Cincinnati Bengals Earn Middling Grade For 2026 Free Agency Work So Far

The Bengals have gotten a wide range of feedback on their 2026 free agency haul, and one from the low end just arose from Sports Illustrated.

Gilberto Manzano handed Cincinnati a "C-" grade for their three big outside signings so far. Cincinnati also brought back 2025 starting guard Dalton Risner and sparked a new stint with backup quarterback Josh Johnson after he played for the team last decade.

Check out all the deals so far: DT Jonathan Allen (two years, $26 million), OT Orlando Brown Jr. (two years, $32 million), S Bryan Cook (three years, $40.25 million), edge Boye Mafe (three years, $60 million), G Dalton Risner (one year, $3.25 million).

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The Sports Illustrated grade ranked 12th among all AFC teams.

"It would have been better for the Bengals to wait until the draft to add defensive help because it didn’t make sense to pay the 31-year-old Allen knowing that he struggled last season with the Vikings," Manzano wrote. "They desperately need younger cornerstone players on that side of the ball. However, Cook is only 26, and he showed plenty of upside in his four seasons in Kansas City. Perhaps Mafe can reach his potential in Cincinnati, but it’s hard to see that when he couldn’t convince Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald to utilize him more the past two seasons."

Work To Do

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) is knocked down by Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) as he gets a pass off in the second quarter of the NFL Week 3 game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cincinnati has a few holes to fill in the NFL draft, including depth at linebacker, edge rusher, and slot cornerback. It also wouldn't hurt to find a potential reserve tight end in case Erick All can't bounce back from his string of injuries this decade.

A lot of balls to juggle for the director of player personnel, Duke Tobin.

“The number one trait is that you have to love football," Tobin said last month about what he looks for in prospects. "You have to be playing football because you enjoy the game. If you're playing football just because of what it brings you, it's normally not gonna be a long-term thing for you. You have to be playing football because you love doing it. And so we really wanna know, does the guy love football? If it didn't bring the things that NFL football brings, which are great, but if it didn't bring those things, would he still be playing? Would he still be playing in the Arena Football League or wanting to go to the CFL? Or does he love the game? And then we can build off of that. Does he have the traits to play? Does he have the speed, the size, the strength? Does he have the production? Can he develop the production?

"Those things all come after, ‘does the guy enjoy being out there, being in the locker room and competing?’ And that's the number one thing we're trying to find. It's not easy to put a pin on that. Nobody will raise their hand and say, nah, I'm not about that. They'll tell you they're about it, but you have to judge their actions, how they play, their interactions with their teammates, the information you get from the sources at the school, and you have to divine whether the guy really enjoys what he wants to do for a living.”

Check out the full ranking from Sports Illustrated here.

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