The Cincinnati Bengals have two safeties headed for free agency this offseason in Geno Stone and Tycen Anderson.
As a result, they’ll need to refill the position. Perhaps they could do that in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs named dream draft target for Bengals
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was recently named the dream draft target for the Cincinnati Bengals by Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report.
Downs had a highly-decorated collegiate career. He’s a three-time All-American and a two-time Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year. He won the Lott Trophy and the Jim Thorpe Award in 2025 and he was also named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
As a junior in ’25, Downs tallied 68 combined tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 passes defended, 2 interceptions and a sack.
From Davenport:
“Safety isn’t generally considered a premium position. It’s not Cincinnati’s biggest need on that side of the ball, especially if edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson leaves as expected. … But a miserable Bengals defense needs impact players wherever they can get them…. And make no mistake: Downs is an impact player.
Downs clearly isn’t lacking in confidence, either. At the NFL combine in Indianapolis this week, Downs declared himself as the best defender in the draft.
“I feel confident every time I stepped on the field,” Downs said. “If I would say I walked on the field and thought anybody was better than me, yeah, that’s not true.”
A player of Downs’ caliber would be a nice addition to the secondary in Cincinnati under defensive coordinator Al Golden.
Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that Downs won’t be available when the Bengals are on the clock. Cincinnati has the 10th overall pick in the first round of the draft, and Downs is widely expected to be a top-10 pick. But, if he falls for some reason, the Bengals could take advantage and add a high-upside defender to a unit desperately in need of some.
More NFL news: