Everyone is sleeping on the havoc this Bengals defensive trio is about to cause

For the first time in a long while, the Cincinnati Bengals are entering a season in which they will hopefully not have to rely on just one defensive lineman to have a decent front seven.

After an offseason that saw the front office take a new approach, for them, and aggressively attack one of the most significant areas of weakness, the defensive front.

However, it is fair to believe that what the Bengals did on the interior of the defensive line is underappreciated, leading us to think that the rest of the NFL is not ready for the hell that is about to rain down upon them from the most important area on the field.

That is, all up in opposing quarterbacks’ kitchen.

Three defensive tackles, one massive problem

The “Triplets” is a moniker normally reserved for the offense. Perhaps we can come up with something more catchy, like “The Thicclets.” Still working on it.  

Nevertheless, Jonathan Allen, BJ Hill, and Dexter Lawrence are now part of a special trio when it comes to one important metric. 

According to Next Gen Stats, Dexter Lawrence was fourth in the NFL in QB pressures after double teams over the last five seasons. Here is your chance to guess who is fifth on that list...

Jonathan Allen. The answer is Jonathan Allen. 

In a very similar vein, Lawrence has led the league in double teams faced on pass rush attempts over the past five seasons. 

Lucky for you, you have another chance to flex your knowledge and guess who is third on that particular list. BJ Hill. The answer is BJ Hill. 

If you aced that quiz, consider yourself a Bengals Ball Knower. BBN for short. 

While the Bengals were hoping Trey Hendrickson would bail them out as BJ Hill faced double teams, Allen and Lawrence were in similar situations over the past few seasons. 

Now they get to merge like a 2026 orange-and-black version of football Voltron. 

The call is coming from inside the house for some

While we can feel good over here discussing such things, it is not all good news for some on the roster. 

The edge rushers and linebackers should look competent around the trio. For others on the interior of the defensive line, however, the likelihood of them holding on to a roster spot has taken a considerable hit. 

Despite Hill being third on the list of defensive linemen facing double teams over the past five seasons, the other guys around him have failed to take advantage of the situation and matchups. 

Hill was third in sacks (4), tackles for loss (5), and QB hits (9) last season. And this was with top-100 picks from recent drafts unable to match what Hill brought to the table or take advantage of one-on-one matchups.

Unfortunately for them, the added talent on the roster could mean some of those recent draft picks end up with another team by the end of August. 

Soon it will become the NFL’s problem

As for everyone else, good luck. But not really. In 2021, the Bengals absolutely fleeced the New York Giants when they traded Billy Price for BJ Hill. 

Fast forward to 2026, and Cincinnati shocked the NFL world when the Bengals traded a first-round pick for Lawrence. Meanwhile, somehow, the acquisition of Allen remains one of the most underrated pickups this offseason.

Now, offenses must decide which to double-team on pass attempts, allowing the others to flex their pass-rush abilities. 

While other teams, including the Bengals, will tout certain lineups as “Nascar” or “speed rush” packages, Cincinnati very well could be the only team that regularly deploys three defensive tackles and say, “stop this.”

Can you feel that? That is the feeling of having confidence in a Bengals defensive line. Moreover, one that we expect to be adept at rushing the passer from up the middle. 

We haven’t had that spirit here since 2019.

How devastating the new-look defensive tackle room is really seems like the type of thing that, in Week 11, when the Monday Night Football crew conducts their sit-down interview with Lawrence, Hill, and Allen, the producers, and the NFL world will collectively slap their foreheads and say, “How did we miss this?”

Additionally, that will be a Jonathan Allen revenge game. Hopefully, he'll have a chance to slap Jayden Daniels' forehead a time or two. Within the rules of the game, of course.

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