2025 Cincinnati Bengals Part 3: Can the Defense Get a Stop?

DJ said on X today after doing a few mocks with FO folks around the league that the Bengals were screwed at 10. They must have realized everyone they had on their board would be gone. Now trade back at 2 and grab extra picks…

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Originally Posted by Redhook

I'm feeling pretty optimistic about next season believe it or not. Their offense is pretty much set and they should easily be able to resign Risner to a 2 or 3 year deal that won't cost much at all. That's a no brainer.

The defense needs a lot of help, but I think it should be pretty manageable even for the Bengals pitiful front office. All they need to do is make it a top 20 defense (league average would be great if that happened). Their cornerbacks are good enough (improvements are still welcome), Miles Murphy showed he can actually start in this league which is one of the few silver linings from the disappointing year and their linebackers can't be worse next year....lol.

To be a legitimate Super Bowl contending team, I think they need 3 above average defensive players with one of them being Pro Bowl caliber. They clearly need help in the center of the field with the interior d-line, LB and safety. Devin Lloyd is the most obvious choice as someone to sign. Hopefully, they can draft Downs to cover the safety position. Then, they could sign a couple of defensive lineman to handle and possibly draft another one in the 2nd or 3rd. If they don't resign Hendrickson, they'd have plenty to get a couple of good lineman.

There's obviously a lot of routes that they can go accomplishing this, but getting the best 3 defensive players to cover their weakest areas should be addressed early and often. And hopefully, they sign some studs before the draft so they don't get forced into overdrafting guys like they've done far too often in the past.

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Wow, they actually pulled it off. While I was optimistic in January, it definitely faded a few weeks back when they still hadn't addressed the LB group and their DL was still awful. But now, they got the 3 above average players along with the pro bowler. And, Lawrence is way better than LB Lloyd and DL is arguably the hardest position to find a game changer. I'm equally happy and surprised.

Now, they just need to a vet LB to go along with the their draft picks.

Cincinnati would be the perfect place for Bobby Wagner to come ring chasing...

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Originally Posted by RiverRat13

Cincinnati would be the perfect place for Bobby Wagner to come ring chasing...

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100%. Cut Slayton to pay for the majority of Wagner.

I don’t know…Wagner has lost more than a step or two


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Originally Posted by KoryMac5

DJ said on X today after doing a few mocks with FO folks around the league that the Bengals were screwed at 10. They must have realized everyone they had on their board would be gone. Now trade back at 2 and grab extra picks…

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Using the PFN mock simulator this morning with an order that includes this trade, it was like everything just fell into place. CB in round 2, LB in 3, OC in 4, swing tackle, edge, WR, and TE to round everything out. I wouldn't mind them staying put.

My gripe of the last few years with this team is the lack of first year impact from their 1st round pick. They pick a project or an injury concern. This trade guarantees that they will get impact from their 1st rounder (injury aside). ‘Bout time


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I like that Ravebs fans are twisting themselves into pretzels about how bad it is for the Bengals. He’s injured and it cost them a pick. And besides the pick part they signed a player who is older and was out for more than half a season.

You’d better believe Harbaugh doesn’t mind the thought of sticking it to Baltimore by trading Lawrence into the AFC North.

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Originally Posted by Tony Cloninger

I like that Ravebs fans are twisting themselves into pretzels about how bad it is for the Bengals. He’s injured and it cost them a pick. And besides the pick part they signed a player who is older and was out for more than half a season.

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And almost traded two first round picks for a player, realized they got fleeced, and said he failed the physical so they could get out of the trade.

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Originally Posted by Sea Ray

I don’t know…Wagner has lost more than a step or two


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Of course he has. Prime Bobby Wagner would already be under contract. But he's still good enough to take snaps away from Barrett Carter.

I wonder if a Burrow restructure is coming to add some more cap space.

This is why stats can't really put a number on the value of a nose tackle:

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This play didn’t go in the stat sheet as a sack, but watch what 97 does.

Never let someone on this app try to tell you someone performed poorly one year based on a box score.

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https://x.com/BengalsCentral_/status...04919082082332

Unsure which direction the Bengals will go in the 2nd now, but D'Angelo Ponds is probably at the top of my wish list, followed by Jacob Rodriguez. Something tells me Anthony Hill Jr. will be the pick, though.

They also really need to find a WR3, too. Iosivas is not it. Ted Hurst, I would love in Round 3. Watching his tape, he actually looks a lot like Higgins out there. If not him, I was gonna say Zachariah Branch, maybe, but he literally just got arrested...

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Originally Posted by Ohayou

Unsure which direction the Bengals will go in the 2nd now, but D'Angelo Ponds is probably at the top of my wish list, followed by Jacob Rodriguez. Something tells me Anthony Hill Jr. will be the pick, though.

They also really need to find a WR3, too. Iosivas is not it. Ted Hurst, I would love in Round 3. Watching his tape, he actually looks a lot like Higgins out there. If not him, I was gonna say Zachariah Branch, maybe, but he literally just got arrested...

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As much as I gripe about the linebackers, I hope they truly go BPA Friday/Saturday and then try to bring in vets still out there or who will be cut to fill any obvious holes. I'm also hoping for either Ponds or Rodriguez, but if both are gone and there's an edge who has dropped, take the edge. If there's a great slot WR or tight end in the 3rd, take that player. But I'm afraid they've already decided that it's corner in the 2nd and LB/edge in the 3rd.

I did a draft simulator thing yesterday and got Brandon Cisse in the second, Josiah Trotter in the third, and the big tackle from Miami in the fourth. That would work…