A plan for the Bengals to fix defensive tackle

As the Bengals venture into the defensive tackle free agent market, the irony is that the player they desperately need is the player that they thought they were getting last year with Sheldon Rankins.

“He’s a pro’s pro,” Taylor said about Rankins last August before Rankins’ Bengals career started its flop. “He sees the game at a very high level and understands how we’re being attacked defensively. He has great awareness for what’s in front of him. He’s a good run down player but really good on pass downs as a rusher. Great quickness.”

It’s a perfect description of what they need to find in 2025.

Before we get started, let’s take a look at the Bengals’ defensive tackle room.

1. Kris Jenkins Jr.

2. McKinnley Jackson

That’s it. The room is pretty much a blank slate, and the Bengals have to add multiple pieces on the defensive line for 2025.

“We play in a division that we got to stop the run,” Duke Tobin said. “D-line is always going to be a focus of ours.”

What the Bengals have

Kris Jenkins projects to be an early down defensive tackle who plays starting-level snaps, if not yet the most high-leverage snaps. He makes a real impact in a specific role against the run, and his overall athleticism and power are tools that every defensive line can use in the right role. The ability of new defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery to work with him on a pass rush plan will shape whether Jenkins is a core piece of the defense, or a role player.

McKinnley Jackson has more upside and athleticism than most backup nose tackles, which gives him the tools to be more than that. He can’t be a full-time starter until he develops pass rush tools, but every defensive line rotation needs a chess piece with Jackson’s size. There’s more flash than you’d expect from a big nose guard, and Jackson checks off that box on the depth chart.

Looking to 2025, Jackson and Jenkins look like rotational run defense-oriented pieces who could grow into bigger roles.

What the Bengals need

Right now, the Bengals have no interior pass rush threat on the roster.

“Anybody that would say that’s not important, that’s not football in 2025,” Al Golden said. “We’ll need someone who can do that.”

The Bengals still have room for three-or-four more defensive tackles on the roster. One of them has to be a plug and play starter who can immediately fill 60+ percent of the snaps because they have to have a player they can know what to expect from heading into the draft. They need to find some interior pass rush somewhere. And they have to go into 2025 with more depth than they had last season.

The ideal depth chart

1. Plug-and-play free agent (ideally someone with a pass rush game. $7-to-15 million.)

2. Kris Jenkins (in a platoon role, mostly playing the run)

3. A very early draft pick (With the pedigree to be the most gifted player in this room. Maybe he grows into this spot on the depth chart during the season, or maybe he quickly ascends to being the No. 1 guy).

4. A free agent who complements your top defensive tackle free agent (there’s a solid chance that this guy could beat out Jenkins and the draft pick for a Week 1 starting spot because of his experience. $2-to-5 million)

5. McKinnley Jackson as your nose tackle (he has shown enough to where the Bengals won’t need to get another nose tackle for this roster. He’ll have a bigger role in some matchups than others)

I’d also be interested in a Day 3 pick who’d compete for a roster spot and provide depth if there’s an injury in training camp.

This year, there’s an ok defensive tackle free agency class. The headliner is Milton WIlliams (Eagles), who’s a fantastic player that's about to get a high-end contract that a team that’s trying to pay Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson probably can’t realistically fit in right now.

The draft

This year’s NFL Draft class features one of the strongest defensive tackle classes that we’ve seen in a while, and the Bengals’ coaches were open about that fact when they spoke at the combine. Notably, most of the projected first-round options are bigger players for their position who are more bowling balls and block shedders than they are sack producers.

With that in mind, the Bengals could find their best pass rushing defensive tackle through free agency.

Last year, the Bengals had two defensive tackles making $10-plus million in addition to two day 2 picks. They can afford to be aggressive in both free agency and the draft.

Plug and play pass rushers

The next two most productive pass rushing options in the defensive tackle class behind Williams are Osa Odighizuwa (Cowboys) and Tershawn Wharton (Chiefs). Both players test some pretty strong historical precedent for the Bengals.

Odighizuwa creates a whole lot of pressure, has athleticism that pops off the tape and has standout closing speed that makes him a dynamic piece. He could get the franchise tag and is likely to have a very competitive market

Wharton had 8.5 sacks between the playoffs and the regular season last year. While a lot of his sacks were on second efforts, he had a lot of quick pressures that really popped. Orlando Brown Jr. told me in an interview last year that Wharton was one of the most underrated players in the NFL. Wharton is very sudden, crafty and agile. He’s not much of a bull rusher and is undersized, which also might help keep a bidding war for Wharton from taking off. He knows how to impact the quarterback.

The size question

Odighizuwa and Wharton are both 280 pounds. Since 2003, the Bengals have acquired two total defensive tackles who were under 290 pounds and recorded a single sack: Andrew Brown and Zach Carter. Both of those guys ended up adding a significant amount of weight after joining the Bengals.

This Bengals’ front office has a long track record of ignoring undersized DTs.

Looking at some players in lower tiers that will come up down below, designated pass rushing defensive tackles Mario Edwards and Morgan Fox fall into this category of slighter players at this position.

The next tier of starters

So, if the Bengals want to lean pass rush with their bigger splash at defensive tackle in free agency but want a larger defensive tackle, that brings us to the next tier of Levi Onwuzurike and Adam Butler (32-year-old Javon Hargrave coming off a season-ending injury is another option).

Onwuzurike (who missed all of the 2022 season with a back injury) entered a make-or-break 2024 season after having a slow start to his career. While he only had 1.5 sacks with the Lions last year, he had a standout pressure rate and made an impact rushing the quarterback at a high volume. He bulked up to 305 pounds this season, and his fluidity and athleticism translated. He kind of looks like 2021 BJ Hill as a stout, versatile and disruptive pass-rush minded defensive tackle. He’s still just 26 years old and is an ascending player.

