At the end of the first ten days of the NFL year, the Bengals enter that dizzying five weeks leading up to the NFL Draft off a top ten spending spree that yielded three defensive starters from the top of the free agency list.
In addition to dropping nearly $130 million in free agents, 10th most according to spotrac.com, they also kept Joe Burrow's best offensive line intact with the re-signing of right guard Dalton Risner and reaching a two-year extension with left tackle and captain Orlando Brown Jr. before next year's free agency.
In this year's free agency, director of player personnel Duke Tobin has indicated the Bengals' focus seemed geared to augment the defensive talent from recent drafts and not hinder the development of young players on the rise.
The signing of free agency's top safety in the Chiefs' Bryan Cook, and the plucking of two pass rushers in Vikings defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and Seahawks edge Boye Mafe are designed to enhance the emergence of players such as defensive linemen Myles Murphy, Shemar Stewart and Kris Jenkins, cornerbacks Dax Hill and DJ Turner II as well as linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, and safety Jordan Battle.
It's another year of improvement from those young players that Tobin says is as important as the impact of the new free agents, and makes him believe that a playoff defense is in the making.
"It would be a different story if I didn't see young players progressing and, I didn't see a progression of understanding, knowledge, and execution of our defense," said Tobin early in the offseason.
"It would be a different story. Believe me, it would be a big different story in my mind. But the reason that it's not is that I see growth. I see growth in a 24-year-old Myles Murphy and young corners who have taken the jump, and (safety) Jordan Battle who has taken the jump."
The Bengals' roster building is in the period teeming with college pro days, prospects visiting Paycor Stadium, and signings announced any day. The common theme is complementing Burrow and his offense that has the most touchdown passes in the NFL over the past five seasons.
"We've got one of the hardest pieces of the puzzle in Joe Burrow," said Brown last week, heading into his fourth Bengals season. "I'm very confident. We've got a lot of special players and a lot of special men in that locker room."
On his first day as a Bengal the next day, Allen said pretty much the same thing.
"I want to go somewhere where we have a chance to compete, and where I feel like I can showcase my talents and help the team at the same time. And this is one of the few places where I felt like I could have my cake and eat it, too," said Allen, a two-time Pro Bowler ranked as one of the top ten defensive tackles on Pro Football Focus' free agency board.
"When you have a guy like Burrow, you always have a chance. You're never out of it. And you know, with the coaches we have here and the players that they already have in and they've been bringing in, I just felt like this was the perfect fit for me and my family."
In the first hours after the season, Tobin vowed to attack the front. He did in the first hours of free agency when they reached a three-year, $60 million deal with Mafe, PFF's fourth-ranked pass rusher. That helped put the Bengals third overall in the average per year of free-agent deals, where they are 10th in doling out first-year money.
"They have to be able to pressure the passer," Tobin said the first week of the offseason. "You'd like to be able to pressure with four. I think we need pass rush. I think that relieves some of the strain on the coverage. So I'm a guy that believes in the front on both sides of the ball. That is my focus."
The Brown extension and Risner's one-year re-up means the Bengals go into Opening Day with their most experienced offensive line together in head coach Zac Taylor's eight seasons. And their best. In 2025's final dozen games, the Bengals were top five in the league in lowest sack percentage, touchdown passes, and passing yards.
"All kinds of reasons," Risner said in the last week of the season. "A crazy freak of a human being at right tackle, and Amarius Mims is only getting better. (Rookie left guard) Dylan Fairchild is getting better every week. All these things have culminated together."
Now the Bengals are looking to get the same kind of development from their young defenders that they've received from Mims, a first-round pick in 2024, and Fairchild, a third-round pick last year.
They've also indicated they'll explore extending guys some of those guys like Turner, which would add even more to their current position of 14th in the league in cash committed for this season.
The Bengals' ability to keep a roster free of dead money has given them the flexibility to extend into the future. They continue to believe it's a winning formula.
Since Taylor became their head coach in 2019, the 10 teams with the least amount of "dead money," (money paid to players not on the roster) have a combined record of 646-517-3, with three Super Bowl titles and seven Super Bowl appearances. The 10 most dead teams in the same stretch are 508-659-3, with one Super Bowl title and four Super Bowl appearances.
