The Cincinnati Bengals prioritized improving their defense this offseason. After six games played, Duke Tobin and the rest of the Bengals front office deserve praise. The additions of Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen, and Dexter Lawrence as veterans have completely changed the outlook of the defense. You can even toss in the selection of Cashius Howell in the second round of the draft. The defensive line has seen the biggest difference in performance.
The Bengals are tied for 1st in the league
with 21 sacks to begin the season. This is even more astounding when you factor in that they have already had their bye week. A big reason for that success was the addition of Boye Mafe. After playing rotational snaps last season, there were some people that thought the Bengals might have paid too much when they signed him to a 3-year $60 million contract in free agency.
That deal is looking like a steal now. He is 8th overall in pressures at his position on the season. He was able to record another 1.5 sacks in Baltimore. That puts his total through six games at 4.5 sacks for the season.
Dexter Lawrence was a player that the Bengals went out and traded for. They gave up premium draft capital with the 10th overall selection. A move that has paid immediate dividends for them. Lawrence notched his fourth sack of the season, is an absolute force multiplier for the entire defense, and should be in the running for defensive player of the year.
The Bengals gave him a one-year extension to his current contract at $28 million dollars, theoretically tying him to the franchise for two more seasons after this one. Another move that is money well spent. Thank you, New York Giants.
The Bengals first signing during free agency was Bryan Cook. Safety has been a huge issue since the loss of Jessie Bates a few years back. Guys like Nick Scott and Geno Stone had not been the answer at free safety. They went out and got the best safety on the market. They gave the former Cincinnati Bearcat a 3-year deal worth slightly over $40 million total.
While that is a big contract for a safety, it was a move that they absolutely needed to make. Cook has helped to stabilize the secondary, and rarely misses tackles. He is solid in coverage, can blitz at the line, and continually gets his guys lined up in the right spots.
The Bengals also gave Jonathan Allen a good sized contract in free agency. After being let go by Minnesota, the Bengals quickly prioritized what Allen good give them, both as a veteran leader, and with his play on the field. He has been well worth the two-year $25 million contract they signed him to.
Allen is tied for 10th overall in pressures on the season for defensive tackles with 21 total. Every week we see him bull rush an offensive lineman back into their quarterback. He has been solid against the run along with it, consistently discarding linemen to make plays at or behind the line of scrimmage.
The Bengals added Cashius Howell during the second round of the 2026 draft. Howell is a dynamic pass rusher that has been so close to getting sacks throughout the entire season. He was finally able to break through and notch his first one of the year during the Bengals three-and-out that started the second defensively.
Duke Tobin and the rest of the front office did a great job in identifying talent through free agency and the draft, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. It certainly feels like money well spent to me.
