Cincinnati Bengals
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Seahakws head coach Mike Macdonald gave his thoughts on Bengals' Boye Mafe
The Cincinnati Bengals have had a busy offseason as they entered free agency among the top-10 teams in available cap space. The team quickly put that money to good use as they signed three defenders to multi-year deals, as they project to be starters for the 2026 season and beyond.
One of those players signed to multi-year deals was edge defenderBoye Mafe, who signed a three-year, $60 million contract after spending four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. Mafe has been the only edge defender the Bengals have added this offseason, as they lost former All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson to the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
While Mafe and Hendrickson have different profiles and capabilities as players, some argued that the Bengals got worse this offseason due to Hendrickson’s departure. Fox Sports NFL writer Ben Arthur determined the Bengals got worse as he did not believe Mafe was capable of replacing Hendrickson’s production.Arthur said,“Adding Boye Mafe — signed to a three-year, $60 million contract — doesn’t sufficiently make up for the pass-rush production lost. Mafe had just two sacks last season with the Seahawks.”
Now, Seahawks Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike Macdonald has given his thoughts on Boye Mafe after his departure from Seattle.
Seahawks Head Coach Talks Cincinnati Bengals’ Boye Mafe
While some, like Arthur, have argued against Mafe due to his lack of pass-rush production and his limited sack numbers, Mike Macdonald made the opposite argument. During the NFL owners meetings,Macdonald spoke of Mafe and said, “Actual pass rush stats are a little bit overrated. I think probably the best thing that Boye does is quick wins early, which was something that you need. You have to attack the quarterback fast, and some things that they like. Can he finish a bit better? Yeah, absolutely. But to get the quarterback off their spot, I mean, somebody else is probably making that play too. So again, another guy we were really excited about, and we are going to miss him.”
Sports Illustrated’s Russell Heltman made the argument for Mafe having more success in Cincinnati as he will have a larger role than he did in Seattle. Heltman wrote:
“Mafe will get every chance to play closer to 800-900 snaps as he did in Pete Carroll’s last season leading Seattle in 2023. The Bengals paid him big money to come help aid one of the 15-worst pass rushes in the NFL last season.
Despite playing roughly 200 fewer snaps per year the last two campaigns, Mafe still produced 44-plus pressures after posting 58 in 2023. He maximized his chances well and should be a strong addition to the Bengals’ rotation.”
Bengals’ Needs
Despite adding three likely defensive starters in free agency, the Bengals still have work to do to improve their defense, which allowed the third-most points in the NFL during the 2025 season. As a result, ESPN’s Matt Miller has the Bengals addressing the linebacker position with the No. 10 selection in his latest mock draft. The Bengals have not added a linebacker so far this free agency period.
Miller predicted the Bengals adding Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.Miller wrote:
“It’s hard to imagine Styles lasting this long, but teams selecting early often prefer premium positions and draft for need over talent. Styles is a top-five talent on my board, so the Bengals would be wise to stop his slide and make him their new enforcer in the middle of the field. Last year’s fourth-rounder, Barrett Carter, looks like a hit at middle linebacker, but Cincinnati could use an upgrade at weakside LB. A former safety, Styles has the range at 6-foot-5 (4.3 speed) to be an eraser against tight ends and in-breaking wide receivers. He also provides pass-rush upside, with seven sacks the past two seasons.”