On one hand, the Cincinnati Bengals finished 30th in scoring defense and lost star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson to the Baltimore Ravens this offseason. On the other hand, they made three signings to bolster that side of the ball in different areas.

The Bengals signed safety Bryan Cook, edge rusher Boye Mafe, and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. Pro Football Focus's (PFF) Gordon McGuinness included the Cook and Mafe signings in his list of the best 2026 free agency moves.

"Cook's 83.5 PFF overall grade in 2025 ranked fourth among all safeties," he wrote. "Meanwhile, the Bengals‘ starting safeties ranked tied for 57th and 72nd. This moves the needle for Cincinnati‘s defense, giving it a sure tackler who notched PFF grades above 80.0 both against the run and in coverage last season."

Cook spent his first four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, with whom he won the 2022 and 2023 Super Bowls. The 6-foot-1, 206-pounder played all 34 games over the last two seasons and notched a career-high 85 tackles in 2025. Kansas City drafted him No. 62 overall out of the University of Cincinnati in 2022 and he became a regular starter by 2023.

The Bengals signed Cook to a three-year, $40.25 million deal on March 12. ESPN's depth chart has him starting at free safety alongside 25-year-old strong safety Jordan Battle. 

Meanwhile, McGuinness pointed out that Mafe has notched a PFF grade above 70 and has had 40 or more pressures in each of the last three seasons. The 6-foot-4, 265-pounder was in the same draft class as Cook, as the Seattle Seahawks took him No. 40 overall in 2022. He also became a regular starter in 2023, when he logged a career-high nine sacks and 52 tackles. 

Mafe played all 17 games this past season and won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks before inking a three-year, $60 million deal with the Bengals on March 12.

Losing Hendrickson to a division rival isn't ideal, but it makes sense from a money standpoint. Baltimore signed the 31-year-old to a four-year, $112 million deal, while Cincinnati signed Mafe, Cook, and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen to contracts collectively worth $128.25 million. Given that the team needed help on all three levels of the defense, this strategy is better for depth.

Allen, who the Washington Commanders drafted No. 17 overall in 2017, logged a career-high 68 tackles over 17 games for the Minnesota Vikings last season. The 31-year-old signed a two-year, $28 million deal with the Bengals on March 13.

If Cincinnati keeps filling out the defense with veteran signings and drafted rookies this offseason, it will have a chance of fielding a league-average unit on that side of the ball for the first time since 2022. It's no coincidence that that was the last year it made the playoffs.