After the Super Bowl, the NFL is in a lull period until free agency begins next month. Currently, the Cincinnati Bengals are in the period of the NFL season when they must decide if they want to place a franchise or transition tag on the 14 free agents they have when the league year begins March 11.
The primary focus for the Bengals this offseason is likely going to be on improving their defense. Their first move of the offseason already occurred as the team re-signed one of the defense’s top contributors in the final weeks of the 2025 regular season. Despite being much maligned and struggling for the majority of the season, the Cincinnati defense did have a strong finish. During the last seven weeks of the season, the Bengals allowed 18 points per game, which would have placed them as a top-five defense in the NFL.
However, over the course of the full season, the team’s defense struggled as they allowed the third-most points in the NFL. For that reason, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has the Bengals adding another piece to their secondary in his latest mock draft.
Cincinnati Bengals Predicted to Draft Caleb Downs
Daniel Jeremiah has the Bengals selecting Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the 10th overall selection in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. He wrote, “Cincinnati stays in-state with this pick. The Bengals’ defense could use consistency and structure. Downs provides both.”
Regarding the mock draft, Sports Illustrated’s Russell Heltman described the potential pick as the Bengals selecting an “elite secondary player.” He added, “The young star could instantly solidify the backend of Cincinnati’s defense, especially given how well cornerbacks Dax Hill, DJ Turner II, and Jalen Davis played last season.”
Previously, Bleacher Report’s Daniel Harms had described Downs as, “The single best prospect for the 2026 draft cycle. With his experience in Matt Patricia’s defense, he’s going to hit the ground running for whatever NFL team drafts him.”
Duke Tobin’s Thoughts on the Bengals Defense
After last season’s defensive struggles, general manager Duke Tobin commented on potential additions to the unit. He said, “Believe me, we’re always looking. We are keenly aware of our issues as they’re happening in real-time. They are on our mind. And you need to have guys within your structure that can step up. And that’s an off-season thing more than an in-season thing. But you need to have the guys in your backup roles that can step up and hold the fort. And you need to have guys, even on your practice squad, that can step up and hold the fort.”
With free agency looming and the Bengals having over $50 million in available cap space, the team will have a chance at signing players in order to field a strong defense in the 2026 season. Following the free agency period, we will have a better understanding of the status of the Bengals’ defense and whether adding a talented player like Downs with their first selection makes sense. Safety Geno Stone is one of the Bengals’ players set to hit free agency after starting 34 games for Cincinnati over the past two seasons.
Bengals Predicted to Add Elite Secondary Player As NFL Free Agency Nears