys on the open market:

The seven-year pro has earned above-average grades for his run defense and pass rush from Pro Football Focus. Through Week 9 in 2024, he’s earned marks of 68.3 against the run and 73.1 as a pass-rusher.

Like we stress each time this comes up, the Bengals have planned for this, at least partially, with rookies Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson.

But for fans, it’s a point of stress considering, well, younger guys stepping into bigger roles hasn’t exactly worked out lately. Dax Hill didn’t cut it at safety and the Cam Taylor-Britt regression has been stunning to watch in real time.

The Bengals could end up going with youth on the interior, get Trey Hendrickson an extension and let Hill walk, for better or worse. Dallas, indeed, would be one of the teams interested on the open market.

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NFL insider offers details on Xavien Howard’s workout with Bengals

More details on the Bengals’ pursuit of free agent Xavien Howard.

The Cincinnati Bengals broke from normal procedure and attempted to sign free-agent cornerback Xavien Howard before Week 11.

Howard, though, left without a deal after a workout with the team.

Little more was said about the situation — until now.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler, Howard looked good during the workout, hence the team offering him a deal:

The Bengals bringing in veteran cornerback Xavien Howard for a workout this week indicates they know they need help on defense. The fact that they didn’t sign him, even after a workout that sources in the building told me was impressive, indicates Bengals fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about help being on the way.

It seems likely that the Bengals offered Howard somewhere in the range of the veteran minimum, which makes sense considering he’s 31 years old and it is already Week 11.

But it also speaks to just how desperate for help the Bengals are at corner right now. Dax Hill is out for the season and both Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner have struggled.

The Bengals also worked out a big-name running back before signing a lesser-known name, so perhaps another move will happen at corner soon. Either way, the guys on the roster will need to step up big against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11.

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