Eyes of the Guru IDP Info, Part 13: Cincinnati Bengals

An Overview of the Cincinnati Bengals Defense

The 2025 Bengals got a good taste of what happens when a team invests most of its capital on offense and ignores the defense for two or three years. The defense surrendered almost 29 points per game, and Cincinnati lost three contests in which they scored a combined 114 points. The pass defense ranked 19th in completion percentage allowed but 29th in yards allowed per attempt. Three teams gave up more scores through the air, and two teams surrendered more pass plays of 20+ yards. The pass rush was not much help, with their 35 sacks tied for 22nd, and the run defense made the pass defense look good. Only the Giants allowed more yards per carry, and no one gave up more yards on the ground or runs of 20+. It was a tough year to be a Bengals fan.

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There is no place to go but up for this unit, and the organization is finally giving the coaching staff something to work with. The biggest addition (literally) is 340-pound roadblock Dexter Lawrence II, who is one of the game's premier run-stopping tackles. The trade for Lawrence overshadowed the free agent signing of Jonathan Allen, which might be just as important. Cincinnati lost star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson to division rival Baltimore, but they added Boye Mafe from Seattle and drafted Cashius Howell in round two.

The secondary gets help in the form of the free-agent additions Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger at safety and third-round pick Tacario Davis at corner. There are no reinforcements at the second level, where the team will count on last year's experience and an improved line to help their duo of second-year linebackers improve. There is little doubt that the 2025 defense will be improved.   If the plan at linebacker works, the Bengals could ascend all the way to above average. That's a big if.

Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Linemen

The Bengals have a long, ugly history when it comes to drafting defensive linemen in the first round. Trading that pick to land a proven commodity like Lawrence may be the best move they've made in decades. When healthy, he is among the elite at the position. Lawrence is not only a great anchor for the run defense, but he is also a surprising contributor to the pass rush. He had 28 sacks over his first six seasons, including 7 in 2022 and 9 in 2024 despite an elbow injury that ended his season in November. Add that to his consistent tackle production of 50 to 60 stops a season, and he is a force in the IDP game as well.

There is some concern about the elbow injury. Lawrence suffered a dislocation that continued to bother him throughout the 2025 season. It considerably altered his ability to shed blockers and make plays against the run, and had an even bigger effect on his pass rush. Lawrence did not miss any games, but his role and effectiveness were not the same. If healthy, Lawrence will do wonders for the Bengals and will likely return to the top ten for us. It would be like the Bengals to give up a first-round pick for damaged goods, though.

The signing of Allen received little fanfare. It could prove to be just as important as landing Lawrence. Since becoming a starter for Washington in 2018, Allen has been one of the league's elite interior linemen. He plays all three downs, stands up to the run well, and is a major contributor to the pass rush. Between 2018 and 2023, Allen averaged 62 tackles and 6 sacks per season. He missed seven games in 2024, so all of his numbers were way down that season. Allen bounced back with 68 stops last year for the Vikings, but newcomer Jalen Redmond robbed some of his thunder as a pass rusher. Allen's three sacks were his fewest in a full season since 2020.

There is always a risk factor when a productive player changes teams. It will be a shocker if Allen is not at least a solid DT2, and no surprise if he lands back in the top ten for a seventh time.

For the first time in his career, B.J. Hill made the top ten in 2025. He is a good player and will remain a factor in the Bengals rotation, but the additions of Lawrence and Allen probably end Hill's IDP relevance. If, however, Lawrence continues to have issues with the elbow, Hill's role may not be reduced beyond usefulness. We will have to watch this one as the summer moves along.

Kris Jenkins Jr. has been a steady contributor since joining the team as a second-round pick in 2024. He will continue to see some work, and there is still hope that he will be a major factor down the road. For now, he is quality depth for the Bengals, with no fantasy value.

Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard were the starters on the edge when the Bengals last had a good defense. Hubbard unexpectedly retired last offseason, and after missing over half of 2025, Hendrickson will now be chasing Joe Burrow for two games a year. The Bengals were not unprepared.

