Bengals Bet on Youth and Sacks in Early Free-Agency Blitz

Cincinnati moved quickly to patch a defense that hemorrhaged 28.9 points per game last season, announcing three multi-year signings headlined by edge rusher Boye Mafe, safety Bryan Cook, and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.

Mafe, who collected 24 tackles-for-loss in 34 starts for Seattle, landed a three-year, $60 million deal after former Bengal Trey Hendrickson departed for Baltimore. ESPN analyst Seth Walder awarded the move an A-, citing Mafe’s 86th-percentile pass-rush win rate and breakout 2023 campaign. “I think Mafe will go a long way to helping the Bengals get their defense back on track,” Walder wrote.

Cook’s arrival on a three-year, $42.5 million pact drew a B grade. The ex-Chief missed only 5.7 percent of tackle attempts in 2025, a sharp contrast to new Bills safety Geno Stone’s 16.1 percent miss rate. Over 62 games in Kansas City, Cook logged 238 tackles, three interceptions, and 15 passes defended while earning an 83.5 PFF mark.

The third addition, veteran Jonathan Allen, received a D from Walder. Despite facing a below-average double-team rate, Allen managed just 3.5 sacks and a 53.2 overall grade last season, raising questions about the two-year, $26 million investment in the 30-year-old.

With the Annual League Meeting set for next Sunday and pro days ramping up ahead of the draft, Cincinnati’s front office now turns its attention to the next phase of roster construction while hoping the early defensive spending reverses the unit’s third-worst scoring ranking.