Cincinnati Bengals
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The Bengals received some pushback for a free agency decision
The Cincinnati Bengals have not made any shocking moves during the offseason.Heading into free agency, the goals were clear. Cincinnati needed to improve their defense, which allowed the third-most points in the NFL, and they needed to find a strong backup for quarterback Joe Burrow.
So far, the Bengals have made three additions on defense, signing three players who project to be starters to multiyear contracts. Offensively, they added two quarterbacks, with the most recent move being there-signing of veteran Joe Flacco to once again serve as the team’s backup. However, one of these moves has drawn pushback.
Cincinnati Bengals Criticized for Jonathan Allen Signing
One of the defensive players signed to a new contract was former Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, who signed a two-year, $25 million contract with the Bengals. Despite his Pro Bowl experience and 45.5 career sacks, one member of Pro Football Focus is not a fan of the signing.
Pro Football Focus’ Zoltán Buday said Allen’s signing was his least favorite Bengals’ move of the offseason. He wrote, “While Allen’s contract with the Bengals ranks 27th among interior defenders in average annual value, his production in recent seasons has been far below that level. He logged 75.0-plus PFF overall grades in all three seasons between 2020 and 2022 but has failed to surpass 60.0 in any of the three campaigns since. Last year marked the lowest grade of his career, as he ranked 84th among 127 qualifying interior defenders (53.2).”
Buday is not the first to dislike the signing, as ESPN’s Seth Walder gave the Bengals a “D” grade for the move.Walder wrote:
“Allen was a very good defensive tackle earlier in his career. But the numbers clearly paint a picture of a 31-year-old player who is well into his decline. And I think the Bengals are overpaying him based on what he did several years ago.
Cincinnati needs to improve its defense, and I understand wanting more pass rush from its interior. B.J. Hill, T.J. Slaton and Kris Jenkins Jr. all had below-average pass rush win rates for a defensive tackle last season. But this is too much to pay for what will likely be too little.”
Jonathan Allen’s Signing
Fortunately for the Bengals, the other two defensive signings, which were safety Bryan Cook and edge rusher Boye Mafe, have been getting more praise. Buday listed Mafe’s signing as his favorite Bengals’ move, as he wrote, “The Bengals needed more talent at edge defender following the expected departure of Trey Hendrickson. Mafe, whose role shrank with the Seahawks in the second half of the 2025 season, has earned PFF overall grades above 70.0 in three straight seasons and was among the 40 highest-graded edge defenders in two of the past three seasons. His 13.1% pressure rate in 2025 ranked 37th among 77 qualifying edge defenders.”
Regarding the criticism of Allen’s signing,Sports Illustrated’s Zach Pressnell said, “Allen is a good leader and a quality human being. He filled a position of need for the Bengals, so everything about the deal isn’t bad. But the Bengals did seem to pay him a bit more than he’s worth at this point in his career.”