PHOENIX — Roster construction is never linear in the NFL. In the case of the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive rebuild, it’s become circular.
For coach Zac Taylor, who spent 40 minutes speaking on the state of his team Tuesday morning at the AFC coaches’ breakfast during the NFL league meeting, that’s both the obvious reality and optimistic future.
The additions of edge Boye Mafe, safety Bryan Cook and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen were where the conversation started. Where it went next illustrated Cincinnati’s strategy in returning to a level capable of supporting a playoff run by quarterback Joe Burrow.
It circled back to where it started: Betting on previous investments and projected growth to make up the difference.
The last time Taylor and defensive coordinator Al Golden spoke on the approach to fixing the defense was at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. Leadership and a combo edge presence at linebacker were stated as needs.
One month later, they still need it. The linebacker room looks exactly as it did on the final day of the season.
“I think at moments where we can add a player, there’s been players that popped up at other positions that we feel like are critical additions,” Taylor said. “Jonathan Allen being one of those guys. It doesn’t mean that we don’t prioritize it. It just means, at the moment, the fit has been somewhere else, and so we’ve identified that and added to it.”
The lack of additions doubled down on the bet Taylor made on Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight by inserting them as rookie starters last season.
Taylor tripled down when addressing the lack of moves there over the last month.
“I think any rookie is going to be criticized at different moments of their career,” Taylor said. “We saw the growth. Our job is to have patience and develop and not overreact. I understand that when two rookies are playing side by side, sometimes it can be really challenging, and they fought through those challenges.
“We’re going to need them to take another huge step, obviously, for our defense to be where we want it to be as a championship-caliber defense. But just with a critical eye from us over the last half of the season, I was really encouraged with their development, and I think we’ll see another big jump this year.”
They must. There’s little other choice right now. Taylor mentioned the roles veteran Oren Burks and emerging young backup Shaka Heyward can play to supplement, but the defense’s next step is inevitably tied to the next steps for Carter and Knight.
With those two starting next to each other, the Bengals ranked 10th in points allowed per drive over the final eight weeks of the season. They view that number as more relevant than setting a franchise record for touchdowns allowed in a season.
The potential would be for a high draft pick to provide supplementation. The question becomes: Would adding a rookie next to two guys who are still learning hinder Knight and Carter’s development? Would the team really be willing to go down the rookie linebacker road again, adding uncertainty again to down-to-down execution?
“I don’t think so,” Taylor said. “I don’t think that’d be harmful at all. I think that those guys are wired the right way. That’s why we added them into the room. That’s why we threw him in the fire so early, because we knew it wasn’t going to break them. If a game went poorly or a series went poorly, that’s not how they’re wired.
“And so I think that’s part of the reason why we had the trust to put it out there and, trust me, when I made the decision to put Barrett out there midway through the season, it was hard putting two rookies next to each other. But I just, I could see the long-term value how this is going to play out for us. And so that’s still the vision we have for those guys.”
What if the vision blurs and the 2025 linebacker duo regresses? What happens next?
“That’s like any position,” Taylor said. “If guys don’t step up, you have to rely on depth, or you have an issue. That’s part of being in the NFL and constructing your roster. Nothing is ever going to be perfect from a depth standpoint.”
Where the Bengals do like their developing depth is on the defensive line after adding Mafe and Allen to the emerging Myles Murphy and veterans B.J. Hill and T.J. Slaton. There’s a desire to add another piece or two in the draft, but the numbers are beginning to trend in a better direction for a group that failed to consistently produce a non-Trey Hendrickson pass rush for the last three seasons.
The most interesting member is 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart. Where does he now fit around projected starters Murphy and Mafe?
“His development is a priority for us,” Taylor said. “We’re not trying to do anything to stunt the growth there. We’re trying to do everything we can for him to continue to grow and play a major role for us. So signing Boye really doesn’t do anything negatively for Shemar because we still have high expectations for him.”
First-round 2025 pick Shemar Stewart played in eight games and had 11 combined tackles and one sack in his rookie season. (Sam Greene / Imagn Images)
They might possess high expectations, but do they possess enough available snaps?
“If you look at all the great defensive lines that have gone far in the playoffs, they’re loaded up front with depth,” Taylor said. “Yeah, there are starters, but there are also guys that are going to play you 40-50 snaps a game … I think there’s plenty (of snaps). Especially depending on games, whether you see more 12 personnel and you’re in base defense.
“We feel like we’re configured the right way now to get the right people on the field. Even if we’re in nickel, there’s plenty of opportunity for all those guys to play. I don’t worry about any of that.”
Taylor also wasn’t worried about the state of the cornerback room, but the tone of the discussion about the position emphasized why that spot is a high priority in the draft.
DJ Turner and Dax Hill are both extension-eligible and in the final year of their rookie deals. They are where the conversation starts and project to form one of the better duos in football.
There’s still a need for both a nickel to compete with Jalen Davis and an outside corner backup that always ends up playing a critical role at an injury-prone position.
“Whether it’s a veteran guy lingering out there, whether it’s at some point in the draft, unknown when that will be, but I do feel like we certainly have talked and feel comfortable with the direction we’ll head there, and we’ll see how it shapes out over the next month and a half,” Taylor said.
One option would be landing one of the top corners in the draft at pick No. 10. LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy project to be in the Bengals’ range, but both specialize in outside corner.
Taylor spoke openly last year and after the season about viewing Hill’s best spot on the outside after years of bouncing around. Would he be willing to move him back inside if that allowed a first-round pick and the best three overall to play together?
Taylor didn’t say no, but rather declared it too early to make any statements on hypotheticals.
The one comment Taylor did make clear about his cornerbacks was that there’s no need to add a veteran for the sake of bringing experience to the collection of young players.
“With Dax and DJ, it doesn’t feel young anymore,” Taylor said of the two 25-year-olds. “Those guys have played a lot of football for us, and so I don’t look at it as a young room anymore. Jalen Davis, you know, he’s always been a part of that room, and I thought he played really well for us at nickel last year when he got his opportunity. So I don’t really see that as a young room.
“I know that there’s veteran corners that have played a lot longer, that have played in the league, but I feel like with the experience those guys have gotten, they’ve had great moments, they’ve had tough moments, and they’ve learned from that, and I got a lot of confidence in those guys.”
Ultimately, the Bengals feel the additions of Mafe, Cook and Allen will help raise the floor and augment the young core they felt took a significant step in the late-season shadows of the 2025 failure.
The rest, from line depth to bets on the 2025 class and an influx to the cornerback and safety room in the draft, will be about development. Additions — or lack thereof — capture headlines, but names like Murphy, Carter, Knight, Hill, Turner and Jordan Battle set the foundation of the Bengals’ belief.
The offseason isn’t over, but that’s the path they have chosen. Taylor reaffirmed as much over breakfast Tuesday.
“We are counting in a major way on those guys,” Taylor said. “All those guys tie together. They’ve all got experience together. They’re all tied together. And I’m really excited about the jump they can make as a unit.”