The Cincinnati Bengals are entering the 2026 NFL offseason with about as clear a need as any team across the NFL: the Bengals need to upgrade their defense.
Every position could use help this offseason, but one of the more important ones to address is the safety room. Geno Stone is a free agent, and the Bengals cannot go into 2026 without making multiple additions to the safety room.
That's why ESPN's Matt Bowen named the Bengals as the best fit for a free agent safety from the Kansas City Chiefs in veteran Bryan Cook. He'd be exactly what the Bengals need in the secondary, and could also hurt a conference rival in the same breath.
Bengals top fit for Chiefs' safety Bryan Cook
"With Geno Stone heading to free agency, the Bengals could look to Cook, a versatile safety for the Chiefs in 2025 who can play from depth or spin down the front," Bowen writes.
Such a safety would be exactly what this Bengals defense needs after allowing 233.8 passing yards per game, the 26th-ranked unit in the NFL last season.
With Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown, the offense is Super Bowl-caliber. The defense, however, needs some help.
Cook is a 26-year-old defensive back who is a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs. Selected 62nd overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, Cook has proven to be a solid starter in the NFL and would be the best possible safety the Bengals could add this offseason.
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He has three interceptions in his NFL career, with another coming in the 2024 playoffs in the Super Bowl. He's put up solid numbers in his career and would be a nice upgrade to the safety room in Cincinnati after that unit struggled in 2025.
The Bengals don't simply need help on the defensive side of the ball; they need leaders to improve the unit overall. Cook, who's been a part of multiple Super Bowl teams in Kansas City, is the exact kind of player the Bengals should target.
Bowen named the Bengals as Cook's best fit this offseason. The Bengals need to upgrade their secondary, and what better way to do that than adding a DB who's helped the Chiefs during their Super Bowl runs the last few years.
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