The Cincinnati Bengals came into the NFL offseason with a clear objective to improve their defense. One of several defensive signings was former Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook. From Cincinnati, Cook has spent his entire NFL career in Kansas City and now returns home to play for the team he grew up watching.
Also growing up watching the Cincinnati Reds, Cook had the opportunity to watch his hometown baseball team this weekend as an honorary captain.
Cook said this was a childhood dream of his, especially only getting to go to one Reds game as a kid.
“It’s a childhood dream of mine,” he said. “… I played baseball since I was young. To have the ability to come out and do this for a team I’ve been following since I was young, it’s a beautiful thing.”
Cook added he is very confident in the Bengals’ upcoming NFL season, noting availability and staying healthy will be the biggest key.
One of two professional baseball teams in Ohio, joining the Cleveland Guardians, the Reds have brought an exciting roster into the 2026 MLB season. Led by veteran manager Terry Francona, Cincinnati is looking to build on last season’s playoff appearance.
Breaking in as the final Wild Card team in the National League last season, the Reds fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in that opening round playoff series, but it was good experience for a young team that is trying to find its way at the big league level.
For the Bengals, they are in a different spot. Four seasons removed from a Super Bowl appearance, which was then followed by a loss in the conference championship game, Cincinnati has since missed the playoffs three seasons in a row. And while the Reds’ window is just opening, many feel the Bengals could be nearing the end of theirs with Joe Burrow.
One of the most talented quarterbacks in the league when healthy, Burrow has led high-level offenses in Cincinnati the last several seasons, but the defense has consistently been bad enough to make that not matter. Cincinnati hopes Cook and some of its other signings this offseason can change that, as there is a lot to improve upon for the league’s 30th-ranked defense a season ago.
For now, the Bengals will enjoy their offseason, and for Cook that includes a trip to Great American Ballpark to watch his hometown Reds early in this MLB season.