This is the deadest part of the NFL offseason. It's the calm before the storm, if you will, before the 2026 Cincinnati Bengals absolutely demoralize their opponents and roar back to Super Bowl contention.
But before Joe Burrow and the offense dunk on fools, and the defense takes a big step up with Dexter Lawrence and other key additions, the personnel department shouldn't stand pat.
The linebacker position is still a clear weakness in Cincinnati. Unless Oren Burks returns to his Eagles Super Bowl run form, he won't unseat Barrett Carter or Demetrius Knight Jr. form the starting lineup. Based on how bad the latter two played in 2025, that's an issue.
After last offseason yielded a late bargain-bin revelation in Dalton Risner, the Bengals could easily score big again on the low-end open market with Devin White, who I've stumped for before.
Free-agent LB Devin White is just what Bengals need to solve their biggest roster hole
You might be asking, "Why be Devin White's lobbyist for a second time?" Beyond the ICYMI of it all for fans and the Bengals front office alike, I've had some success manifesting certain moves.
Look at my mock offseason that ran over 3,000 words. We got two of my top targets in Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook. Could've easily had the linebacker upgrades I so desperately wanted in Leo Chenal ($4.3 million 2026 cap hit) and Demario Davis ($5 million 2026 cap hit).
Oh, and I was big on trading up in the draft for Sonny Styles whilst acquiring Dexter Lawrence.
Giants receive: 10th overall pick, 41st overall pick, DT T.J. Slaton, plus 2027 2nd- & 3rd-round picks
— Stripe Hype (@StripeHype) April 7, 2026
Bengals receive: 5th overall pick, DT Dexter Lawrence & 2027 4th-round pick
Blockbuster Dexter Lawrence trade baked into new Bengals mock draft https://t.co/jHsK04dB50
The deal the Giants and Bengals made wound up being less complicated and less fruitful. Oh well. I was still chuffed to see Cincinnati actually act like a serious football operation in pursuit of a Lombardi Trophy.
So back to Devin White. Back when I wrote about him, I posted the following numbers to Elon Musk's X/Twitter...and let's just say those are an intriguing set of digits:
- 174 combined tackles in 2025
— Stripe Hype (@StripeHype) February 14, 2026
- 21.7% career pass rush pressure rate (25.5 sacks)
- Top-5 pick; Super Bowl champ
- 88.9 passer rating allowed since 2023
His name...?@DevinWhite__40
Forgotten LSU star could be the Bengals' perfect free agency gamble https://t.co/Z2N9TOdQ2e
You know what White has also done? Made a game-sealing playoff interception against Drew Brees. He's had single seasons of nine and 5.5 sacks respectively. White racked up a whopping 174 combined tackles last year for an abysmal Las Vegas Raiders defense who didn't have anyone else too capable of bringing opponents to the turf beyond Maxx Crosby.
It's not like this guy's best football is long behind him. White just turned 28 in February, and if Carter and Knight could see their play improve behind the Bengals' new-look defensive line, imagine how well White might fare. White has the versatility to line up on the edge, too — and the pass rushing chops to actually excel there.
As you can see by his allowed passer rating of 88.9 since 2023, White has improved in pass coverage, which was a major problem for both Carter and Knight last year.
A tackling machine who's a plus pass rusher (2.5 sacks in '25, too), and has drastically progressed in coverage? Sign me up for Devin White, please. This feels like such a no-brainer, does it not?
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