The Bengals current state of the defensive line is in dire shape, only six teams in 2024 had fewer sacks than Cincinnati (36). Outside of Trey Hendrickson, who carries this unit in sacks and pressures, there are virtually no proven pass rushers on this roster. With Hendrickson in the middle of trade/extension talks, the Bengals and their fans really have no idea who they can rely on to get to the quarterback in 2025. The front office didn’t answer any of these concerns during free agency despite ample opportunity to do so following a robust defensive end market which saw a bevy of cheap, short-term rental deals go down. As free agency winds down there are still a couple veteran options that would be intriguing for Cincinnati. However, any realistic upgrade to the pass rush has long since passed by as the NFL world gears towards the draft. The Bengals find themselves in risky territory as they will now have to rely on their current roster and the NFL draft to find their next breakout pass rusher. The Bengals failure to fix their biggest flaw in free agency no doubt leaves many with a bleak outlook for the upcoming season.

Bengals Current Roster

The Bengals lack pass rush in the worst way. No one on the roster other than Trey Hendrickson received a PFF pass rush grade over 65.0 in 2024. Nor did any other player record more than five sacks or more than 35 pressures throughout the entire season. Trey Hendrickson and his 17.5 sacks in 2024 beats the rest of the defensive line’s sack total combined (14) from last season. Cincinnati doesn’t have any proven pass rushers except for Hendrickson–whose status for 2025 is very much up in the air. The 2024 All-Pro has been in the midst of trade talk after seemingly being the odd man out in the Ja’Marr Chase-Tee Higgins-Trey Hendrickson contract extension saga. The Bengals situation could get unfathomably worse if their best and only pass rusher is traded away.

Free Agency Failure

The Bengals have only made one singular addition to their defensive line so far this offseason. Former Packer, T.J. Slaton will reunite with Defensive Line coach Jerry Montgomery in Cincinnati after signing a 2-year $14.1M contract earlier in the free agency process. Slaton should help to sure up the Bengals 19th ranked run defense last year, yet his 2 career sacks and 57.6 PFF pass rush grade from 2024 indicate he won’t be a contributor in rushing the passer. Otherwise, the Bengals have completely sat out on making additions to their defensive line thus far into the offseason. Which is quite peculiar given the reasonable market for many of these pass rushers. Poona Ford, Malcolm Koonce, Dre’Mont Jones, Levi Onwuzurike, Azeez Ojulari, and Roy Lopez all signed on for what would have been manageable contracts for the Bengals and would have added pass rush help. The Bengals could have capitalized on this market and added to help to boost their pass rush. Now, they’re likely heading into the draft needing more than one addition to the defensive line.

The Bengals were hindered by their inability to come to terms with Tee Higgins on a long-term contract before free agency started. The team carried a large $27 million dollar cap hit into the start of free agency due to the franchise tag. This restriction and the Ja’Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson extensions looming over them could have prevented them from being in on this defensive line market early. Yet this situation was all easily avoidable, the Bengals botched this one.

Is Anyone Out There?

While the clock is ticking towards the draft and options are dwindling, there are still some capable veteran options remaining. DeMarcus Walker (30), Von Miller (36), Za’Darius Smith (32), and of course, the ageless wonder Calais Campbell (38) is still out there. All four could provide an effective, veteran presence in a rotational role at this point in their careers. Adding proven pass rush production would obviously do wonders for the defense as well as the several young defensive linemen on the team who could learn from any one of these players.

Rolling the Dice on the Draft

As free agency wraps up, the Bengals aren’t left with many options when it comes to addressing the pass rush. Having to rely on rookies and current unproven players on the depth chart isn’t an advised strategy, especially for a team looking to compete in the AFC. The Bengals put themselves in this position by not extending their stars early and being passive in free agency. By failing to address one of their biggest flaws on the roster it puts a cloud over their offseason. Many are left wondering if the Bengals did enough on defense in free agency to improve in 2025.