Bengals' Free Agency Moves: Partial Fixes, Thin Defense

0:00It's March 17 for the NFL. Let's get into it. The Cincinnati Bengals made a few moves in free agency, grabbing the top safety on the market and signing defensive end Boyet Mayfay to a three-year. $60 million deal. They also added veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Allen for some depth. These steps help replace Tray Hendrickson, who left for the Ravens on a 4-year $112 million contract. Still, the team skipped linebacker entirely and left gaps at defensive end and cornerback. Right now, they are set to start young linebackers, Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, while the secondary relies on DJ Turner and Dax Hill. With questions opposite them, fans and analysts see these signings as only partial fixes, giving free agency a grade between C++ and V-minus. The bigger issue is Mace Contract, with a $17 million cap hit next year and no void year to ease the pain on Mike Hendrickson's deal. Heading into the draft, the Bengals hold the tenth pick and need starters at defensive

1:02end, defensive tackle, linebacker, safety and corner. Their projected defense looks thin, banking on rookies or unproven talent to step up. The offense holds steady with Joe Burrow, Jay-Mar Chase and T-Higgins, but the draft cannot come soon enough to shore up that defense for a real, super ball push. This episode is supported by our sponsor, C Details in the Description. If earbuds fall out when you sleep, this is for you, a pillow with built-in sound, S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com.