The Cincinnati Bengals underwent a defensive transformation this offseason.
The team traded for three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence in an effort to improve their run defense, which struggled heavily during the 2025 season. Additionally, they signed Boye Mafe in free agency to a $60 million contract to replace All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.
The Bengals also addressed their secondary by adding former Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook and then paired him with former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Kyle Dugger.
The one position the team did not address in a substantial way was linebacker. However, a new prediction links them to a blockbuster move for an All-Pro linebacker.
Trade Pitch Sends All-Pro Linebacker to Cincinnati
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport listed NFL stars who could use fresh starts on new teams and proposed some potential trade packages and destinations. Davenport predicted the Cincinnati Bengals would exchange a 2027 second-round pick and 2028 fourth-round pick in exchange for first-team All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks from the Miami Dolphins.
Davenport wrote:
“After the Miami Dolphins drafted Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez in the second round of the 2026 draft, there was some chatter that contract-year linebacker Jordyn Brooks could be a trade candidate. While addressing the media, new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said he considers Brooks to be an important part of the team’s plans moving forward.
“He’s a very good player,” he said. “He’s made of the right kind of stuff. And we’d like him to be a pillar on the defensive side of the ball for us as we build this out.”
However, with the Dolphins in the opening stages of a ground-up rebuild, Brooks told reporters that he doesn’t know if 2026 is the end of the road for him in Miami.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It could go either way, obviously. I’m just controlling what I can control—play football. I’m blessed to do it. So, I’m just going to keep approaching it that way.”
Regarding why the Bengals make sense for Brooks, Davenport added:
“The Cincinnati Bengals have been wildly aggressive this offseason, adding multiple pieces via free agency and trade. But the linebacker position remains a glaring weakness in the Queen City.
Last year, Brooks led the league with 183 total tackles and was named a first-team All-Pro. If the Dolphins don’t plan to re-up him, the time to trade the 28-year-old is now.
And given Cincinnati’s “all-in” approach to upgrading the defense this year, a package of picks headlined by a second-rounder is a deal worth making.”
Cincinnati Bengals Linebackers
Despite the improvements on defense, the Bengals linebacker position has been much discussed as an area the team could still improve on before the season.
Regarding the state of the linebacker position, Sports Illustrated’s Eva Geitheim wrote:
“The Bengals’ linebacking corps was rough last season. Their three primary linebackers—Demetrius Knight Jr., Oren Burks and Barrett Carter all ranked between 83rd and 88th out of 88 linebackers, according to PFF. Knight and Carter ranked top-11 in the league in missed tackles, according to Pro Football Reference, while Burks ranked 12th in missed tackle percentage.”
Trade Proposal Sends All-Pro Linebacker to Cincinnati Bengals