Cincinnati Bengals
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The Bills signed a former Bengals defensive back
The Cincinnati Bengals defense is shaping up to look different in 2026 than it did during the 2025 season, and that is likely a good thing. The Bengals defense finished 31st in yards allowed last season, and 30th in points allowed. Despite having a top-10 offense, the Bengals’ defensive struggles resulted in the team winning their fewest games since the 20202 season.
The face of the Cincinnati defense these past few years had been All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, and after the relationship soured between Hendrickson and the Bengals, he left in free agency. The Bengals entered free agency with over $50 million in available cap space, and they have already signed three players to multi-year deals who are penciled in to be key starters on defense.
Hendrickson is not the only member of the Bengals’ 2025 defense who has signed on with a new team. One of their starting safeties has recently signed with an AFC team on a one-year deal.
Former Cincinnati Bengals Safety Signs With Bills
Geno Stone
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that former Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone agreed to a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. After signing a two-year, $14 million contract with the Bengals prior to the 2024 season, Stone started 34 games for the Bengals prior to his departure.
Stone leaving in free agency is not a surprise, as the player had hinted at a possible move once the season ended.Stone posted on X a peace sign emoji with a picture of him wearing the Bengals uniform, which likely signaled his departure from Cincinnati.
Despite starting 34 games for Cincinnati, his performance was a mixed bag. In 2024,Pro Football Focus ranked him83rd out of 97 qualified strong safeties. In 2025, PFF once again graded him poorly as they ranked him 81st out of 98 qualified safeties. Despite this, his experience as a veteran player does provide value. ESPN shared a different opinion than PFF on his play, as they said Stone, “deserves due credit for helping fix the defense at the end of the season.”
The Bills will likely be hoping Stone can rekindle a similar performance that he had with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. With the Ravens, Stone graded as a top 25 safety in the NFL and a top 10 safety in pass coverage. However, everything seems to suggest the Bengals and Stone will go their separate ways after two seasons.
Bengals Secondary
The Bengals have likely already signed Stone’s replacement, as they signed former Chiefs’ starting safety and Cincinnati native Bryan Cook.
Regarding Cook’s signing,Sports Illustrated’s Russell Heltman wrote, “Cook figures to immediately slot into a starting role with the Bengals after playing great football in Kansas City over the past four years.
Pro Football Focus ranked Cook as the fourth-best safety in the NFL last season. Heading into free agency, Cook was ranked as the No. 37 free agent available by The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.Popper wrote, “Cook is a two-way safety who can play in the deep part of the field and closer to the line of scrimmage. He has a complete skill set: consistent eyes in zone, a deep-field presence, run-and-hit ability in the alley, physicality and a quick trigger on screens and swings. Cook will deliver the boom on tight-window throws over the middle. Though he played mostly as a deep-field safety in coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s Chiefs defense, he has the potential to do more, particularly as a blitzer.”