Cincinnati Bengals Free Agency Preview: Plenty of Quality Options Available at Defensive Tackle

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams (93) celebrates a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – One of the most productive players on a defensive bad enough to get its coordinator fired while wasting historic offensive output was a defensive tackle whose contract is about to expire.

Regardless of whether the Cincinnati Bengals try to keep B.J. Hill on the roster, they are going to need to continue to upgrade the interior of the defensive line, continuing a mission that began last year with the selections of Kris Jenkins in the second round and McKinnley Jackson in third.

The good news for the Bengals is that the 2025 draft class is shaping up to be one of the best and deepest in recent memory when it comes to defensive tackles.

But if they want to skip the development stage of the rebuild, there are free agent options as well.

Pro Football Focus has 10 defensive tackles, including Hill, in its list of the Top 100 free agents.

Over the last couple of weeks we went through the many free agent options the Bengals have at offensive guard.

Beginning today we’ll start breaking down the possible fits at defensive tackle.

While some of the top available options are understandably going to be costly, the other nine defensive tackles in PFF’s Top 100 could land contracts that come in below the $10 million average annual salary Hill made over the course of the three-year, $30 million extension he signed with the Bengals in 2022.

Keep your browser pointed at bengalstalk.com over the next several days as we profile each of the nine guards on PFF’s Top 100 list.

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