The Bengals spent the offseason reworking the defense, and six games in, that bet looks awfully smart. Duke Tobin and the front office brought in Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen, and Dexter Lawrence, while also adding Cashius Howell in the second round of the draft. The biggest shift has come up front, where the pass rush has gone from a question mark to a problem for opponents.
Cincinnati is tied for first in the league with 21 sacks, and that number jumps off the page even more because the team has already had its bye week. Mafe has been a big part of that surge.
He was a rotational piece last season, and there were doubts when the Bengals committed to his 3-year, $60 million deal in free agency. So far, that contract is looking like a bargain.
He ranks eighth overall in pressures at his position and added another 1.5 sacks in Baltimore, giving him 4.5 on the season through six games.
Lawrence has been just as impactful since the Bengals traded for him at the cost of premium draft capital, including the 10th overall selection. The move has already paid off.
He recorded his fourth sack of the season and has become, in the source’s words, “an absolute force multiplier for the entire defense,” with a case to be in the defensive player of the year conversation. Cincinnati also locked him in with a one-year extension worth $28 million, which theoretically keeps him tied to the franchise for two more seasons after this one.
Cook arrived first in free agency, and the Bengals made no secret of why. Safety had been a problem since the loss of Jessie Bates a few years back, and neither Nick Scott nor Geno Stone had solved it at free safety.
Cincinnati went after the best safety available and gave the former Cincinnati Bearcat a 3-year deal worth just over $40 million. It’s a big number, but one the Bengals clearly felt they had to pay.
Cook has helped steady the secondary, almost never misses tackles, holds up in coverage, can blitz at the line, and keeps everyone lined up correctly.
Allen has brought similar value since landing on a two-year, $25 million contract. After being let go by Minnesota, the Bengals moved quickly to secure what he could offer as both a veteran presence and a contributor on the field. He’s tied for 10th among defensive tackles with 21 pressures, and his game keeps showing the same traits: power through the middle, a bull rush that drives linemen into the quarterback, and enough run defense to knock blockers away and make plays at or behind the line.
Howell, meanwhile, has been hovering around the sack column all season before finally breaking through. The second-round pick from the 2026 draft picked up his first sack of the year during the Bengals’ three-and-out that started the second defensively.
In Other News...
Bengals Fans Wont Like The NFLs Latest Erick All Jr. Update
The Bengals were already dealing with the fallout from Erick All Jr.s injury when the leagues review of the play brought another layer of frustration. All went down on a hip-drop tackle by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith in Week 7, and Cincinnati later had to put the tight end on injured reserve after he tore his ACL. In response, the Bengals added former Minnesota practice squad tight end Cam Grandy to help fill the gap.
Now comes the part Cincinnati fans probably wont love: the NFL reviewed the tackle and did not fine Smith. For a team that lost a young tight end and had to reshuffle its depth chart almost immediately, the lack of discipline only adds to the sting of a play that already changed the Bengals plans at the position. [Read more 🡒]
Zac Taylor Had The Perfect Reaction To A Trade Bengals Fans Loved
Zac Taylor had a little extra reason to smile after the Bears landed Jeffery Simmons from Tennessee, and he made sure his brother Press knew it. Press Taylor, Chicagos offensive coordinator, said Zac called him to talk through the move, which figures to give the Bears a real boost on defense, especially up front where the pass rush can change games in a hurry.
From Cincinnatis side, the appeal is obvious too. Any time a contender in the AFC loses a disruptive defender off the schedule, it catches the attention of a coach preparing for the next stretch of games. Both brothers had a lighthearted take on the deal ahead of their teams upcoming matchups, and for Bengals fans, the best part may be that their head coach sounded like he appreciated the timing just as much as the rest of them did. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Running Back Search Just Got Much Tougher Than Fans Hoped
The market for running back help just got a lot more complicated, and Cincinnati is watching from the same uncomfortable place as everyone else. Indianapolis has reportedly already turned down a trade offer for Jonathan Taylor that included multiple draft picks, a sign that any team trying to pry him loose is going to have to pay a premium. With the Broncos, Packers, Vikings, Giants and Seahawks all said to be interested, the bidding could turn into exactly the kind of expensive chase the Bengals would rather avoid.
For Cincinnati, the issue is not just need, but price. Taylor would bring name value and upside, but the cost is shaping up to be steep enough that the Bengals are unlikely to jump in. Instead, they may have to look for a more realistic fit on the trade market, with Tony Pollard emerging as the kind of option that better matches their budget and roster priorities. [Read more 🡒]