Are the Bengals offseason additions really going to make a difference?
The Cincinnati Bengals went 6-11 last season and allowed 28.9 points per game, ranking 30th in the NFL.
Their defense played a huge role in the team missing the playoffs for a third straight year, so heading into free agency, the front office knew the assignment.
They signed edge rusher Boye Mafe, brought in defensive tackle Jonathan Allen on a two-year, $25 million contract and added safety Bryan Cook.
On paper, that looks like a front office taking the defense seriously. And it is. But not everyone around the league is convinced these moves are enough to turn things around.
Executives Have Their Doubts
Jason La Canfora of Sports Boom reported that NFL executives remain skeptical about what the Bengals have built up front, and the Allen signing in particular drew some pointed criticism.
"We looked at Allen, and it would be one thing if he was going to be part of a deep rotation," one NFL general manager said.
"But he's got to be a guy for them. Is he the best pass rusher they have? They paid too much and he doesn't have anyone to help him up front besides BJ Hill."
Allen is 31 and coming off a rough year in Minnesota where he graded out as the 102nd-best run defender among defensive tackles on Pro Football Focus.
The Vikings cut him after just one season of a three-year, $51 million contract, and while the Bengals are getting him cheaper, some around the league still think $12.5 million per year is steep for a player whose best days may be behind him.
Another personnel executive didn't mince words either, saying "They overpaid... They seem to be banking on (2025 first-round pick) Shemar Stewart taking off. I don't see it."
The Shemar Stewart Problem
That last part stings because there's real evidence to back it up. Stewart was the 17th overall pick last April, and his rookie season was rough by any standard.
He played in just eight games due to injuries, recorded only 11 tackles and one sack, and graded out dead last among all 32 first-round picks on Pro Football Focus with a 41.0 overall grade.
Four total pressures in 247 snaps is nowhere close to what you need from a first-round edge rusher.
The Bengals are clearly hoping that a full healthy offseason changes things for Stewart, but banking on that kind of leap from a player who showed almost nothing as a rookie is a risky bet when you already lost Trey Hendrickson to Baltimore and Joseph Ossai to the Jets.
Why the Skepticism Matters
Cincinnati's offense should still be elite whenever Joe Burrow is healthy, and Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins give them one of the best passing attacks in football.
But the defense is the reason this team went from Super Bowl contender to three straight years out of the playoffs, and it is fair to wonder whether adding a few veterans and hoping for growth is enough to close that gap.
Cincinnati still has the No. 10 pick in April's draft to address the front seven.
But the executives who spoke to La Canfora are not sold, and given what this defense looked like in 2025, it is hard to blame them.