It’s tough to get a read on how the Cincinnati Bengals really did in NFL free agency over the last few weeks.

The addition of edge rusher Boye Mafe is an exciting one, as he’s widely accepted as an ascending player who really fits the scheme. But he’s tasked with replacing an All-Pro who led the NFL in sacks not long ago in Trey Hendrickson.

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Safety Bryan Cook is an obvious upgrade and the latest attempt to pay the long-term tax of letting Jessie Bates walk. But it’s worth wondering whether the front seven will hold up enough to let him work effectively.

Then there’s linebacker, which the Bengals almost shockingly ignored.

Overall, that issue and the remaining needs shoved into NFL-wide free agency rankings so far keep the Bengals at a mere 19th out of 32.

Like fans, ESPN’s Ben Solak was not happy to see the Bengals ignore the linebacker spot:

“Leaving linebacker untouched. I understand that the Bengals are bullish on their duo of 2025 draft picks at linebacker. But Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter were victimized by opposing offenses on a weekly basis last season, and banking on two second-year leaps (including one for a Day 3 pick) is an enormous gamble at the position. Adding another rookie, even highly drafted, doesn’t solve the experience issue. The Bengals need a veteran in this room.”

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Make no mistake, there are still veteran linebackers available for the Bengals in free agency.

But the point stands. Big-name rookies on the board at 10th overall aren’t exactly solving the big problem. The Bengals have openly talked about how they committed a big error last year at this position (Oren Burks’ signing backfired and Logan Wilson asked out). Now, they have so far risked doing it again.

Were the Bengals more aggressive, they’d certainly rank higher and fans would feel better. But they’re doing things their way again, which meant targeting edge and safety for massive money and then falling back and looking for bargains at other spots.

That just so happens to include linebacker, where they made the same mistake one year ago and it burned them.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Unfortunately for Bengals, national temp on free agency is correct