Near the onset of free agency, a report emerged that the Cincinnati Bengals were interested in veteran guard Teven Jenkins.
The reported interest made sense, as the Bengals definitely need to bolster the offensive line in front of star quarterback Joe Burrow, especially at the guard position, and Jenkins is a proven player with ample experience. As a team, the Bengals allowed 48 sacks last season, which was tied for the seventh-most league-wide.
Veteran guard Teven Jenkins signing with Browns despite interest from Bengals
Jenkins spent the first four years of his career with the Chicago Bears after they selected him in the second round (No. 39 overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. He started 38 games for the Bears during that time, and he hit free agency for the first time this year.
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Unfortunately, a division rival stole Jenkins away from the Bengals, as he will be signing with the Cleveland Browns. So, not only did the Bengals not get their guy, they'll now have to play against him twice a year.
So now the Bengals will have to look elsewhere for some much-needed offensive line depth. Sure, they can aim to address the area in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, but draft picks are far from guarantees, and it seems like the Bengals would want to add an experienced player, or two, to the line, especially after spending so much money on the trio of Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
It's clear that the Bengals are banking on having an explosive offense, but having poor protection up front is one way to quickly sabotage yourself. Hopefully the team is able to improve the line through other free agency additions, or else it could come back to bite them.