The first week of free agency has passed, and the Cincinnati Bengals were fairly active during what is arguably the most crucial time of the offseason. They got a few deals done to help improve the defense after abysmal 2024 and 2025 seasons, bringing in safety Bryan Cook, EDGE Boye Mafe, and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. It wasn’t a perfect start; they didn’t bring in a linebacker, even though it arguably was their biggest hole, and several notable players on the market could step in as immediate improvements, such as Leo Chenal or Devin Lloyd.

Nonetheless, they have shown urgency to maximize the Joe Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase window with these moves, improving the side of the ball that has cost them playoff berths these last couple of seasons. Maybe Duke Tobin and the front office actually are “all in” this year, though we still have a few more waves of free agency and the draft in late April to determine that.

Besides external free agent signings, they’ve also re-signed a few Bengals who really came along in 2025, most notably guard Dalton Risner and nickel Jalen Davis, both of them getting one-year extensions. Tight end Tanner Hudson also got a one-year extension, and a few notable special teamers got locked down for another year like Joe Giles-Harris and PJ Jules.

The biggest extension, both in terms of money and what it means for their plans for the rest of the offseason, was the 2-year extension given to tackle Orlando Brown Jr., which goes through the 2028 season.

These moves not only improve the team immediately, but they also dictate the Bengals’ draft stategy. And these moves, plus the move they haven’t made yet, makes who the Bengals are eying at #10 pretty clear…

Bengals seem likely to draft Mansoor Delane or Jermod McCoy in first round

While most mocks have the Bengals going defense, a small but sizeable portion had them taking offensive tackle in the first round as a replacement for Orlando Brown Jr., as his contract was going to be up after this season.

With Brown now locked down for the foreseeable future, Cincinnati taking a tackle at No. 10 is pretty much out the window. Maybe they take one in Day 3 for depth, but they’re not going to be drafting his replacement this offseason.

As much fun as it’d be to see Caleb Downs in stripes, the Bengals might avoid taking him at #10. Not because of the medical issues that have come out about him– which seem to be largely overblown– but mainly because of the Bryan Cook signing and the fact that they’ve continuously expressed confidence in Jordan Battle. The front office might feel like they’re set at safety, and leave Downs off the board– if he even makes it to #10.

They also might avoid an edge just because they’ve invested so much into the position recently. Taking Myles Murphy in the first round of the 2023 draft, selecting Shemar Stewart with their first pick in 2025, and signing Boye Mafe, who they’re banking on having a Trey Hendrickson-esque breakout. Defensive tackle also feels like it’s off their board for the first round, as they brought in Jonathan Allen on a 2-year deal.

While he is aging and on the decline, Allen is still a solid pass-rusher and was the best pass-rushing defensive tackle remaining on the market when they signed him. They could still go Caleb Banks or Peter Woods, but it feels less likely now.

So, what does that leave? Linebacker still needs addressing, and while Sonny Styles would be the dream pick at #10, it seems more like a pipe dream that he falls into Cincy’s lap after his incredible combine performance.

However, it’s the move they didn’t make during the first week of free agency– and a move that they might not make at all– that points towards them taking one of the top corners in the class at #10. Before the legal tampering period began, there were reports that the Bengals were aiming to get extensions done with their cornerback duo of DJ Turner and Dax Hill. Yet, here we are, in the second week of free agency, and we haven’t heard a word since.

Maybe talks have soured, maybe with the signings they’ve made, they don’t want to commit to long-term deals with both of them. For what it’s worth, they’ll likely get a deal done with Turner after the year he just had; Dax Hill, on the other hand, may be the odd man out. If that’s the case, then you can pretty much lock in Cincinnati selecting either Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy or LSU’s Mansoor Delane when it’s their turn to pick, who are the two top cornerbacks in this draft.

The Bengals have drafted replacements a year in advance a couple of times in recent history. Dax Hill was meant to be the Jessie Bates replacement when he was selected, and Shemar Stewart was the replacement for Trey. It’s not out of the question that, instead of giving long-term deals to both of them, they lock one down as a cornerstone of the defense while the other plays his last season in Cincinnati and is replaced by who they take at #10. Not only is it cheaper, but Delane and McCoy have incredible upside as two potential lockdown corners of the future.

They could still draft Downs, Bailey, etc. at No. 10, and there’s plenty of time still to get extensions done with Turner and Hill. However, considering what has and hasn’t happened in that first week of free agency, Jermod McCoy or Mansoor Delane seem like the Bengals’ most likely first-round options.