Bengals' 2023 Free Agents, Targets and Draft Needs After NFL Playoff Loss
The Cincinnati Bengals started the season 0-2, and it seemed for a while like a Super Bowl hangover could sink the defending AFC champions. However, unlike Super Bowl LVI winners the Los Angeles Rams, the Bengals bounced back.
After falling to 2-3 against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, things clicked for Cincinnati. The team only lost one game after that—an inexplicable blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns on Halloween—and secured the AFC North title before its Week 18 rematch with Baltimore.
The Bengals survived the Ravens a second time in the Wild Card Round, but they lost left tackle Jonah Williams (knee) and guard Alex Cappa (ankle). With right tackle La'el Collins also out (torn ACL), Cincinnati found itself vulnerable again.
While injuries helped lead to a 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, there's every reason to believe this team can reload and make another run in 2023. Cincinnati has young stars like Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, and it has successfully shed its reputation as a squad that will show up at the dance but leave early and empty-handed.
Getting healthy will aid Cincinnati's quest for another Super Bowl berth, but the Bengals will also have to successfully navigate free agency, the draft and the trade market to remain a perennial contender.
Here, you'll find a look at the Bengals' impending free agents, potential free-agent targets and draft needs heading into the start of free agency on March 15.
Free Agents
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Unrestricted Free Agents
QB Brandon Allen
CB Eli Apple
S Jessie Bates III
S Vonn Bell
CB Jalen Davis
CB Tre Flowers
LS Clark Harris
TE Hayden Hurst
RB Samaje Perine
LB Germaine Pratt
TE Drew Sample
G Max Scharping
WR Trent Taylor
S Michael Thomas
RB Trayveon Williams
Restricted/Exclusive-Rights Free Agents
LS Cal Adomitis
LB Joe Bachie
LB Clay Johnston
TE Mitchell Wilcox
Cincinnati's top priority this offseason will almost certainly be extending the contract of Joe Burrow.
The LSU product will be extension-eligible, and it would be surprising if the Bengals didn't get out in front of the rising QB market and grant him a long-term deal at their first opportunity.
Fortunately for Cincinnati, an extension would likely be tacked onto the remainder of Burrow's rookie deal—as contracts for Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray have been.
"There is the fact that when you don't have to pay the quarterback some extraordinary amount, that leaves room to pay other players more and, therefore, you can keep more players that are good players," franchise owner Mike Brown told the team's radio broadcast (h/t ESPN's Ben Baby).
This is fortunate because Cincinnati has several integral players slated for free agency, including starting safeties Jessie Bates II and Vonn Bell. Starting corner Eli Apple and starting tight end Hayden Hurst are also scheduled to be free agents.
Along with them are valuable backup running back Samaje Perine, backup corner Tre Flowers, tight end Drew Sample, backup quarterback Brandon Allen and long snappers Clark Harris and Cal Adomitis (ERFA).
Armed with $49.4 million in cap space, though, Cincinnati should have little trouble re-signing the players it wants to keep. The lone exception could be Bates, who threatened to not play on the franchise tag in 2022 but relented, and he could be replaced by first-round draft pick Daxton Hill.
While Cincinnati isn't hurting for cap space, it could free up a little more by parting with running back Joe Mixon.
The 26-year-old, who averaged just 3.9 yards per carry in the regular season, is set to carry a cap hit of $12.8 million next season. That's a lot for a back who was barely above-average this year.
Releasing Mixon with a post-June 1 designation would save the Bengals another $10 million off the 2023 cap.
Potential Free-Agent/Trade Targets
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With a good chunk of cap space to play with, the Bengals will likely be major players on the open market. This was the case two offseasons ago, when they constructed the defense that helped them reach Super Bowl LVI.
Cincinnati's 2021 free-agent additions included Trey Hendrickson, Larry Ogunjobi, Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton, Ricardo Allen and Apple.
Theoretically, the Bengals could take an even bigger swing at free agency this year by targeting a top player like Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry. The New York Giants' castoff was fantastic in the regular season, allowing an opposing passer rating (OPR) of just 51.6 in coverage.
Cincinnati finished the year ranked 23rd in passing yards allowed, and it also ranked a middling 18th in yards per pass attempt. Adding a legitimate No. 1 corner like Bradberry would do wonders for an already solid defense (ranked sixth in points allowed).
The Bengals could also eye pass-rushers such as Brandon Graham, Yannick Ngakoue, Melvin Ingram, Jadeveon Clowney and Arden Key. While Cincinnati limited scoring, it tallied a mere 30 sacks in the regular season.
The Bengals might even consider making a trade for a top-tier pass-rusher. Hendrickson's former New Orleans Saints teammate, Cameron Jordan, is one potential candidate to watch.
The Saints are projected to be $52.9 million over the cap. Trading the 33-year-old after June 1 would save them $14.9 million in cap room.
Of course, Cincinnati could look to remake its offensive line again. While the unit wasn't awful in 2022, it allowed 44 sacks and carries plenty of injury concerns now.
The Bengals don't need a ton at the offensive skill positions, but targeting a tight end like Dalton Schultz or Mike Gesicki to replace Hurst would be sensible.
If Cincinnati wants to hit the proverbial home run, targeting Kansas City Chiefs tackle Orlando Brown Jr. would make a ton of sense. Only three teams are projected to have more cap space than the Bengals, so virtually every option is on the table.
Draft Targets
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Cincinnati's draft needs will be dictated largely by what it does in free agency, but it would be logical for the team to address its offensive line sooner than later in the draft.
This means potential first-round lineman such as Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright, Florida interior lineman O'Cyrus Torrence and Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones should be on the short list of Day 1 targets.
All three are ranked inside the top 35 prospects on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's latest draft board.
The Bengals could also eye a cornerback like South Carolina's Cam Smith at the end of Day 1 if they don't find a top-tier starter in free agency.
"Ultimately, Smith is an exceptional athlete who is regarded as one of the best man cover guys in this draft," Cory Giddings of the B/R Scouting Department wrote.
With C.J. Uzomah long gone and Hurst and Sample headed to the open market, Cincinnati could target a tight end prospect like LSU's Kayshon Boutte or Georgia's Darnell Washington.
The Bengals have their picks in all seven rounds, so prospects like Ohio State pass-rusher Zach Harrison, North Dakota State lineman Cody Mauch, Oregon tight end Luke Musgrave, Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Michigan defensive lineman Mazi Smith, Texas running back Roschon Johnson and Cincinnati tight end Josh Whyle should be firmly on the radar on Days 2 and 3.
Naturally, if the Bengals address the few needs they have in free agency, they'll simply look to take the best player available with each pick in the 2023 draft. That's a luxury teams with their young bright stars under contract can afford.
*Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference. Cap, contract and market information via Spotrac. Draft information via Tankathon.
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