The Cincinnati Bengals have focused on improving one of the worst defenses in the NFL from last season. They have brought in a number of players to fix every level of the defense.
The Bengals have essentially ignored the linebacker position this whole offseason, despite Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight ranking as two of the worst starting linebackers last season.
They were both rookies on a struggling defense, but for them not to even bring in competition is reminiscent of Cedric Ogbuehi at left tackle. Of course, we are rooting for these young guys to take that step, but they are banking an awful lot on it, with no other clear-cut options if it fails.
One simple way to hedge their bets is to bring in a veteran linebacker, if for no other reason than to help these young guys along. Here are some of the best options left after the draft.
Bobby Wagner: Wagner had a couple of productive seasons for the Washington Commanders. He played almost every defensive snap and posted 132 tackles in 2024 and 162 tackles in 2025. He will be 36 when the season starts, but this team needs experience there and not another long-term solution.
Wagner won’t be helpful in the passing game, which is the biggest knock against him. However, he could come in and instantly be almost an extra coach for these guys and a decent fallback plan.
Shaq Thompson: Thompson spent last season with the Buffalo Bills and was middle-of-the-road in pass coverage. That makes him one of the best remaining coverage linebackers. He did struggle against the run, though. He also had 14 missed tackles on the year.
Listen, you wait after the draft, and this is the caliber of free agent waiting, okay? He has plenty of experience in the league and can still be a nice average-level linebacker.
Bobby Okereke: Last seen with the New York Giants, Okereke is another middle-of-the-road linebacker. He was released as the Giants pivot to a new era with John Harbaugh as their head coach. He is another linebacker who will be better against the pass than the run. His 21 missed tackles are an issue, but at this point, you are getting a run stopper or a coverage guy. He played over 1,000 snaps last season and will only be turning 30 in July.
Jerome Baker: Baker didn’t play a major role for the Cleveland Browns after signing with them last year, but he was effective when he was out there. He played a similar role with them that he would play here. Playing behind a young group of linebackers. Except he could end up playing more if there are struggles. Baker is once again better against the pass over his career than the run.
As you can tell, they aren’t exactly picking from the cream of the crop anymore and need to get creative or make some concessions with what they are looking for.
Would you like to see them sign someone on this list? Maybe someone we didn’t talk about? Or maybe you are just looking to have them let it ride, banking on the youth to improve.