Bengals still have not addressed a top need after free agency and NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cincinnati Bengals came into the 2026 NFL offseason with a few clear needs, all of which resided on the defensive side of the ball.
Cornerback was a need, and they addressed that in the 2026 NFL Draft. Safety and edge rusher were addressed both in free agency and through the draft, while defensive tackle was upgraded by the blockbuster Dexter Lawrence trade and Jonathan Allen signing.
However, as ESPN's Ben Baby pointed out, one of the top needs has still not been addressed, with the linebacker position not being resolved through free agency, a trade, or even the NFL Draft.
"Are the Bengals ever going to get a linebacker?" Baby writes. "Cincinnati has still not made a major addition in the middle of its defense. Bengals assistant GM Steve Radicevic said that's the way free agency and the board fell, despite having linebackers queued up."
Cincinnati came out of the NFL Draft and the first wave of free agency without adding any help to their linebacker corps.
While they spent premium assets on Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. last year, the team still needed to add help to this room. Ideally, they would add a veteran. Even if they spent a draft pick on one, it wouldn't hurt a very shaky room.
There are still some free agent linebacker options available for Cincinnati, but none are as good as the options that went off the board during the draft, were traded, or already signed.
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Bobby Okereke and Bobby Wagner are the two best options still available, and neither would be ideal as they struggled a bit last year for their respective teams.
There are some other options in free agency, but their lack of upgrades at the position might come back to bite them during the 2026 season.
Linebacker was a major area of need for Cincinnati, and yet, they couldn't find a way to upgrade this position group this offseason.
Baby's questioning of the Bengals' plan at the position is warranted, as their best chances to get LB help have gone and gone. Now, it's scraps in free agency and the trade market, or a dart-throw at an undrafted free agent. Not great for such a big need.
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