Jan. 20, 2026, 4:09 p.m. ET
The Cincinnati Bengals have the feel of a team that will be pretty active in free agency.
Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin recently spoke about needing to upgrade that side of the ball. Free of major contract extension drama this offseason, it figures to be a priority.
Now the focus can turn to potential Bengals free-agent targets.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay recently outlined free agents with the potential to be superstars in new homes and for the Bengals, linebacker Nakobe Dean from the Philadelphia Eagles really sticks out as a fit:
“The Georgia product’s 2023 campaign was ultimately derailed by foot injuries, but he finally established himself in 2024 by starting 15 games and racking up an impressive 128 tackles, four pass defenses, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an interception in those contests.”
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Dean is a huge injury risk and even started 2025 on the PUP list before putting on a solid showing again. But as Kay writes, that could mean a serious lack of guaranteed money in his next deal, which is right up the Bengals’ alley.
The Bengals do seem intent on rolling with sophomores Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter next season after spending so much time developing them on the fly this year. But adding Dean to the rotation and giving coaches more options wouldn’t be a terrible idea.
If the Bengals want to make another serious push, they might need to find signings similar to those deals for DJ Reader, Trey Hendrickson and Mike Hilton that spurred the last deep run. That would mean finding some upside gambles like Dean on the open market.
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