Bengals hit free agency spending while AFC North rivals opt for pricey trades

The Cincinnati Bengals clearly had a game plan heading into this offseason's free agency. They set out to improve upon one of the NFL's worst defenses last season, in an effort to help the team get back to where they want to be.

The front office has been aggressive in going about improving the defense. The bad news is, they weren't able to secure all of their targets. The good news is they snagged two and now have some flexibility to add more.

Nevertheless, the ”cheap” Bengals organization ranks in the top 10 in free-agent spending thus far, and it has been mostly on the defensive side of the ball.

Meanwhile, trades keep their AFC North rivals salary-cap-strapped and away from significant free agent moves.

Bengals free agent spending inside the Top-10

Even though they missed out on top-of-the-market players like defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers and linebacker Devin Lloyd, the team’s $104,925,000 in total free agent spending ranks ninth in total spending thus far.

The Bengals got the free-agent spending party started early, signing cornerback Jalen Davis and guard Dalton Risner to new contracts to keep them in the Queen City for another year.

The most significant acquisitions occurred during the legal tampering period, when Cincinnati signed edge rusher Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook. Both players will immediately come in and be the best players in their respective position rooms, as defensive coordinator Al Golden will rely heavily on them to help turn around a porous defense.

Mafe’s three-year, $60 million contract, combined with Cooks' three-year, $40.25 million deal, accounts for $100.25 million of the money spent in free agency by Cincinnati's front office thus far. 

And the Bengals being in on John Franklin Myers and Devin Lloyd suggests there is still more to come from the defensive tackle and linebacker positions.

Bengals outpace AFC North rivals in free agency spending

While the Bengals are outspending the other AFC North teams in free agency, their division rivals have been active in other ways.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens have used the majority of their cap space heading into this free-agent period on players acquired through trades, which do not count against free-agent spending.

The most significant portion of the Browns’ cap space went to giving tackle Tytus Howard a $63 million extension after acquiring him through a trade with the Houston Texans.

The Steelers used significant cap space to give wide receiver Michael Pittman a $59 million extension after getting him from the Indianapolis Colts by way of a trade.

The Ravens used a significant portion of their cap dollars to absorb Maxx Crosby’s contract from the Las Vegas Raiders. 

As a result, the Bengals rank ninth, while the Browns, Steelers, and Ravens rank 20th, 25th, and 29th in free agent spending, respectively.

Bengals only AFC North team not to trade for a player this offseason

The Bengals got to acquire talent while holding onto all of their draft picks, while the Browns, Ravens, and Steelers used some of their draft capital to add pieces to their rosters.

We should expect Cincinnati to continue adding pieces through free agency. However, we should not rule out using one of their draft picks to fill any roster voids left by not getting a player they targeted early in free agency.

If all it took was for the New York Jets to acquire safety Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Miami Dolphins was a seventh-round draft pick, we should not be surprised if Cincinnati uses one of its sixth-round picks for a potential starter or valuable depth piece.

Cheers to Cincinnati's free agency spending spree, and hopefully, the Bengals are just getting started.