CINCINNATI — The Bengals are entering a hazy era with their pass rush, especially if Trey Hendrickson ends up leaving in free agency. Head coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel Duke Tobin addressed their standings on the pass rush assets out there, whether it be in free agency or the draft.
Outside of Hendrickson, names like Odafe Oweh (Chargers), Jaelan Phillips (Eagles), Khalil Mack (Chargers), Boye Mafe (Seahawks), Jadeveon Clowney (Cowboys), and K’Lavon Chaisson (Patriots) are all candidates for the open market.
There are also four edge rushers in the consensus top 15 draftable players if Arvelle Reese ends up lining up on the ball.
“There is. 31 other teams are hunting,” Tobin said ther ebing good options out there. “But there are guys that we like that we can envision in our scheme elevating our team, and we’ll see. They have to be interested in us. They’ve got to make it to free agency. It’s got to fit within the context of what we’re talking about and all those things. It’s also a good rush draft. There are a lot of guys in the draft that we have high regard for. So it’s exciting for us when we look at how this guy would fit. Each guy has a slightly different analysis.
“This guy is probably going to be at this range. How would he fit? Would he elevate us enough? How would this guy fit? What does it do with our current team? How do we deploy the guys that we have on our roster? I think that the guys that we have on our roster can elevate our pass rush because I think we have a lot of guys that are young in their careers that can elevate our pass rush. You’ve got to get to third down to get that pass rush. And so it’s a two-pronged approach. You want to be good on first and second down as well. And it’s not just who’s doing it but what they’re doing, and we’re working on all those areas to get it fixed.”
Taylor echoed Tobin’s stance.
“There’s a good group of guys, you know, and so we’ll see how it fits for us and see where it goes,” Taylor said about the free agent market. “But you’re right in that it does matter. You just watch the playoffs.”
Cincinnati pressured the quarterback at a 20.9% rate last season, 23rd in the NFL, after being at 23.2% in 2024. Hendrickson’s injury was obviously a big factor, but that mark has to creep back up toward the elite 30% level.
“You watch the teams get after the passer, and it’s a big part of having success. You’re looking for force multipliers,” Taylor concluded.
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