There was a lot of scuttlebutt around the Cincinnati Bengals and their ability, or lack thereof, to sign their players to lucrative contracts this offseason. They transcended that by extending Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but Trey Hendrickson's hold-in persists.
Those in-house issues obscured some of the Bengals’ stellar free-agent signings and how well they seem to have drafted.
This is reflected in Matt Bowen’s ESPN top 50 offseason signings, trades, and draft picks. The bad news is that no Bengals acquisition shows up on this list. Worse news is that it is littered with rivals’ offseason moves, not to mention a beloved former Bengals lineman.
ESPN crowns Steelers as offseason kings of the North
The Pittsburgh Steelers have four appearances on this list. DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Rodgers, and Jonnu Smith take the 14th, 17th, 19th, and 40th spots, respectively.
Last year’s division champion, the Baltimore Ravens, appeared three times on this list. The first was via free agency with the signing of cornerback Jaire Alexander. The ex-Packer checked in at 25th on Bowen’s hierarchy despite injury concerns.
Also, Baltimore’s top two draft picks, Georgia safety Malaki Starks and Marshall edge rusher Mike Green, made the list at Nos. 37 and 50. Both of those players represent perceived needs for the Bengals before the draft and were names linked to the team.
A familiar former Bengal makes the grade
A former Cincinnati Bengals player at a critical position made the list at 29. Veteran guard Kevin Zeitler signed with the Tennessee Titans this offseason.
There was some hope amongst the fan base that Zeitler could return to the Bengals to help stabilize their offensive guard position, which has been in flux since his departure in 2017. However, signing the 35-year-old was never part of the front office’s plan.
Zeitler’s move to Tennessee is a critical one, as his new team will heavily count on him to help protect rookie No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. Now we wait to see if he can excel as a rookie under Titans head coach Brian Callahan, who famously helped Joe Burrow excel early in his career as the Bengals' offensive coordinator.
Bengals' underrated offseason overlooked by ESPN
The Bengals’ six draft picks were Shemar Stewart, Demetrius Knight Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Barrett Carter, Jalen Rivers, and Tahj Brooks. It's difficult to bank on rookies to fill multiple key roles, which is what Cincinnati is poised to do. There could be as many as three instant starters in Stewart, Knight, and Fairchild at defensive end, linebacker, and guard in that order.
Bowen snubbing Stewart from his list is a surprise. He was the 17th overall pick after all. The former Texas A&M Aggie just concluded a holdout, driven by his agent’s questionable negotiating tactics. Now we can focus on Stewart and how he compares to others in his draft class, especially his new divisional counterpart, the aforementioned Green in Baltimore.
Cincinnati’s notable free agents include T.J. Slaton, Samaje Perine, Lucas Patrick, and Oren Burks. There's an argument to be made that they're all depth players to some degree, yet they should all play significant snaps during the 2025 season.
Fans are no doubt happy with the return of Samaje Perine to the Queen City. Although that move, like the others, was never likely to move any dials on a national scale, the team is counting on him to be a key contributor, evident in the recent release of running back Zack Moss.
The biggest free agent for the Bengals, literally and figuratively, was Slaton. While his arrival from Green Bay garnered some attention, the 330-pounder landing in Cincinnati did not merit a spot above the other names on Bowen’s list.
That’s why they play the game
Apparently the Steelers and Ravens, who comprise seven of the 50 acquisitions on Bowen's list, are the media darlings of the AFC North. As anyone with a functioning noggin knows, however, you can't win games in the offseason via personnel moves. Time will tell how well these teams jell. You never really know what you're going to get with so many new faces in new places across the NFL.
The most notable takeaway overall is that the 17th overall pick in the draft did not make the ESPN cut, whereas the 59th overall pick did. Now that Shemar Stewart is signed, the expectation — er, hope? — should be that he'll outperform recent draft disappointments and, well, Mike Green.
Hopefully, by midseason, we will look back on Bowen’s list and see that the Bengals’ rivals failed to live up to the hype. Meanwhile, it's quite possible that several of Cincinnati’s latest additions will look like some of the best offseason moves.
It's funny how the Bengals were predicted not to extend Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Trey Hendrickson, and were framed as the villains in Stewart’s standoff. They've taken care of all of their own save for Hendrickson, but still can't get their deserved national recognition.
Maybe that's just how this team likes it. Time to keep proving everyone wrong — both with Hendrickson's eventual new deal and when the real games start.