Cincinnati started by taking Myles Murphy in round one in 2023. Then they reached for Shemar Stewart at 17 overall last season. The team continued to add at the position with Cashius Howell in round two this spring, so there is plenty of young talent in the pipeline.

Murphy has not blossomed as quickly as the organization would have liked, though he did manage to lead the team with 5.5 sacks last year. It was somewhat of a low-key breakout season for Murphy. He worked as a backup for two years, sharing that role with Joseph Ossai. When Hubbard retired, it was somewhat surprising that Ossai got the starting job, but Murphy did see an uptick in playing time as the number three. When Hendrickson was hurt, it was showtime for Murphy.

I am cautiously optimistic when it comes to Murphy. One factor to keep in mind is that he was drafted very young. Entering his third season, he is just 24 and at the beginning of his prime physically. Then there is the way he performed down the stretch in 2025. From week 11 through the end of the season, he was 18-13-4 with a forced fumble and ranked 12th at the position. Murphy enters 2026 as an unquestioned three-down starter. Me being a Bengals homer might play a little part in it, but he is one of my favorite breakout candidates.

The Stewart selection at 17 overall last spring remains a headscratcher to me. Especially considering that the Bengals passed on Jack Sawyer, who eventually landed in the division where he will haunt them for years. Stewart has the tools to be special. At six feet five and 267 pounds, he is a physical specimen with a huge wingspan and all the traits NFL teams long for in an edge defender. Watching his college film brought back memories of Jason Taylor II Sr. for me. The wingspan, the way he moves, and uses leverage to get around the corners are enticing.

There are two concerns with Stewart. He is raw, with plenty of room for technical improvement and more moves/counters. Good coaching can eventually fix that, though it might take some time. The red flag was his lack of college production. In three seasons at Texas A&M, he compiled just 65 combined tackles and 4.5 sacks. Stewart was credited with a good number of pressures, but he failed to get home far too often. Maybe, like Murphy, Stewart will be a breakout candidate in another year or so. For now, he should serve as the third man, seeing around 30% of the snaps.

Cashius Howell was less of a reach as a second-round guy. He should contribute immediately as a pass rusher, but has some work to do before seeing much early down action. Howell played three seasons at Bowling Green before transferring to Texas A&M for his final two. He has worked the edge in three and four-man fronts, so there is added versatility in his game.

With 27 career sacks, Howell checks the box for college production. Even better, he totaled 31 tackles and 11.5 sacks against Division One competition last year. While there are no grand expectations for his rookie season, Howell has good long-term upside and is a taxi squad candidate for dynasty managers.

The signing of Boye Mafe is an interesting one indeed. In many ways, this reminds me of when the Bengals signed Hendrickson. Like Hendrickson, when he was a young player with the Saints, Mafe proved his value as a pass rusher early in his career. The 2022 second-round pick had nine sacks in 2023 and 18 over his first three seasons in Seattle. Like Hendrickson, Mafe got a shot at a three-down role but was a liability on early downs. The Bengals hope he will continue to be like Hendrickson and improve enough as a run defender to handle a full-time role at his second stop.

Seattle gave Mafe his shot at the starting role in 2023. His numbers were good at 35-17-9 with 3 turnovers and 6 batted passes, but he got pushed around too much as an edge setter. He's added muscle and weight since that time. Maybe he is ready to step up with Cincinnati giving him a second opportunity.

• Edge Boye Mafe – Worth a gamble as a third edge with upside 
• Edge Myles Murphy – One of my favorite breakout sleepers
• Edge Shemar Stewart – Talented but raw and still developing
• Edge Cashius Howell – Pass rusher with three-down potential a year or two away
• Edge Cedric Johnson – No impact
• DT Dexter Lawrence II – Elite tier DT1 if fully healthy
• DT Jonathan Allen – Quality DT1 with elite tier potential
• DT B.J. Hill – Reduced role likely eliminates his value
• DT Kris Jenkins Jr. –  Injury sleeper with limited upside
• DT T.J. Slaton Jr. – No impact.

Cincinnati Bengals Linebackers