Bengals spent big money in free agency to tackle defense's fatal flaw

It is no secret that the Cincinnati Bengals have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. One reason for that is their lack of pass rush. However, that is not their biggest problem when it comes to Cincinnati's poor performance on defense.

We previously thought that the front office would use the draft to attack the league’s tackling defense. Instead, they did not leave anything to chance and immediately improved on a crucial metric, even if only on paper.

The Bengals hit the ground spending in free agency this year, aggressively attacking the defensive side of the ball. They spent over $100 million on new contracts for safety Bryan Cook and edge rusher Boye Mafe, hoping they can help solve Cincinnati's 2025 defensive fatal flaw.

Bengals bet on Boye Mafe, better tackling on the edge

Mafe is not the prolific pass-rusher most Bengals fans were hoping for. However, he is an immense upgrade when it comes to tackling. He recorded only 2 sacks and 17 pressures across 17 games. Yet, he had only two missed tackles all season and a missed tackle percentage of 6.1.

Last season, Cincinnati’s 2025 first-round selection, Shemar Stewart, had three missed tackles in eight games played, with a missed tackle percentage of 21.4. 

Meanwhile, Miles Murphy led the team with an 8.8 missed tackle percentage with five missed tackles all season.

Having Mafe opposite Murphy, this upcoming season might not strike fear into opposing quarterbacks' hearts. Still, hopefully, it will prove to be an immense tackling upgrade for the defense over last season.

Nevertheless, we shouldn't discount Murphy, taking another step in his development this upcoming season when it comes to rushing the passer. Furthermore, this is also a fork in the road season for Mafe, whom the Bengals are trusting to have a Trey Hendrickson-type impact.

Let Bryan Cook cook in the secondary

It's going to be incredibly difficult to believe there is a bigger variance in the NFL on one free agent move than the Bengals had going from Geno Stone to Bryan Cook. 

In his four years with the Kansas City Chiefs, Cook had 22 missed tackles. Stone had 23 missed tackles last season.

How the coaches let Stone stay on the field and denied the younger safeties on the team much more playing time is beyond comprehension. Nevertheless, the Bengals went beyond addition by subtraction by making an incredible upgrade with the best free-agent safety on the market this offseason.

Furthermore, what goes severely unnoticed is that the other starting safety, Jordan Battle, had almost just as many missed tackles as Geno Stone, with 21. Battle’s missed tackle rate was 14.4 in 2025.

So, while Cook is an obvious significant upgrade over Stone, Cincinnati might be far from finished in addressing the safety room.

Another tackling upgrade possibly imminent for Bengals

It doesn't appear the Bengals are letting their foot off the pedal when addressing their significant defensive needs while focusing on missed tackles as a barometer.

The Bengals appear to be on their way to signing former Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings. And while the team has made no official comment, this acquisition would be a significant upgrade for the position and miss tackle rates.

Rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight had 18 missed tackles with a 14.5% missed tackle rate. Their other starting rookie linebacker, Barrett Carter, had 17 missed tackles, for a 13.8% missed-tackle rate.

In 14 games played last season, Jennings had two missed tackles and a 7.1% missed tackle rate. The veteran linebacker could be the combo player the team is looking for this offseason while improving on a key metric they have targeted through their biggest free agent signings. 

Bengals defensive overhaul far from finished

The front office is closer to doing what running back Chase Brown called for during the season, by getting defensive players who can finish the game with a tackle.

The Bengals have been very deliberate in their free-agent acquisitions this offseason. They've signed two new starters who should be a significant upgrade, improving their most crucial defensive weakness. 

And there might be another addition imminent who will improve their poor tackling from a year ago. 

It is only the second week of free agency, and with the draft on the horizon, we should expect the Bengals to be far from finished making moves to help improve the league’s worst tackling defense.