Cincinnati Bengals
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Bengals pushed to sign pass rusher Odafe Oweh
The Cincinnati Bengals are in need of defensive help after a season in which the team finished with the third-most points allowed in the NFL. Since ranking as the fifth-best defense in 2022, the Bengals’ defense has finished as a bottom-12 unit in the past three seasons, which has led to Cincinnati missing the postseason in all three years, despite having a high-powered offense.
With over $50 million in available cap space and the No. 10 overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, Cincinnati has the resources necessary to retool their defense. Pairing their top-10 offense with a strong defense could end their postseason drought. For that reason, ESPN has released a list of every free agent an NFL team must go after, and it is no surprise that they have Cincinnati being pushed to sign a defensive player.
Bengals Pushed to Sign Pass Rusher
ESPN writer Aaron Schatz projected the Bengals to go after pass rusher Odafe Oweh. Oweh, a former first-round pick, spent the first four seasons of his career with the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens, but was traded during the 2025 season to the Los Angeles Chargers. After 13 sacks in his first four seasons, Oweh has totaled 17 sacks in his last two seasons for the Ravens and Chargers.
Schatz wrote, “With Trey Hendrickson probably on his way out of Cincinnati, the Bengals need an edge rusher. And with the seventh-most cap space this offseason (per Roster Management System), they’re in position to rain money down on a player still in his prime.
Oweh finally broke out after the Ravens traded him to the Chargers last season, with 7.5 sacks in the final 12 games and two forced fumbles in Los Angeles’ playoff loss to the Patriots. The only question with the 27-year-old is whether he’ll be comfortable playing with his hand in the dirt in Cincinnati after a few years as an outside linebacker in 3-4 schemes.”
Odafe Oweh Contract Projection
As Schatz wrote, Oweh is still in his prime, and getting an edge player who was graded by Pro Football Focus as a top-20 pass rusher is a unique opportunity in free agency. However, players like that tend to command a high price.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper rated the top 150 free agents and ranked Oweh as the No. 12 free agent. He projected Oweh’s contract to be four years, $88 million. $22 million per year would rank him as the 15th-highest-paid pass rusher annually.
Popper wrote of Oweh, “Oweh, a 2021 first-round pick, entered 2025 with the Ravens, playing on his fifth-year option. He did not have a sack through five games. Ahead of a Week 6 matchup with the Dolphins, the Chargers traded for Oweh. He had a sack in his Chargers debut and finished the regular season with 7.5. He added three sacks in the Chargers’ playoff loss to the Patriots. Oweh benefited from playing in defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s scheme alongside rushers Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu.
Oweh is an ascending player who started to show more variety in his pass-rush arsenal after joining the Chargers, including an inside spin move that is a changeup off his cross-chop to the edge. The change-of-scenery created a robust market for Oweh, as his traits coalesced into consistent production.”