The NFL Draft is right around the corner, and the Bengals find themselves in a peculiar spot. With six picks at the moment, there are a lot of holes to fill on the roster, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. They did make a couple of additions in free agency with LB Oren Burks and DT T.J. Slaton, but besides that, it seems most of their patchwork will have to come through the draft.
It's almost a given that they will try to fix their edge-rushing woes —especially with the recent Trey Hendrickson update as of the time of my writing this —and grab a young interior lineman who has shown some pass-rushing promise. However, after that, it's a toss-up. With limited picks, they can't address every flaw in the defense, as they should also be looking at some highly-touted Guard prospects, considering how little they did on that front in free agency.
So, with that being said, should the Bengals grab a cornerback in this draft? First, as in my article on running backs last week, let's take a look at the room.
More Bengals news:
The Bengals' cornerback room is full of question marks. With Mike Hilton likely off to don the jersey of another team, it is mostly young guys with not a whole lot of experience. The oldest is Jalen Davis at 29, who has been a depth piece throughout his career, and that likely won't change this season. Besides Davis, it's almost all players who were taken in the last three drafts. Those being Cam Taylor-Britt, Dax Hill, DJ Turner II, Josh Newton, and DJ Ivey. There's also Marco Wilson, who was drafted by the Cardinals in 2021 before the Bengals claimed him off waivers in the middle of the 2024 NFL season.
Overall, it's not a room that fans have much confidence in. Cam Taylor-Britt seemed to have taken a leap in 2023-- only to regress last season. Dax Hill's career has been marred by injury thus far. DJ Turner II was one of the few bright spots in the secondary last year before also getting injured. Josh Newton is coming off his first season in the NFL with a lot of questions. And DJ Ivey and Marco Wilson are both depth pieces/special teamers.
That being said, the answer seems obvious, right? They are lacking at the cornerback position, so they should draft a cornerback. Wrong.
The main theme with this shaky secondary group is that they are young and mostly inexperienced, adding another rookie isn't the solution. There is a case to be made for Michigan's Will Johnson if he somehow falls to 17, which seems like more of a possibility now than it did a few months ago, and perhaps Ole Miss' Trey Amos if the Bengals have a shot at him in the second, but otherwise they should steer away from adding another young player to this cornerback room.
While some spots on the depth chart could use a young prospect with upside or two, cornerback is not one of them. They need the opposite: a long-time veteran with tons of experience, especially if Mike Hilton does end up signing elsewhere. There are still quite a few of them on the market. Stephon Gilmore is going into his 14th year, has plenty of playoff experience, a ring to show for it, should hopefully still have a little left in the gas tank, and some have even predicted he could sign with the Bengals in the coming weeks.
Some other veterans at the position who are still available include Kendall Fuller, Rasul Douglas, and Tre'Davious White. While these players may not be what they once were, they could still be a solid addition to a room that needs.
Either way, the Bengals should not be looking to select yet another cornerback in this year's draft.