Bengals deemed ideal fit for 3 top free agents who'd transform defense

The Cincinnati Bengals posted a big fat nothingburger at the NFL trade deadline. That is, unless you count trading Logan Wilson to Dallas, and getting once more dunked on by the Cowboys when they traded for dream Bengals acquisition Quinnen Williams.

Whatever. It is what it is. Cincinnati now has to wait until the offseason to make any meaningful improvements to its league-worst defense.

Short of miraculous, rapid ascents from the current players in the locker room, the Bengals are doomed on defense for the rest of the season. Now that the Week 10 bye has hit, and the trade deadline has passed, the focus has shifted personnel-wise to 2026 free agency.

One major sports media outlet has ranked the top 50 pending free agents, and believes Cincinnati will be in the hunt for a few of the best.

Bengals named as optimal suitor for 3 of publication's top 10 free agents in 2026

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox released rankings of the top 50 NFL free agents for this coming year. Knox named two potential suitors for each of the 50 players, and the Bengals were notably among them for two star linebackers and one dynamic defensive lineman.

Rather than copy-pasting Knox's analysis, which focuses on contract value (though I will touch on this), general player attributes, and the player's role in their current defense, let's break 'em down in a Bengals-fit-centric context. Parentheses indicate where each free agent ranks in Knox's hierarchy.

Leo Chenal, LB, Kansas City Chiefs (9th)

Hey Bengals fans, what if I told you that back in 2022, had I gone with my first-instinct mock draft 1.0 picks that fateful April, we could've had Riq Woolen, Leo Chenal and Kerby Joseph with our top three selections, had the draft unfolded like it did in real life?

Sound better than Dax Hill, Cam Taylor-Britt, and Zach Freaking Carter? Thought so.

Leo Chenal fell all the way to the comp pick range of Round 3. The Kansas City Chiefs scooped him up. He's proceeded to be a critical defensive piece on two Super Bowl-winning teams.

PFF ranked Chenal as the fifth- and sixth-ranked linebacker in 2023 and 2024 respectively. His relentless motor, dynamic athleticism and quick ability to diagnose plays make him an elite run defender. Chenal also continues to improve in coverage. The man is a versatile chess piece in Steve Spagnuolo's exotic KC scheme.

Knox's projected price tag for Chenal contract-wise is a three-year deal worth $30 million. Cincinnati has close to $70 million to play with. Well worth the splurge.

The Bengals could redeem their major mistake of not drafting Chenal in the first place by shelling out for him on the open market. They need a linebacker in the worst way, given how bad their current now-Logan-Wilson-less group is.

John Franklin-Myers, DL, Denver Broncos (7th)

As one of the steadiest, most consistent, and underrated defensive linemen in the entire NFL, John Franklin-Myers got his deserved due on this free-agent list. JFM has flourished as a starter on the edge in the past, but is now more of a 3-technique in the Broncos' base 3-4 alignment.

Opponents must have nightmares the night before facing Denver's defense. You've got Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper screaming in off the edge, with Franklin-Myers and Zach Allen wreaking havoc from the interior.

This current iteration of the Bengals could never. Or maybe they could if they start building with studs like Franklin-Myers in the trenches.

Plopping JFM next to B.J. Hill would make for a formidable 1-2 punch at defensive tackle. Franklin-Myers had seven sacks last season, has four through nine games this year, and is the interior pass rusher Cincinnati has needed for years on end.

Devin Lloyd, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars (5th)

Depending how expensive the Bengals' taste is — tradition says not that expensive — Devin Lloyd is an attractive option to upgrade over Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter in the linebacker corps.

I won't be surprised when Cincinnati stays stubborn and rides out the growing pains of Knight and Carter. Who knows if they'll ever amount to anything in the NFL? Think we've seen enough to conclude they're not good. Like, can you imagine either of them having close to a Lloyd-esque impact on any given game?

But hey, what do I know? I just mock draft better on public record than the Bengals do on an annual basis.

Lloyd was a first-round pick out of Utah who's really come into his own. He used the Jaguars' decision not to pick up his fifth-year option as motivation, recording four interceptions already in 2025. We're talking about a first-team All-Pro-caliber season Lloyd is stringing together.

I'll bet any serious team would outbid the Bengals for Lloyd, but it's fun to imagine what he might look like rocking the green dot in the heart of Cincinnati's defense.

2026 Cincinnati Bengals salary cap picture with potential free-agent spending spree

If the Bengals really wanted to, they could afford every single top-flight free agent they're viewed as a prime suitor for, plus Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen. Based on Knox's contract projections, here's the total damage:

• Leo Chenal: 3 years, $30 million
• John Franklin-Myers: 3 years, $35 million
• Devin Lloyd: 3 years, $45 million
• Riq Woolen: 4 years, $72 million

Me personally? I'd only sign Chenal. Lets' get weird and say we get both of them. In wearing out the OverTheCap.com simulator, I have worked out a way for the Bengals to fit all these dudes. Plus, franchise tag Trey Hendrickson, and give him a one-year, $35 million extension through 2027.

There would also be room for re-signing all the following incumbent Bengals: Orlando Brown Jr., DJ Turner, and Chase Brown. Those are the only marquee in-house guys who Cincinnati should really prioritize hanging onto. Everyone else is replaceable, expendable, or flat-out not good enough to be on a Super Bowl-contending roster in any significant role.

Restructuring the contracts of Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins in the next two offseasons would free up the Bengals to pursue any and all of these players.

Waiving 2024 third-round picks Jermaine Burton and McKinnley Jackson in conjunction with the above free-agent signings and a Burrow restructure leaves Cincinnati with $12.5 million to spare in cap room for 2026.

The next year, they'd have $24.6 million to work with upon re-signing the unrelated Browns (combined $42.25 million AAV through 2028), and Turner at $26 million AAV on a three-year extension.

Here are some depth pieces/fringe starters who could be re-signed for minimal money in those offseasons, depending on draft strategy and priorities: Safety Geno Stone, tight end Noah Fant, guards Dalton Risner and Lucas Patrick in 2026, followed by nickelback Dax Hill, safety Jordan Battle, and wide receiver Andrei Iosivas in 2027.

You know that cliché? Where there's a will, there's a way? If the Cincinnati Bengals have the will, they can transform their defense in one offseason to give Burrow some real hope to return to for the 2026 campaign.

Alack, color me shocketh'd if the Bengals sign a single one of these big-name free agents.

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