Bengals encouraged to blow up problem position this offseason

The Cincinnati Bengals have a few major red-flag problem areas going into the offseason.

One could gesture at most of the defensive depth chart, sure. But one area should probably top the list:

Safety.

That gets the spotlight in a new list of moves each AFC team should make this offseason from NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. There, it’s all about overhauling the safety depth chart:

“The entire Bengals defense needs help, from edge rusher, where Trey Hendrickson is a free agent, to the back end. The safety unit had a horrific time in 2025. Impending free agent Geno Stone exemplified those struggles, and fellow starter Jordan Battle wasn’t a ton better. If Cincinnati is to turn around a porous defense, the safety group is a good place to start in the rebuild.”

Easier said than done, though. Just look at how much the Bengals have been reeling at the position since foolishly letting an All-Pro Jessie Bates walk out the door years ago.

Stone is a free agent ranking 81st out of 98 graded safeties at PFF, but coaches spoke highly of him, so there’s always a chance he’s back as at least a backup. Battle seems a known commodity at this point and finished 61st on the same list.

Quietly, one of the bigger problems for the Bengals last year was that they simply didn’t trust the guys behind those two to actually get on the field. That includes Tycen Anderson, PJ Jules and Daijahn Anthony.

The defensive line, especially on the interior, needs some serious help this offseason, too. But it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Bengals address the safety spot with a big free-agency signing or at 10th overall in the draft, either.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals encouraged to blow up problem position this offseason

Bengals encouraged to blow up problem position this offseason

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