Heading into the offseason, edge rusher was a major area of need for the Cincinnati Bengals, and that was with Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard still on the roster. Since the offseason started, Hubbard has retired from football and the Bengals granted Hendrickson permission to seek a trade.
That means there's a real possibility that neither of those guys will be on the roster heading into the 2025 season, but the Bengals have yet to add an edge rusher in free agency. It's something that they desperately need to do.
Bengals need to upgrade their edge rusher situaiton in free agency
As a team, Cincinnati had 36 sacks in 2024. The number was the seventh-fewest league-wide, and Hendrickson accounted for nearly half of them -- he led the league with 17.5 sacks. Hubbard added another two.
That's nearly 20 sacks that the Bengals could be losing from last season's production, and as of the time that this was typed, they've done little to address the issue.
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In fairness, the Bengals did bring back defensive end Joseph Ossai on a one-year deal, which was a solid move. Ossai was second on the team with five sacks last season, and he figues to play a more prominent role for the team in 2025 following Hubbard's departure and the potential departure of Hendrickson.
But, the Bengals can't stop there. They need to add at least one more reliable pass-rusher to the mix in free agency, and there's no shortage of options.
Cincinnati has missed out on some big names that have already agreed to sign elsewhere, but the following edge rushers are still available on the open market: Joey Bosa, Matt Judon, Demarcus Lawrence, Za'Darius Smith, Dante Fowler Jr. and Von Miller, just to name a few.
The addition of pretty much any of those guys would be a big boon for Cincinnati and would help to give them some depth and options at a major area of need.
Sure, the Bengals will likely add an edge (or two) in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. But, as a team firmly in 'win now' mode with star quarterback Joe Burrow at the peak of his powers, they need an experienced player, or two, at the position, especially with Hendrickson potentially leaving.
Free agency is far from over, so the Bengals still have time to make a move, but so far they've yet to properly address their glaring need on the edge.