The Cincinnati Bengals must improve their defense this offseason, and it may mean addition by subtraction when it comes to some of their marquee free agents.
Although there's no denying that 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart had a massive letdown of a rookie season, he's a huge piece to the puzzle for Cincinnati to turn its defense around next season. That's because the defensive end room stands to lose a lot of production.
Some new predictions from a boots-on-the-ground reporter who's very plugged in to the Bengals' goings-on suggest the team will suffer multiple open-market casualties in March.
Read More: Bengals fan favorite likely approaching unceremonious end in Cincinnati
Bengals beat writer projects team to lose Trey Hendrickson & Joseph Ossai in free agency
Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic dropped a massive Bengals free agency preview, in which he predicts there's a 1 percent chance Trey Hendrickson comes back, with Joseph Ossai checking in at 20 percent.
Here's the key piece of Dehner's rationale for Hendrickson's prospective departure:
"Bridges have been set on fire here, so there’s no realistic return to Cincinnati for 2026 in the plans. When they let [Hendrickson] walk, the team would likely receive a 2027 third-round compensatory pick."
I thought it was egregious that the Bengals didn't extend Hendrickson this past offseason, but in the midst of his injury-induced absence, it became clear that he wasn't going to single-handedly change the defense.
Regarding the relationship between Cincinnati's brass and Hendrickson, Dehner is spot on about burned bridges. Now we're an extra year down the road, with multiple tense contract negotiations in the books, along with countless insulting low-ball offers as well.
Yeah, Trey ain't gonna be saying, "Who Dey!" next season.
As for Ossai, who I used to affectionately dub "Waiting for Godot" since he was an annual breakout candidate who never broke out until Year 4, this is what Dehner had to say about him:
"Ossai doesn’t feel like a piece that fits where they are in the defensive line rebuild. Murphy and Shemar Stewart both fit in the mold of a second pass rusher at this point. They could use a No. 1, or someone with a higher chance of becoming one. Ossai isn’t that, so that money probably goes elsewhere. A return to the Bengals feels unlikely, but the door will always be open for a surprise."
Couldn't agree much more with this. I could see Ossai shining as a No. 2 defensive end on a defense that has better tackles and linebackers flanking him.
If I were in the front office, I'd be willing to roll the dice on Stewart's upside and Myles Murphy's continued improvement. Seems more prudent than overpaying to retain Ossai, whose career-long inconsistency still gives me trust issues.
The money that would be spent on Hendrickson and/or Ossai had better go to good use, though. Joe Burrow has said this offseason is "as big as it gets." Time for the team to spend cash accordingly.
A stud No. 1 linebacker like Devin Lloyd, plus a capable starting safety to upgrade over Geno Stone, feel like must-gets for Cincinnati before the draft. We'll see if Duke Tobin and Co. are too stubborn to not keep rolling with second-year 'backers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter as starters, and whether the master plan includes drafting a safety early, rather than spending on a proven veteran.