3 free agents who could start for the Bengals right away

The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have many weaknesses on their roster as of now but there are still a few free agents out there who, if signed, could immediately slot in as a starter for the defending AFC champions.

For a team who is coming off a surprise Super Bowl appearance, it’s absolutely a good thing that the team doesn’t have many holes to fill. It means that, even in a stacked division and conference, they should be able to put themselves in a solid position to repeat as AFC champs this season.

Let’s take a look at three free agents that could join the stripes as starters for the 2022 season.

All grades courtesy of Pro Football Focus

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference 

3. Chris Harris

The Cincinnati Bengals love former Kansas players and Chris Harris could give them another former Jayhawk on their roster.

Harris, who went undrafted over a decade ago, went on to spend nine years with the Broncos before joining the Chargers and playing well for them the past two years. He’s not a spring chicken anymore, as he’s just weeks away from his 33rd birthday but Harris still showed that he’s capable of playing well as a starter.

The former Jayhawk finished the 2022 season with a 62.4 PFF grade, which was higher than what Eli Apple finished with (60.9). Harris isn’t the same player that he was in his prime but with Apple’s shaky moments during the 2021 season and the other options being rookies, why not sign the former KU product and see what he can provide this defense with?