As the 2025 NFL Draft creeps closer, the Cincinnati Bengals should still keep a sharp eye no the free agency market for a few players that make sense. Cincy has gotten two massive contract extensions out of the way this offseason with Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, and they seem poised to lock-up Trey Hendrickson for the long-term.
Even if the Hendrickson extension gets done, the Bengals still have some serious roster holes that could be temporarily filled in free agency. Even with the main waves of free agency done, there are still a good bit of names out there who could make a ton of sense for this team.
Let's dive into some available free agents who still make sense for the Bengals.
Available free agents who still make sense for the Cincinnati Bengals
Brandon Scherff, OG
The projected starting guards for the Bengals in the 2025 NFL Season are currently Cordell Volson and Cody Ford...
Yeah, not great. To be fair, the team does seem to have solutions at left tackle, center, and right tackle with Orlando Brown Jr, Ted Karras, and Amarius Mims, but both guard spots could easily be improved. Brandon Scherff has been among the best guards in the NFL for years now, and he has actually put his previous injury concerns behind him.
Scherff is 33 years old but has not missed a single start over the last three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. From 2018-2021, the several years before his Jags tenure began, he played in eight, 11, 13, and 11 games. It'd be hard to find someone as productive along the offensive line this late in free agency as Brandon Scherff is.
Dalton Risner, OG
Dalton Risner is a better pass blocker than run blocker and could be another solid solution for the Bengals. Drafted by the Denver Broncos back in 2019, Risner has since been on the Minnesota Vikings and has never been able to land that long-term deal he has coveted.
A pretty average player overall, Risner would be an upgrade over both Volson and Ford, and in conjunction with a potential Brandon Scherff signing, would help the Bengals form a notable offensive line. A potential offensive line featuring Brown - Risner - Karras - Scherff - Mims really seems quite good on paper, doesn't it?
How serious are the Bengals about fixing this unit?
Rasul Douglas, CB
Long-time NFL cornerback Rasul Douglas is a free agent and was recently with the Buffalo Bills. Cincy has swung and missed on some draft picks in the secondary in recent years and do need to bring in some immediate production on this side of the ball in 2025. We all saw just how much their defense dragged the whole team down in 2024.
Heck, even if the defense was a bit below-average, this team would have scrapped together another win or two and made the playoffs. It is simply inexcusable for a team to waste the year that Joe Burrow had in 2024. Rasul Douglas is as veteran as they come on the backend and would be a huge defensive boost for a year or two.