The Cincinnati Bengals are walking into the 2025 season with basically the same problems ailing their roster that stopped them from going to the playoffs for the second consecutive season last year. The defense remains suspect at best and downright bad at worst. Unfortunately, the contract situation for neither Trey Hendrickson nor Shemar Stewart seems to be any closer to a conclusion.
As a result, the Bengals have to rely on other areas of their defensive unit to make some improvements. But, with the money tied to Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, it will be hard for Cincinnati to make any real upgrades. As a result, one analyst believes they need to target a former Super Bowl champion in the secondary who could be available for cheap this late in free agency.
Can the Cincinnati Bengals Salvage Their Defense?
Without Stewart and Hendrickson, a lock to be in the lineup come Week 1, the uphill battle for the Bengals continues to get steeper. Unfortunately, losing both their potential star edge rushers isn’t doing a team that ranked in the bottom five of PFSN’s Defense+ metric any favors.
To make matters worse, their biggest problem was the rush defense, where they were the second-worst in the league in terms of success rate. But their work against the pass wasn’t much better either. With Hendrickson and Stewart nowhere to be found, that will put an even bigger burden on the pass defense to be better.
As a result, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report had Cincinnati going after former Super Bowl champion and star cornerback Rasul Douglas in his list of potential destinations for the remaining free agents.
Coming off an extremely down year with the Buffalo Bills, his stock is at an all-time low, allowing the Bengals to potentially snag him in a price tag that aligns with their sparse cap space.
Even with the caveat of a brutal 2024 campaign, the upside with Douglas is still incredibly high. This player held opponents to a measly passer rating of 38.6 through nine games in the 2023 season.
In two years from 2021 to 2023, he also recorded 14 interceptions, cementing himself as a true ball hawk and one of the most reliable weapons on the outside in the entire league. As a result, Knox is entirely sold on Douglas as a target for Cincinnati.
Rasul Douglas is a nice get by the Bills. His aggressive nature will get him in trouble sometimes but it also pays off a lot too…but he’s a gamer for sure #BillsMafia
pic.twitter.com/2Bxg4ClN8b— MeRk (@Merk256) October 31, 2023
“The Cincinnati Bengals would also be wise to give Douglas a look. Cincinnati fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and replaced him with Al Golden this offseason.” However, beyond that move, their defense hasn’t improved much over the summer.
As a result, Douglas would make a ton of sense for the Bengals, who have a clear need on that side of the football. For the veteran corner, too, Cincinnati offers a fantastic high-profile chance where he would receive a majority of the credit for stabilising the defense, while also getting a key role on a playoff (and potential Super Bowl) contender.