The Cincinnati Bengals came into the offseason with a lot of holes all over their roster. Most of these holes existed on defense, so the Bengals opted to dive into free agency to begin patching these issues.
They signed former Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook to fill a huge role in the backend of the Bengals defense. Cincinnati had Geno Stone at safety, who misses as many tackles as anybody in football. Now they have Cook, who's as sure a tackler as you will find.
They also added Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe to their defense. Allen's addition was scrutinized a bit, but Mafe's deal has been praised across the board for the Bengals.
Pro Football Focus's Zoltan Buday recently put together a list of his favorite and least favorite moves for each team in free agency this offseason. For the Bengals, Buday shared a lot of high praise for the addition of Mafe, who they gave a three-year, $60 million deal this offseason.
Boye Mafe Perfect Addition For Bengals
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe
Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) rushes against New England Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell (66) during the second quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
"The Bengals needed more talent at edge defender following the expected departure of Trey Hendrickson," Buday wrote. "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."
Mafe has posted impressive PFF grades for most of his NFL career. He flew under the radar a bit last season because the sack numbers weren't there. But all the underlying stats indicated he was winning his matchup and making an impact.
Mafe had a very good pass rush win rate. He was in the backfield more often than he's given credit for. At some point, these constant quarterback pressures are going to turn into sacks.
The Bengals needed a high ceiling edge rusher on their defense with Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai leaving town. Mafe was acquired for much less than a lot of the top edge rushers on the market and he has as much potential as the Bengals could ask for. There's a chance this deal looks like a steal at the end of the season.
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