Latest Injury May Force Cincinnati Bengals to Address Key Weakness in Free Agency

CINCINNATI — The Bengals' preseason is finally over, and the team will begin evaluating and cutting players on the roster as Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline looms.

One thing has become crystal clear over the past few days: The Bengals need another safety.

Throughout the preseason, the Bengals witnessed starter Geno Stone suffer an injury that knocked him out for a week during the teams first game against the Philadelphia Eagles. And then on Saturday, Daijahn Anthony suffered a hamstring injury that knocked him out of the game.

And now Daijahn Anthony is dealing with a right leg issue. He’s walking back and forth with trainers on the sideline. pic.twitter.com/zLpkMSBD0X
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) August 23, 2025

Even if this injury isn't serious, it's a reminder of how thin the Bengals' safety room truly is. Tycen Anderson is now the only reliable depth option on the roster behind Jordan Battle and Stone.

There are many safeties that the Bengals could add as roster cuts begin to take place, so let's go over a few available options that could significantly boost the depth of the safety room:

Justin Simmons

This is the most obvious answer out of any possible free agent/cut candidate. Simmons is not the player he once was when he was a four-time Pro Bowler and second team All-Pro with the Denver Broncos, but he still can provide solid play at safety. Simmons is coming off a 2024 season where he totaled 62 tackles with the Atlanta Falcons and grabbed two interceptions.

The Bengals should be all over adding someone like Simmons who can bring leadership to a position of need and mentor young players like Jordan Battle.

Also let us not forget, Simmons made it clear he would absolutely want to play for the Bengals earlier this offseason on the Up and Adams show.

Bills, Eagles, Bengals.

4x All-Pro safety Justin Simmons says, “it would be special” to sign with one of these teams. Where should he go?@heykayadams | @jsimms1119 pic.twitter.com/l5Mo2WzNdy
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 8, 2025

Jordan Whitehead

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer makes sense for the Bengals. He has been a consistent playmaker for a majority of his career, including the Buccaneers' 2020 Super Bowl run, where he forced three turnovers and two sacks.

Whitehead continued to be a playmaker when he signed with the New York Jets in 2022, notching six interceptions in two seasons, including three in one game against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 of 2023. Whitehead suffered an injury-riddled season last year after he signed back with the Buccaneers, ending his season on the NFI list due to a car accident suffered late in the season.

He is not an elite safety, though neither is the aforementioned Simmons. No one is expecting that at this point. Bringing in Whitehead would add a proven piece to the back end Bengals' defense.

George Odum

This feels like a move that reeks of something the Bengals would normally do, though it would still be an effective move. Odum is 31 years old but is a two-time All-Pro throughout his career as a special teamer. Odum leaves much to be desired at the safety position. Bringing him in, however, would allow the Bengals to slot Anderson in as the team's first safety off the bench after he has repeatedly impressed in the preseason year after year.

Another underappreciated aspect that Odum would bring is the leadership he would bring to the safety room, just as Michael Thomas was from 2021-2023 for the team, earning the nickname "Uncle Mike".

"Uncle George" has a nice ring to it.

Kyle Dugger

This is a case of a "veteran cut candidate" as the current deal Dugger is on with the New England Patriots is one that the Bengals will most likely not trade for.

Dugger has spent most of training camp working with the Patriots' back-ups. It doesn't look like it he fits Mike Vrabel's vision for the team.

Additionally, it has been reported that Dugger is a trade candidate, though as mentioned before, it is hard to see a team trading for him unless the Patriots agree to pay a majority of his contract, as he signed a four-year $58 million deal last offseason. This makes Dugger more of a cut candidate than anything. If he's cut, then the Bengals should pounce on him in free agency.

The Bengals would likely be able to get Dugger on a cheap deal, as he would still be getting paid by New England, and outside of an injury-plagued season last year, he has been a big playmaker with twelve total turnovers. Dugger raises the floor of not only the Bengals' depth at safety, but could be an instant solution as a starter if either Stone or Battle struggle.

PJ Jules

This could be the most likely scenario, as the Bengals have already gotten an idea of what Jules offers as a depth piece in the safety room. Jules has silently been solid throughout training camp whenever the injuries mentioned before have popped up, and was solid once more during the team's preseason finale Saturday afternoon.

Jules brings a degree of success with him as well from college, as he was an undrafted free agent last season out of Southern Illinois. Jules started 30 games for the Salukis, recording 169 solo tackles, five and a half sacks, 29 passes defended, one interception, and two forced fumbles.

He has the fact that he has spent all offseason with the Bengals this season going for him, and his upside could be decent as the team's third or fourth string safety, though many would find this move unappealing.

We'll see if the Bengals make the move they should make in the secondary within the coming days as roster cuts loom large and must be finalized by Tuesday August 26 at 4 p.m. ET.

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts,Spotify and Amazon.