Perhaps it’s been said before, but the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense was a massive weak spot last year. It’s been an issue over the last two seasons, actually, and was a big reason for the team letting go of Lou Anarumo after six seasons. Oddly enough, it was an issue more times than it wasn’t since 2019. Since Zac Taylor and Anarumo took over, the Bengals have finished 25th, 21st, 13th, 5th, 20th, and 25th in scoring defense, respectively. In terms of rush defense (yards per carry), those ranks were 24th, 31st, 16th, 10th, 31st, and 14th. The secondary was 32nd, 21st, 22nd, 9th, 32nd, and 12th.
That 2022 season looks like a massive outlier.
Now, Al Golden takes over, and he gets to coach a defense with 12 players who were drafted within the first three rounds (11 home-grown and one Trey Hendrickson). With OTAs ending on Wednesday and mandatory minicamp right around the corner (June 10-12), the roster is seemingly set. However, there is one position the team could afford to add talent: safety.
Bengals Can Still Sign a Free Agent to Improve the Defense for 2025
You can’t have too many defensive backs in today’s NFL. While the cornerback room is pretty set (with two top players returning from injury), the safety room is interesting. Currently, Jordan Battle and Geno Stone are at the top. Behind them, it’s Daijahn Anthony and Tycen Anderson.
Pro Football & Sports Network‘s Brandon Austin highlighted one free agent that could make an immediate impact:
“It will be interesting to see how the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense looks under new defensive coordinator Al Golden. During his time at Notre Dame, his defenses relied heavily on Cover-1 man, a coverage that the Bengals ranked 18th in last season.
Cincinnati may be content with having Geno Stone and Jordan Battle as their starting safeties in 2025, but Vonn Bell is gone, and the front office didn’t address the position in the draft. While both Stone and Battle are reliable in coverage, neither has the reputation for being a big-time playmaker. Stone’s tackling has also been a concern. The Bengals also lack proven depth at safety as a whole.
Justin Simmons named Cincinnati as one of his preferred free agency destinations in an appearance on “Up & Adams with Kay Adams” earlier in the offseason. Much like last offseason, Simmons has flown under the radar again, but he still offers proven playmaking ability.
He recorded two interceptions with Atlanta in 2024, giving him multiple picks in every season of his nine-year NFL career. His 32 career interceptions lead all players since 2016. Simmons might be past his prime, but the veteran could address the Bengals’ need for depth and playmaking ability in the secondary.”
Could It Happen?
In the lead-up to the NFL Draft, plenty of fans and experts pleaded for the Bengals to pick up a guard and a safety. Now that the dust has settled, the Bengals added two on the offensive line, a running back, an EDGE, and two linebackers.
Last year, Vonn Bell, for some reason, took 708 snaps away from Battle, who only played 463. To this point, Battle hasn’t quite lived up to the hype leading into his rookie season. He flashed in that season, but that was it. Stone has definitely not been what the Bengals expected when they signed the former Baltimore Raven. As a result, the Bengals asked for a pay cut, which Stone obliged because he also thought he should have been better.
Anthony was on the receiving end of abuse due to the fact that it was he who was called for a pass interference, which allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to kick a game-winning field goal. Anderson has been a special-teams stud, however. He played 74.84% of special-teams snaps and never saw the field on defense.
Now that Bell is gone, there are snaps to be had. The Bengals obviously trust Anderson as the fourth safety. Would they trust him as much with Justin Simmons in the room?
Simmons was a four-time second-team AP All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler. The Bengals could do significantly worse than Simmons back there.
At this point, Simmons would be lucky to get a camp invite, so he probably should try to secure a one-year prove-it deal.
Oh, and he’s mentioned the Bengals as a team he would love to play for, so there’s that.
Main Image: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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