7 Cincinnati Bengals free agents we will sadly miss in 2022

The Cincinnati Bengals are AFC North champs for the first time since 2015 and it’s an awesome feeling to see this young team ahead of schedule on their rebuild. No one expected the Bengals to be here but they defied the odds and punched their ticket to the playoffs.

This offseason is going to bring some difficult choices to the Bengals, however. They have several key players slated to hit free agency and it’d be a damn shame to see the team unable to retain a fair share of them.

Let’s take a look at seven pending free agents that would be greatly missed if they signed elsewhere in 2022.

7. Riley Reiff

It was surprising to see Riley Reiff unsigned deep into the free agency period but the Bengals were able to sign him to a one-year deal and through 12 games, he played well. Reiff was accustomed to playing left tackle throughout his career in Detroit and Minnesota but Cincinnati moved him to the right side of the line, where he held his own.

Pro Football Focus gave Reiff a grade of 67.2, which is respectable. Unfortunately, Reiff was injured in Week 12, missed the following game, and then tried to give it a go in Week 14 but had to exit the game. He later landed on IR.

The right side of the line has been a major problem since Reiff went down and if it weren’t for the injury, he’d be a no-brainer to try and bring back. The organization could, however, turn to the draft to find their right tackle of the future and that could make Reiff not a priority to re-sign.

If he’s not brought back, Riley Reiff would be missed.