Why Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook Are Perfect Fits for Bengals’ Biggest Weaknesses

The Bengals made a few big moves to address some of their bigger needs in free agency...

Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6) tips a pass intended for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (85) before it is intercepted by cornerback Joshua Williams (23) in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Kansas City Chiefs advanced to the Super Bowl with a 23-20 win over the Bengals. Cincinnati Bengals At Kansas City Chiefs Afc Championship | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cincinnati Bengals came into the offseason with a lot of holes to address on their roster and most of them were seemingly on the defense.

The Bengals could use help at all three levels of the defense, but they specifically needed to add some help at edge rusher and at safety.

Trey Hendrickson is going to sign and Joseph Ossai has already agreed to a deal with the New York Jets.

The Bengals responded in a big way. They agreed to deals with Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook to fill two major voids on defense.

Boye Mafe is one of the most underrated pass rushers in the NFL

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) is pressured by Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) in the first half in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Bengals are signing Mafe to a 3-year, $60 million contract. He is one of the most underrated pass rushers in the league. He ranked eighth in the league last season in ESPN's pass rush win rate stat, putting him above stars like Odafe Oweh and Maxx Crosby.

NFL insider Daniel Jeremiah jumped on the Mafe hype train back in 2024.

"I'd like to buy all of the Boye Mafe stock that's available. He's on the cusp of being a superstar. He plays at a different speed and he's starting to learn how to rush the passer," Jeremiah wrote in a post on X in 2024.

Mafe has striking similarities to Trey Hendrickson from before he was signed by the Bengals, too.

Either way, this is a home run move.

Bryan Cook patches a huge hole in the Bengals secondary

Oct 27, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6) tackles Washington Commanders running back Jeremy McNichols (26) during the third quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Bengals are also signing Cook to a 3-year deal, worth $40.25 million.

The veteran safety is a very secure tackler, while the Bengals have struggled with tackling from members of their secondary in the past. As a result, adding somebody on the backend who almost never misses a tackle is going to be a big step in the right direction toward revamping this Bengals defense.

Andrew Russell of Pro Football Focus shared some key stats that show how valuable Cook was in coverage.

"Cook was a PFF Secret Superstar this season," Russell wrote on X. "Here are his percentile ranks (higher is better) in stable metrics in 2025: Coverage grade: 97th Coverage grade w/no pressure: 92nd Coverage grade at SAF: 94th Coverage grade in the slot: 92nd Forced Incompletion %: 91st."

Cook fills a huge hole at safety for the Bengals. They need stability at safety and they're getting it with the Cincinnati native.

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