The Cincinnati Bengals went all-in on fixing their defense this offseason. Despite losing Trey Hendrickson to the Baltimore Ravens, the Bengals made several additions all across the defense to try to fix the unit that shouldered the blame for missing the postseason the last two seasons.
Included in those acquisitions was pass rusher Boye Mafe, who was basically signed as a replacement for Hendrickson. They will also return 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart when he returns from his hyperextended
knee suffered early in training camp. 2023 first-rounder Myles Murphy is also back and likely motivated after his fifth-year option wasn’t picked up. Also joining the rotation is rookie and former SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Cashius Howell.
CBS Sports’ Carter Bahns isn’t very confident in the Cincinnati pass rush this season. He recently released his rankings of all 32 pass rush groups in the NFL and slotted the Bengals near the bottom of the league at 29th.
“While the rest of the Bengals’ defense improved on paper this offseason, the edge rusher group said farewell to its leader, Trey Hendrickson. Mafe is an upside-oriented addition who will not fully replace Hendrickson’s pass-rushing prowess, but who displayed flashes of greatness as a young starter for the Seattle Seahawks. The rest of the crew, plus second-round pick Cashius Howell, is extremely young. Cincinnati is banking on its last few drafts starting to pay off. It just might pay dividends, but it is impossible to know for sure until it actually happens,“ Bahn wrote.
To be fair, there are quite a few unknowns along the defensive front and specifically at pass rusher, but 29 still feels awfully low when you consider the drastic improvements to the interior defensive line. Dexter Lawrence II should draw a lot of double teams and free up pass rushers to get home.
Preseason rankings are just that, preseason predictions. In just over a month, the Bengals’ defense will have a chance to change that narrative on the field.
