The Cincinnati Bengals have some decisions to make on pending free agents that are more difficult than others, but there are four obvious candidates to flee the team this offseason.
Whether it's underachieving draft picks, floppy open-market additions from years past, or even a longtime franchise cornerstone, the Bengals are overdue to really shake up this roster. And I don't mean via veteran stopgaps and bargain-bin acquisitions.
So who comprises this hopefully-gone Cincinnati quartet? Let's begin with the biggest no-brainer of the lot...
Geno Stone, S
Whereas ascending young safety Jordan Battle showed some promise throughout the 2025 season, Geno Stone continued to underwhelm as the starter next to him in the Bengals' secondary.
Going into the regular-season finale, it should've been a foregone conclusion that Stone would be finding a new team in the coming months.
Of the 66 safeties in the NFL that have played 525+ snaps, Geno Stone has the 2nd most missed tackles with 22.
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) December 29, 2025
He is also 1 of 2 safeties on this list that hasn’t forced an incompletion this season.
That position has to be upgraded or have major competition added, at the least. https://t.co/gKMsXAKMYM
Although the cornerback play was strong and Battle flashed high-end ability with multiple takeaways, Stone was always the biggest liability. Whether it be not living up to his ball-hawking reputation from several years back in Baltimore, or tackling at such a poor level so as to be flat-out embarrassing, the tenured defensive back wore out his welcome in Cincinnati in my humble opinion.
Stone took a pay cut coming into this season. His performance fully justified that move. Time to get serious about the safety position and let him move on.
Noah Fant, TE
It's quite remarkable that Sunday's 20-18 loss to the Browns marked the third time this season Noah Fant coughed up a fumble that led to a scoop-and-score touchdown.
turnovers into touchdowns all day long!#CLEvsCIN on CBS and NFL+ pic.twitter.com/nmJS5LngML
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 4, 2026
Any further analysis needed? The only reason I could see Fant sticking around is because he's cheap, and Cincinnati has little tight end depth outside of Mike Gesicki.
If Erick All Jr. can return healthy in 2026, that'd mitigate the need to retain Fant. As would re-signing Tanner Hudson to what could be an even cheaper deal. Notice the "cheap" theme.
Trey Hendrickson, DE
And speaking of cheap, the Bengals cheaped out on giving Trey Hendrickson the multi-year contract extension he deserved last offseason.
Here's my fear: Cincinnati will take the wrong lesson from how the season played out. Hendrickson needed season-ending surgery and appeared in only seven games. The defense played its best ball without him on the field.
See where this is going? This gives Duke Tobin, the Blackburns and Co. belief in themselves that they handled Hendrickson the right way. Then they won't ingratiate themselves to players at the negotiating table as much as they should going forward. And they will limit the ceiling on how much they can improve the roster via free agency.
I'm not in the mood for another dramatic round of contract talks. Nor is Hendrickson I imagine. Cincinnati's best move is to not franchise tag Hendrickson and let him walk. Just end it already.
Cam Taylor-Britt, CB
Benched multiple times across the past two seasons, Cam Taylor-Britt is a prior second-round pick who ultimately never lived up to that billing.
CTB's season-ending injury and the Bengals' lacking necessity to lean on him or see "what he has" down the stretch actually created clarity. Jalen Davis flexed into the slot to great success, Dax Hill went back to the boundary, and Cincinnati unearthed a formidable cornerback trio of the future between that pair and DJ Turner.
Past Day 3 draftees Josh Newton and D.J. Ivey — not to mention underrated practice squadder Bralyn Lux — provide enough depth at corner to justify letting Taylor-Britt seek a fresh start. That'd be best for him and the Bengals as a whole.