What's next for Bengals in NFL free agency before draft?

The Cincinnati Bengals, at least publicly through reports and comments, have taken a very measured approach to NFL free agency so far.

Let the buzz tell it, the Bengals purposely ignored major needs like linebacker, opting to aggressively target edge and safety with big money and see how the rest of the markets at needy spots shake out.

That’s a convenient way to paint the picture for the Bengals in free agency this year. Conflicting reports said the Bengals were never after popular free-agent ideas at linebacker. Some other buzz has suggested they outright missed on their targets.

Regardless, nobody can argue the Bengals aren’t better. Boye Mafe is a possible still-ascending edge pass-rusher not all that unlike when they took the first gamble on Trey Hendrickson years ago. He deepens the rotation while Myles Murphy and Shemar Stewart develop.

At safety, Bryan Cook is one of the best straight-up, one-for-one upgrades for any team at a problem area in the NFL. Cook is one of the best in the NFL and something like a mistake tax for letting Jessie Bates get away years ago and flailing while trying to properly replace him. Going from Geno Stone to Cook is very, very hard to undersell in importance.

So what’s next for the Bengals?

Duke Tobin and Co. will continue to evaluate the linebacker market. Drafting a linebacker as high as 10th overall might sound good, but it doesn’t fix the severe lack of veteran leadership and on-field experience.

Think, names like Bobby Wager. We could also be talking about veterans who shake free after the draft or over the summer on waivers.

The Bengals will also keep looking at pass-rushers. They seem to know the rotation still isn’t deep enough. Interior and edge guys like this are still out there:

Like Wagner, those guys might wait until after the draft or into the summer. And as far as rotational helpers go, it’s a nice crop at likely affordable costs.

This is why, over the next few weeks, fans might hear about how the Bengals are comfortable going after a cornerback or even long-term offensive line help at 10th overall. The veteran help in free agency might still be there.

Strange might be the best way to sum up Bengals free agency so far. They unquestionably were aggressive and got better. But they also stubbornly stuck to their ways in terms of attacking other needs, self-inflicted wounds in contract structure and being oddly secretive in public.

Is that what Bengals fans wanted to see before a critical year for Joe Burrow’s future? Maybe not. But it’s what they served up and, if nothing else, we can at least see the path ahead.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals news: What’s next in NFL free agency before draft?

What’s next for Bengals in NFL free agency before draft?

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