Going through his tape from 2024, I was intrigued. Then, I got to his Week 18 performance against the Vikings. It was a terrific performance. Onwuzurike nearly single-handedly killed Sam Darnold’s confidence during a seven-pressure game where Onwuzurike showcased his upside and made real high level plays. That game single-handedly moved Onwuzurike up a few spots on my board.

Butler, 30 years old, would be available for cheaper. His tape is a blast to watch and had five sacks in each of the last two years (albeit on a low pressure rate). He dropped back in coverage as much as any defensive tackle did last season, showing his athleticism. Butler is very tall and is a very hyper rusher who knocks linemen around. He’s great at pass rush games, he’s physical, and he plays a lot of snaps. Raiders coaches praised him for his consistency, football IQ and leadership.

Butler could be the Trent Brown of defensive tackles, keeping the train moving until a draft pick is ready for a bigger role. Signing him would also give the Bengals the flexibility to invest more in positions like a second defensive tackle, defensive end and safety while still giving the Bengals reliable enough depth at defensive tackle.

There’s a less exciting class of run defense-minded defensive tackle starters. DJ Jones (Broncos) did his best DJ Reader impression by fighting through double teams and showing explosiveness and power. He makes plays against the run, and a team will likely give the 30-year-old a solid deal to stabilize their run defense next year like he did so well in Denver. He might be a bit redundant with Jenkins and Jackson.

Poona Ford, 29, had a breakout year in 2024 with the Chargers. He has a similar skill set (he’s a bit less of a numbers changer against the run but has a bit more pass rush juice). He’s a physical presence with a strong anchor who pushes the pocket and makes plays against the run, but he’s not as big of a big playmaker or pressure producer.

BJ Hill also fits into this tier of players and is a jack of all trades, master of none.

There’s one more scenario — the Dayo contingency (named for free agent DE Dayo Odeyingbo). I’ll explain that tomorrow in a piece on the free agent defensive ends.

Depth platoon pieces and plans

The Bengals should platoon their defensive tackle room like the Reds platoon right field. Because the Bengals will find some upside in the draft, I’d prioritize the depth approach over adding a true No. 1 DT in free agency. That’s especially true because Milton Williams is the only real No. 1, do it all defensive tackle on the market, and I’m not expecting him to end up in Cincinnati.

Looking at how the pieces fit together, here are some options for free agency.

Scenario 1 (they sign a pass rush DT to start free agency):

The Bengals sign, say, Onwuzurike. They then should add a fourth defensive tackle for the room whose versatility could let him soak up some snaps mixing in alongside Jenkins and Jackson.

Maybe that defensive tackle is Calais Campbell or Sebastian Joseph Day, who both would also check off another box by bringing some much-needed veteran leadership to the defense. Duke Tobin said that he learned a lesson last season that you can’t roll the dice with defensive line depth, and signing a second free agent would act on that. If it’s not one of these two players, there are about 15 more experienced backups (Jonathan Bullard? Da’Shawn Hand?) on the market who could fill this role at a lesser cost.

This is especially true for a defense that doesn’t have an edge rusher that has shown the ability to make an impact as an interior rusher. Maybe that changes in free agency, but defensive tackle should be the first priority.

The Bengals should go into the draft with four DTs already on the roster who they can expect snaps from.

To avoid having to play someone like Jay Tufele again a lot next year (he played 243 snaps! 21% of the entire season!) to have less desperation heading into the first round of the draft and to give some insurance in case Jenkins or Jackson don’t click this year, the Bengals have to build depth at defensive tackle in free agency first.

Then, take a defensive tackle early in the draft.

That would give you a veteran plug and play starter, a nice rotation at the No. 2 defensive tackle spot between a first-round pick, Jenkins (run focused) and a veteran who can fill in the gaps. And Jackson is the nose tackle.

Scenario 2 (sign a run focused DT to start):

The Bengals add Ford or retain Hill. They’d then have three neutral/run-leaned DTs between the new guy, Jenkins and Jackson and would badly need some pass rush juice off their bench.

Enter a free agent like Javon Kinlaw, Mario Edwards, Jarran Reed or Morgan Fox to give the Bengals a rusher that they’d feel comfortable having on the field on third downs (Kinlaw is my favorite of the bunch. Also, maybe Butler’s market ends up in this tier instead of the above one).

That gives you a plug and play veteran with a run defense focus teaming up with Jenkins on early downs and then the first-round pick and the designated pass rushing DT pinning their ears back on third downs.

Another scenario is signing a big DE who would slide inside on passing downs and fill two spots on the depth chart with one guy. This is the basis of the Dayo Odeyingbo contingency, which I’ll write about tomorrow.

Wrapping up

Last year, one of the biggest mistakes of the offseason from the Bengals was entering the draft with a massive need for multiple defensive tackles. When they then whiffed on Rankins and also got slow starts from their rookies, the Bengals had to count on inexperienced defensive tackles who had their learning moments in the biggest games of the year.

They can’t repeat that approach in 2025 at their weakest position, so they should sign two free agents instead of one at defensive tackle. If Tobin is set out to bolster the defensive line depth, it’s too big of a risk to go into next season counting on four different defensive tackles who are in their first or second seasons.

That means being proactive in free agency and signing two veterans.

My picks

1. Levi Onwuzurike

2. Kris Jenkins

3. Round 1 pick (lean pass rush traits)

4. Sebastian Joseph-Day

5. McKinnley Jackson

It’s a solid, versatile and deep room with upside coming from the draft pick.