Taking stock of the three big moves on the Bengals’ defense

Heading into the offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals didn’t sign a veteran safety, linebacker, cornerback or guard. They didn't add a new piece who would significantly upgrade their pass rush or any experienced depth at offensive tackle.

While there has been a big focus on what the Bengals haven’t done, the Bengals made three fairly significant moves on defense heading into 2025. Adding TJ Slaton and re-signing BJ Hill and Joseph Ossai have flown under the radar.

Hill makes $11 million a year, Slaton is on a two-year contract that pays him $7 million a season and Ossai is making $6.5 on a one-year deal. The Bengals had some money to spend on defense, and these are the players they prioritized. Whether or not they picked the right guys and the right positions will be one of the defining stories of this Bengals’ season as the defense looks to make a 180 degree turnaround.

Last week, after a mini-camp practice, Al Golden made a point to tell the front office how happy he was to have Slaton joining the Bengals’ defense.

“He has elite quickness for somebody that is 325 (pounds), and, I don’t know, maybe I’m taking the over on that,” Golden said. “He has just been great. He’s been a leader. He’s pulling guys aside during practice. He has just made us so much bigger and stronger inside. He’s giving us an opportunity to play a lot of different fronts with him.”

The Bengals are hoping that Slaton can be the style of player that DJ Reader was in Cincinnati. Even if Slaton might not be able to match Reader’s Pro Bowl caliber talent, Slaton is an anchor at nose tackle and gives the defense the run stopper that it obviously lacked last season.

The Bengals made a bet this winter when they signed Slaton. They prioritized run defense over pass defense by signing a true two-down player in Slaton instead of an interior pass rusher.

Ted Karras agreed with the thinking of the Bengals’ front office.

“It becomes a down and distance situation,” Karras said. “If you look at 2nd and 9 percentage wise, it’s high-70s pass. That’s an extra passing down per first down. Analytically, if you can hold them to one-or-two yards on first down, you add 15 pass rush snaps a game based on the fact that 2nd and 9 is probably a 77% pass call in the NFL. 2nd and 4 is probably a 40% pass call. Maybe less.”

Having Slaton mixing it up and effectively taking on double teams (which Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson have struggled with) will help the Bengals’ defense face more 2nd and 9’s. When asked who has caught his attention on the other side of the ball, Karras immediately pointed out Slaton.

“I really like TJ Slaton,” Karras said. “He’s a really big addition to our defense as a man in the middle. He has a lot of experience. He’s a grown man with a presence in the middle of our defense.”

A defining drive of last season took place in the fourth quarter of the Eagles game when Philadelphia put the game by pounding the rock. It looked like a JV team against varsity.

On the other hand, Slaton (formerly a Green Bay Packer) played his best football against the Eagles last season.

“I just came ready to play football,” Slaton said. “It doesn’t matter (who it is). I have a job to do, and I’ll do my job to the best of my ability. It doesn't matter who’s in front of me. The run is the first thing we got to stop this year. That’s a focus right now that we’re all trying to get on the same page with so we can stop the run.”

Because they prioritized stopping the run, Hill will have to lead the way for the Bengals’ interior pass rush. He took a step back as a pass rusher last season. After picking up 4.5 sacks and 21 QBH in 2024, Hill only had three sacks and nine QBH in 2024.

I studied his film from 2024 in January and wrote, “More volatile than consistent. He put together stretches of big plays vs. the Ravens, Giants, Broncos and Steelers, but most of those plays are singles and doubles more than they are home runs. He also allowed many more big plays than he should have against the run and the pass.”

Hill points out that he received many more slides in pass protections and double teams than he ever had before. He was “the guy,” and he didn’t produce enough to fill that role effectively.

The Bengals are counting on a lot of production from Hill (who missed OTAs and mini-camp with a foot injury). The 30-year-old is the team’s only three-down defensive tackle.

“I learned a lot last year,” Hill said. “(New defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery) will help me out a lot more. I got the slide quite a bit last year. The way he’s teaching us how to rush, he’s going to open it up a lot. I’m diving even deeper into that.”

Aside from drafting the still unsigned Shemar Stewart, the Bengals’ biggest move to address their pass rush this offseason was bringing back Ossai. He started to turn the corner last December, delivering on some of the potential that he has teased and translating his athleticism into splash plays.

“I know how hard he has worked for this,” Cam Sample said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s going 100 mph. He brings it every day. That’s a guy you want to go to war with.”

The story of the first three years of Ossai’s career were injuries. Then last year, he was finally healthy. He still had to gain trust and confidence in some areas where he had battled injuries, especially his wrist. Trey Hendrickson encouraged him to stop wearing wrist tape, which Ossai said helped him get over that mental block.

Ossai signed a prove-it deal this year, and he has a shot to fill Sam Hubbard’s role in the starting lineup and get a real chance to see what he can do as a starter.

“Coming in from last year, being able to play as much as I did, take that and transition that confidence, swagger and knowledge into this year, it’s the best opportunity I’ve had,” Ossai said. “But that doesn’t mean anything if I don’t do anything with it.

On the Bengals’ defensive line, Hendrickson and Hill are the only proven starters.

Slaton was mostly a rotational player in Green Bay and now steps into a bigger role. Jenkins needs to make a big leap. Ossai and Myles Murphy have to take another step. McKinnley Jackson is a player on the rise, but Slaton will take most of the nose tackle snaps. Stewart has put himself in the spotlight. Cam Sample is essentially the backup pass rushing defensive tackle, and he’s coming off a torn Achilles.

“It’s a young group,” Hill said. “We’ve got the guys to make it an explosive D-Line. I like people sleeping on us. That’s fine. That’s cool. We’ve got the guys who can turn this thing around and make plays.”