Pro Football Focus Says Bengals Will Keep Jessie Bates, Land Top Offensive Lineman in Free Agency

Will Cincinnati add top free agents for a third-straight offseason?

Author:
James Rapien
Updated:
Feb 28, 2022 8:06 AM EST
Original:
Feb 28, 2022

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are expected to add key pieces to their roster in free agency this offseason following their run to Super Bowl LVI.

Which veterans will they target?

Pro Football Focus predicts the Bengals will sign two free agents on their top 50 list.

They expect Cincinnati to sign Ryan Jensen to a three-year, $39 million contract with $24.5 million guaranteed. The veteran center would be an instant upgrade to the interior of the Bengals' offensive line. He's 12th in the rankings.

"Jensen will be the most sought-after center on the market this free agency period. He has experience playing in multiple schemes (Ravens, Bucs) and has been durable, playing over 1,000 snaps in each of the last five seasons," Arjun Menon wrote. "He’s always graded out better as a run-blocker than a pass-blocker in his career, posting three straight campaigns with a 73.0-plus run-blocking grade. The Bengals need to allocate cap space to the offensive line, and Jensen would be a great start. He’d be an upgrade over Trey Hopkins (51.4 PFF grade in 2021) and would give Joe Burrow a trusted veteran to take snaps from."

They also think Cincinnati will place the $12.91 million franchise tag on safety Jessie Bates. The 25-year-old is ranked 11th on their top 50 list.

PFF also believes the Bengals will sign veteran edge rusher Jerry Hughes to a one-year, $6.5 million contract. The 33-year-old had 18 tackles and two sacks in 17 games last season. He's 39th in the rankings.

"Hughes has been amazing for the Bills for quite some time, but it’s time for him to depart Buffalo, especially since the Bills drafted Gregory Rousseau and Boogie Basham last year," Menon wrote. "The Bengals have a pretty solid pass rush with Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard, but they lack depth behind them. Hughes has recorded 50-plus pressures in nine straight years and can be a force if used correctly in Cincinnati."

Keeping Bates and signing Jensen and Hughes would be a step in the right direction for a Bengals team that needs to improve in the trenches.

Check out PFF's entire top 50 free agents list here. For more on the Bengals' offseason, watch the video below and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

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