The Bengals spent the offseason overhauling their defense, and a lot of the attention goes to the heavy hitters inside. Dexter Lawrence remains an elite, dominant nose tackle, and Jonathan Allen gives Cincinnati a strong pairing with B.J.
Hill at the 3-technique. That’s a legitimate foundation.
But the real swing piece might be out on the edge.
Between Myles Murphy, Shemar Stewart and Cashius Howell, the Bengals have a defensive end group with plenty of questions. And now the pressure lands on Boye Mafe, the team’s priciest free-agent addition, to make sure that spot doesn’t become the weak link.
Mafe arrives in Cincinnati fresh off a Super Bowl win with the Seattle Seahawks, bringing both upside and a real track record. He’s not just a shiny gamble with a ring.
As an NFL sophomore in 2023, he posted nine sacks, and even though his role shrank last season on a loaded Seattle defense, that doesn’t mean he’s suddenly spent. If anything, the lighter workload may have left him fresher.
Still, the Bengals made a serious bet here. Three years and $60 million is a steep price for a player whose role has trended downward over the last two seasons. That’s the nature of the move, even for someone who was easy to like and someone the Bengals wanted to draft back in 2022.
The edge rush question matters even more because linebacker is unsettled too, with Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. set to start. So Mafe isn’t just being asked to help - he has to be a high-level starter. Cincinnati needs that kind of production to keep the position from becoming a problem again, especially after the defense’s struggles dating back to 2023.
The setup around him should help. Lawrence, Allen and Hill can force quarterbacks into tougher looks, and the Bengals’ offense should keep opponents chasing points with Joe Burrow and company expected to score freely. That kind of game script can create plenty of chances for the pass rush.
If Mafe can tap back into the kind of impact he showed in Seattle and win with his raw athleticism, the Bengals will feel a lot better about the price tag. If he does, this defense gets a lot more dangerous fast.
In Other News...
Bengals Linked To A Familiar AFC North Back With Serious Risk
A backfield add-on is the kind of move that can quietly shape a season, and Cincinnati has been mentioned as a possible landing spot for a familiar AFC North runner coming off a difficult year. The idea, per a Bleacher Report note from Moe Moton, is not about handing anyone a starring role. It is about finding a cheaper, experienced option who could give the Bengals some insulation and help in the physical parts of the offense.
The appeal is easy to see from Cincinnati's side. A one-year deal would have to come well below what the veteran got on his last contract, and the usage would likely be defined by the spots where toughness matters most, especially around the goal line and on short-yardage snaps. For a team that knows the challenges of playing him twice a year in the division, the question is whether the risk is worth the possible payoff. [Read more 🡒]
Several Recent Bengals Draft Picks Are Suddenly Fighting For Their Futures
For a roster as top-heavy as Cincinnatis, the margins for recent draft picks can shrink fast, and a handful of players who once looked like part of the long-term plan are now staring at 2026 as a make-or-break season. The Bengals have invested enough in this group to keep the conversation going, but they have also added enough talent around them that every rep, every camp practice and every special-teams assignment suddenly matters a lot more than it did a year ago.
Andrei Iosivas remains one of the cleaner bets to hang around, but even he is walking into a season where the pressure is different, with his contract status adding another layer to an already crowded wide receiver picture. Elsewhere, the questions get louder: who can claim a bigger role, who can simply stay on the roster, and who can convince the Bengals that the upside is still worth waiting on in a league that rarely does much waiting? [Read more 🡒]