The Cincinnati Bengals have signed three new defensive players this offseason, and most of the upper-echelon free agents are off the market. However, the Bengals could still make more additions before and after April's NFL Draft.

Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson published an article on Tuesday titled "Bengals.com Media Mock Draft: First Wave of Free Agency Doesn't Touch Board." Mentioning the "first wave" of free agency implies that there could be a second wave coming.

ESPN published a piece on Wednesday highlighting the most notable players left on the market, including big names like Stefon Diggs, Joey Bosa, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, and Deebo Samuel. Those players are all past their prime, so it makes sense why they're still unsigned.

However, Cincinnati could still use some veteran help on defense, even if those veterans are in the twilight of their careers. For example, Bosa is 30 and hasn't had double-digit sacks in a season since 2021, but he's had at least five in each of the past three campaigns. Adding him at the Spotrac market value deal of two years, $27.4 million ($13.7 million AAV) would make sense for a complementary piece alongside new signee Boye Mafe as well as homegrown players Shemar Stewart and Myles Murphy in the edge rusher group.

Here are some more defensive players that would be worth adding to a unit that finished 30th in points allowed per game last season:

Jordan turns 37 in July, but his 2025 stats don't reflect that. The three-time All-Pro finished with 10.5 sacks and two forced fumbles over 17 games for the New Orleans Saints, his 15th season with the team after it drafted him No. 24 overall in 2011.

Jordan is cheaper than Bosa, as he has a one-year, $6.8 million market value, per Spotrac. Taking a flier on the 6-foot-4, 287-pounder as a rotational piece would have little downside for a Bengals team that should be trying to win a championship every season with Joe Burrow in the building.

Clowney is another past-his-prime option at a premium position. The former South Carolina Gamecock is 33, but he tied for 20th in the NFL with 8.5 sacks for the Dallas Cowboys last season and is worth $5.7 million for one year, per Spotrac. In a sense, he's a younger and cheaper version of Jordan.

Reader is not only a cheap option to add to the interior defensive line rotation, but he's a familiar face. The 31-year-old played in Cincinnati from 2020 to 2023 before his tenure with the Detroit Lions from 2024 to 2025. His stint in Cincinnati coincides with the team's best seasons in recent years, as it made the Super Bowl in the 2021 campaign and made the AFC Championship the year after that. It hasn't made the playoffs since.

Reader, who tallied 28 tackles last season, is worth $7.7 million over two years ($3.9 million AAV), per Spotrac.

Overall, signing at least one of these three players would show that the front office isn't satisfied after landing Mafe, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, and safety Bryan Cook.