Cincinnati Bengals' Defense Product of Major Errors Made By Front Office

We have seen the Bengals' defense cost this team potential spectacular seasons twice in a row, with both 2024 and 2025 marking historical lows we have not seen in nearly 50 years in some categories.

So how did we get here? Obviously, the Bengals front office is the main culprit fans will point the finger at, with names like Head Coach Zac Taylor and Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin being the main recipients of their criticism, and rightfully so. Tobin has failed to retain talent properly on defense, and when talented starters have left in free agency, both Taylor and Tobin have failed at bringing in quality replacements through free agency or the draft, respectively.

When we take a look back over the last few off-seasons, it becomes quite clear how we have gotten to this point.

Lost Five Defensive Starters During 2022 and 2023 Offseasons Combined

Following their Super Bowl appearance in the 2021 season, the Bengals had an interesting dilemma in their mind facing them in the 2022 offseason. Should they re-sign BJ Hill or Larry Ogunjobi at defensive tackle? Star safety Jessie Bates was also in need of an extension. The Bengals opted to re-sign Hill.

While the move made some sense, it does not excuse the fact that the Bengals' front office then chose not to extend Ogunjobi without another suitable replacement in place, and on top of that, slapped the franchise tag on Bates instead of extending him, creating a drama-filled training camp.

Fast-forward to the next offseason, and the Bengals were coming off an AFC Championship appearance for the second year in a row. A big reason for that appearance was the reinvigorated play from Bates. He started the year slowly due to the distraction of his contract dispute, bounced back and complemented the team's high-powered offense perfectly by accounting for three interceptions by himself over the latter half of that season, taking away big plays downfield for opposing offenses, and communicating well with the rest of the defense.

Despite his impact, the Bengals front office opted not to re-sign Bates. Their other starting safety was Vonn Bell, who signed with Carolina. Lou Anarumo said would be a dark day if it were to happen and it did in a matter of hours.

This alone was a catastrophic decision that ultimately is a big reason why the defense is as bad as it is today. Along with these moves or lack thereof, though, the organization chose to also let starting corner Eli Apple walk in free agency after he enjoyed the best seasons of his career in Cincinnati over the last two years, and let Tre Flowers walk in free agency as well, someone who was vital to the team's ability to cover tight ends such as Travis Kelce effectively in key moments.

When you look back at these two offseasons in particular, this feels like arguably the biggest failure in the last decade for the Bengals front office. The Bengals failed to retain five(!!) defensive starters during a two-year span where they won the division, made it to back-to-back AFC Championship Games and Super Bowl LVI. It's the most successful two-year run in Bengals' history.

The Bengals have not had a consistently effective interior pass-rush since breaking up the pairing of Hill and Ogunjobi at defensive tackle, and have been far more prone to missed tackles and big plays downfield from both receivers and tight ends alike since letting Bates walk. Choosing to rely on young inexperienced players and backup-level players at those spots, such as Dax Hill, Nick Scott and later on Geno Stone.

One can make the argument that letting Apple walk was a sensible move when Cam Taylor-Britt was seemingly a high-floor rookie at corner, but with the one-year deal Apple signed later in free agency, the Bengals could have easily brought him back as a depth piece. This span of time would only be made worse the next year, though.

2024's Off-Season Cemented A Flawed Future On Defense

After the Bengals failed to reach the playoffs in 2023 largely due to Joe Burrow's devastating wrist injury. They entered the offseason with drama looming once again, only this time with receiver Tee Higgins, whom they ultimately used the franchise tag on, rather than signin him to an extension.

Applying the franchise tag to Higgins cost Cincinnati $21.8 million in cap space, something they could have lowered had they gone outside their typical contract structure, though even with the franchise tag applied, the Bengals had plenty of cap space to still add to areas of the defense that struggled, such as the interior of the defensive line, and safety after Scott flamed out after just one season. With Burrow on the last year of his rookie deal, this was the last chance for the Bengals to spend significantly elsewhere in order to capitalize on their Super Bowl window.

That did not happen, however, as the front office opted to let long-time nose tackle DJ Reader leave in free agency. They signed Sheldon Rankins and paired him with Hill, but the experiment didn't work.

Meanwhile, in the secondary, after Scott failed at safety, the Bengals brought back Bell after he was cut from the Carolina Panthers. They also signed Ravens safety Geno Stone in the hopes that he could be an ascending young player at free safety. All of this occurred along with a failure to bring in another veteran cornerback after Chidobe Awuzie left in free agency for a lucrative contract with the Tennessee Titans, causing the corner room to once again rely on young players such as Taylor-Britt, DJ Turner, and Dax Hill.

These moves would end up sealing the fate of the 2024 season before it even began in retrospect even with Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase making history on offense.

Duke Tobin and Company's stubbornness this Past Offseason Is Why We're Where We Are Now

This past offseason is likely the most unforgivable one yet. With massive changes needed on the defense, the Bengals' biggest change came from moving on from former defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, and his side of the Bengals coaching staff, and bringing in former linebackers coach and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden to develop their own drafted talent.

They moved on from some veterans, including Germaine Pratt, Mike Hilton, Akeem Davis-Gaither and Rankins.

Not bringing back Hilton or Davis-Gaither was a mistake.

We were made to believe that having a corner that could stop the run and blitz the quarterback did not fit Golden's defensive ideals, though it is clear now, after watching Jalen Davis play in that role, that bringing back Hilton would have been a highly beneficial move to this defense.

Bringing back Gaither, meanwhile, would have not only provided Golden with a player he was familiar with and had already coached, but would have kept someone in the room who, along with Hilton, had been a part of the championship defenses from 2021 and 2022, and made big plays in big moments, something that the current Bengals linebacking core clearly is lacking tremendously.

Instead, the only additions to the defense through free agency were those of TJ Slaton at nose tackle, who the team had hoped would unrealistically provide a Reader-like impact to the defensive line, and Oren Burks at linebacker. While both additions have not been the sole reason for the defense's struggles this season, adding them in addition to re-signing Gaither and Hilton likely could have been the difference in a game or two this season, something that would have the Bengals in a much better position than they are currently at 4-9.

The largest disservice has to be failing to get a long-term contract done with star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who has been arguably the best free agent signing in franchise history. While Hendrickson did not help his case with a one-year contract extension in 2023, Tobin, his staff, and Zac Taylor should have been willing to pay Hendrickson outside of their typical contract structure, as he has had a comparable impact on the defense's success that Burrow and Chase have had on the offensive side of the ball.

It's Time for Front Office to Admit Their Mistakes

Whether it is moving on from people in the building like Tobin, or firing Taylor and this current coaching staff, the Bengals cannot afford to repeat last offseason and just hope that talent develops.

Outside of players like Turner and Myles Murphy, the Bengals' vision for this season has been immensely flawed. With the 2025 season on the brink of being completely lost, the organization absolutely has to make changes to their philosophy on re-signing key players, free agent acquisition, and drafting if they hope to be Super Bowl contenders again with Burrow, Chase, and Tee Higgins on the roster.

The future is now when you have Burrow at quarterback, and ownership cannot hope to keep putting fans in the seats of Paycor Stadium when they continuously waste their opportunity at bringing a Lombardi to a city that deserves it.

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