Bengals Free Agency: Haason Reddick could bolster pass rush in 2022
Bengals free agency officially kicks off in less than a month and this team has several needs to address. While the offensive line is going to be discussed the most (and for good reason), the pass rush could use some help as well. That’s where Haason Reddick comes into play.
Reddick went 13th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft to the Cardinals and didn’t come on strong until the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. He had a whopping 12.5 sacks that year after only totaling 7.5 through his first three years.
To say the Cardinals regretted not giving Reddick his fifth-year option was an understatement. He went on to sign with the Panthers this past season and totaled 11 sacks and 18 QB hits through 16 starts. The dude was an absolute monster.
One free agent who should be getting more attention ... Haason Reddick.
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) February 22, 2022
Reddick has notched 12.5 and 11 sacks respectively in each of his past two seasons. He's 27 years old. Dude is a monster off the edge.
Bengals Free Agency: Haason Reddick needs to be on the radar
The Bengals’ pass-rush improved tremendously in 2021 after sitting last in the league in sacks the previous year. Trey Hendrickson was a huge part as to why that was and while Sam Hubbard came on strong in the sack department late in the year, there were times when the pass rush was completely non-existent. Reddick would help with that.
Cincinnati is getting Joseph Ossai back after he was injured during preseason of his rookie year and that’ll make a huge difference but Reddick is still someone this team should absolutely target.
Spotrac has Reddick’s projected market value at five years worth $76 million averaging an annual salary of $15.3 million. The Bengals have the dough to spend and while the offensive line needs to be first priority, no one would complain if the team put this kind of money into making the pass rush an even more unstoppable force.
Next. Predicting How Bengals OL Looks in 2022. dark
We saw just how good this team could be when their defense could get after the quarterback and make plays so the Bengals shouldn’t stop now. Haason Reddick had a slow start to his career but the last two years have been anything but for him. I’d love to see this guy donning the stripes and continuing to make Cincy’s defense one of the most feared in the entire league.