Most overlooked Bengals free-agent targets Duke Tobin must consider

Most Cincinnati Bengals fans would love to see Duke Tobin and the front office take huge swings in free agency for top-market players. The reality is, the Bengals will probably do their best to scour the bargain bin before they go throwing around tons of money at players they aren't so familiar with.

"Familiar" is an apropos adjective to underscore how much of a family-run organization Cincinnati is. And look, I'm all for reunions with the likes of D.J. Reader or others, but who knows if Reader or more past Bengals even want to come back to the Queen City?

Plus, the tag-and-trade scenario for Trey Hendrickson is still up in the air. If the Bengals tag Hendrickson but don't move him, suddenly their free-agent spending money shrinks a lot.

So as a means of hoping for the best and bracing for the possible worst, here are some underrated players hitting the market who Cincinnati could be in on.

Cost-effective assets for every level of the Bengals' defense

1. Jets S Andre Cisco; 2. Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez; 3. 49ers DE Clelin Ferrell

Safety is a rather self-evident Bengals need. Geno Stone is one of the bigger free-agent flops in recent NFL history. In addition to drafting a safety, Cincinnati must procure a superior veteran option to Stone somehow.

Andre Cisco isn't a bad candidate for that role. He's a supreme athlete who was trapped on the New York Jets this past season. Before the, Cisco was present for the collapse of the Jacksonville Jaguars when the end of Doug Pederson's tenure crashed and burned.

Cisco is a below-radar, cost-effective option relative to other top safeties like Kansas City's Bryan Cook and Seahawks Super Bowl champ Coby Bryant, who both happen to be former Cincinnati Bearcats. I'd imagine the pectoral injury Cisco suffered in the Jets' Week 8 win over the Bengals will cause him to be even more overlooked.

Jumping to the trench man listed, Clelin Ferrell was overdrafted at fourth overall in 2019, yet he's stuck around as a high-character locker room guy and a fine rotational defensive end. Ferrell had four sacks in eight games for the 49ers in 2025, and 3.5 apiece in the two seasons prior. He strikes a nice balance between being a fringe starter and fine mentor to take pressure off of the Bengals' Shemar Stewart.

Capping off this section with Malcolm Rodriguez is just fun. "Rodrigo" from Hard Knocks, baby. That's right. He's THICC and hyper-athletic, but never really got his due in a crowded Lions linebacker corps.

Not to suggest Rodriguez would come to Cincinnati and become some high-end starter. It's more like solid competition for Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter. Perhaps Rodrigo can bring some of Dan Campbell's grit from Detroit to rub off on the Bengals' embattled second-year 'backers.

Two low-risk, high-reward Bengals WR3 candidates

1. Jaguars WR Dyami Brown; 2. Rams WR TuTu Atwell

Tee Higgins is a contested catch demon. Ja'Marr Chase is the best all-around wide receiver in the sport for my money. Given Joe Burrow's penchant for stretching the field, why not add another dynamic vertical threat to Cincinnati's receiving corps?

Not that Andrei Iosivas doesn't have any of that to his game. It's just that he's a past sixth-round pick entering a contract year who hasn't convincingly seized the WR3 job.

It's easy to forget about Dyami Brown. Not dissimilar to what Rodrigo dealt with on the Lions, Brown was phased out of a loaded Jaguars wide receiver corps in 2025. Jacksonville traded for Jakobi Meyers, were trying to work through a perpetual slump for Brian Thomas Jr., and Parker Washington exploded into a prominent role.

When the Washington Commanders ran to the NFC Championship Game, courtesy of Jayden Daniels' all-time great rookie season, Brown was a huge help to the cause. In three playoff games, he hauled in 14 of 18 targets for 229 yards (16.4 average) and a TD. Brown is still only 26 years old and an absolutely golden buy-low playmaker to take a flier on.

Now to close with TuTu Atwell. The Rams really leaned into 13 personnel sets (one back, three tight ends) at an NFL-high 30.5% clip, as opposed to the 11 personnel they've gone to time and again under Sean McVay. That meant not a lot of room in the lineup for LA's 5'9", 165-pound speedster. McVay has acknowledged that on the record as of Thursday.

Bring Atwell to Cincinnati. Stick him in the slot, or switch him with Ja'Marr from there on occasion. Watch him blow the top off of opposing secondaries and capitalize on defenses doubling up on Chase and Higgins.

TuTu would be a big play waiting to happen on any given snap with the oft-big play hunting Burrow as his QB.

This man has wheels...