Bengals Free Agency: 5 injury-prone free agents that are worth the risk

3. Stephon Gilmore

With the Bengals set to lose Eli Apple in free agency and likely cutting Trae Waynes, the need for a cornerback to pair with Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton is prominent. Stephon Gilmore is one of the best free-agent cornerbacks available this offseason but there is some injury history with the former first-round pick who is set to enter his age-32 season.

Gilmore is most known for his four years with the Patriots where he was at the top of his game and didn’t allow receivers to do much of anything against him. In 2019, he won Defensive Player of the Year and continued to be a solid player in 2020 despite the injuries starting to pile up.

Gilmore missed five games in 2020 as a result of injuries to his hand and knee. In 2021, he was traded to the Panthers and went on to appear in just nine games due to dealing with groin and quad injuries.

While the injuries are definitely concerning, Gilmore is still playing at a high level. He’d be a nice fit in the Bengals’ secondary as they try to keep their defense on the up and up.