Trey Hendrickson stuff aside, it looks like this season's going to be rough on the Bengals' defense. Last year wasn't one to remember on that side of the ball, and even with the addition of first round pick Shemar Stewart, the group faces an uphill climb.
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And what makes the problem worse is that, right now, there aren't a lot of good options out there to help. The best option, frankly, might already be on their team – they just may need to pay him a lot more money first. But if Hendrickson really is serious about sitting out games – or the entire season – in pursuit of a new contract, the Bengals will have to turn around and figure out how to add some players to the defense before Week 1 rolls around.
Sports Illustrated was up to the task of figuring out who, exactly, that could be in their latest round of pairing best available free agents with the most needy teams. Though they didn't find a Hendrickson replacement, their suggestion certainly wouldn't hurt.
Sports Illustrated thinks Julian Blackmon would be a good fit in Cincinnati
"The Bengals need all the help they can get after their defense endured a dreadful 2024 season. Blackmon can improve the Bengals’ secondary after establishing himself as a quality playmaker in five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Blackmon is coming off a down season and probably didn’t fit the scheme of new Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, the former Bengals’ defensive play-caller. Perhaps new Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden sees Blackmon as a team fit."
You know things are bad when the argument boils down to, basically, 'they just need literally any good players they can get.' And while it feels awfully speculatory – 'maybe Golden sees Blackmon as a team fit' isn't the most convincing argument I've ever read – it definitely would improve their defense in some way, shape, or form. Blackmon doesn't have crazy stats, but he's been consistently available and his PFF grades show a guy who's average-to-above-average in coverage. For the Bengals, that might just have to be good enough.