Bengals' Boye Mafe Is Emerging as One of Cincinnati's Best Defensive Players

The Cincinnati Bengals made several additions to the defensive line this past offseason, none bigger than interior defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, whom they acquired with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

Lawrence came to Cincinnati alongside Jonathan Allen, whom Cincinnati signed out of Minnesota, and Cashius Howell, whom the Bengals drafted in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. 

All of them have been a rousing success in Bengals uniforms, but none more than defensive end Boye Mafe, who signed a three-year, $60 million deal with the Bengals after spending the first four years of his career in Seattle with the Seahawks. 

Mafe didn’t have a crazy career in Seattle, posting nine sacks in 2023 and no more than six sacks in any of the other three years. Especially in 2025, the numbers didn’t favor Mafe, and his impact was more indirect, applying pressure and disrupting pass plays. 

Much of the offseason, many wondered what Mafe’s impact could be coming off the edge, and how much of an advantage he would give the Bengals over guys like Shemar Stewart, Myles Murphy, and Cashius Howell. He is proving to be in another tier compared to those three players and is on pace for a career season in his first year in Cincinnati. 

He has three sacks in five games and is on pace for more than nine, a new career high. Mafe was the Bengals' highest-graded defensive player, earning an 88 overall grade from PFF and a 90.3 pass-rush grade. He had a sack against the Dolphins and has sacks in consecutive games. Mafe also leads the Bengals in pressures with 25 for the season. The next highest is Dexter Lawrence with 19. 

Mafe has yet to post a game below a 55 PFF grade, with two over 85. He is just behind Dexter Lawrence for the Bengals' highest-graded defensive player on PFF all season, with an 82, while Lawrence has an 82.5.

All of the Bengals' highest-rated defensive players are on the defensive line, though Shemar Stewart has played just 17 snaps through the first five weeks of the season. The depth on Cincinnati’s defensive line that many thought would be a big strength is proving to be a real strength. Luckily for Cincinnati, they play the #23 and #24 offensive lines in Baltimore and Tennessee over the next three weeks after the bye, so Mafe and their defensive front have a chance to keep this pace up.