Bengals Offseason: 5 Available Free Agents that Could Make an Impact

After a busy start to free agency, the Bengals have been relatively quiet for the last couple of weeks. They’ve addressed the most obvious need of protecting Joe Burrow. While there’s no rule that says you must use all of your cap space, Spotrac’s cap tracker has them with roughly $11 million left to spend. With that in mind, here are 5 available players that could make a difference for the Bengals in 2022.

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S Tyrann Mathieu

Mathieu is, in some sense, a cop-out answer. Vonn Bell was fine last season, earning a 74.2 overall grade from PFF while starting opposite Jessie Bates III. He will be fine again if handed the starting role. However, the top teams in the NFL haven’t shied away from splash additions, and Mathieu would be just that for the Bengals. He’s coming off of back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons and has only missed 2 games in the last 5 seasons. There’s really not much else that needs to be said about him – he’s a top safety in the league and would help any team that picked him up. The price tag may be a bit too much for the Bengals realistically, but there’s no reason he shouldn’t get an offer.

CB Kevin King

King is much further from a sure thing. In five NFL seasons, he’s approached a full season only once, in 2019. Since then, he’s struggled with injuries that kept him out for some time in 2020 and 2021 and ultimately kept him out of Green Bay’s corner rotation down the stretch of 2021. I’ve defended Eli Apple‘s 2021 performance for the Bengals, but he’s still a weakness in the lineup. King received a 70.6 overall grade from PFF in limited 2021 snaps, a far cry from Apple’s 60.9 mark.

King definitely comes with some injury risk, but he’s worth a look. He played 2021 on a one-year deal for about $5 million – if the Bengals can get him on a similar offer, he’d figure to start immediately. If King can stay healthy and find his 2019 form, he would be one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL. The Bengals could use that to pair with Chidobe Awuzie and boost an already good secondary to the next level.

WR Will Fuller V

Fuller is an intriguing free agent in that we’re not really sure what he is. He’s never played a full season in the NFL, and the one year he stayed healthy, he was handed a 6-game PED suspension. He sat out practically all of 2021 for personal reasons, but his 2020 numbers show promise even in the wake of the aforementioned suspension. In 11 games in 2020, Fuller posted 53 receptions for 879 yards and 8 touchdowns, all career highs. The Bengals’ receiving room is obviously good enough to compete as is, but Fuller would give them a speed threat that they don’t really have yet – Ja’Marr Chase isn’t slow, but he’s also not going to blow the top off a defense by running in straight lines really fast.

The obvious concern with Fuller is his health. He hasn’t played more than 11 games in a season since his rookie season in 2016. However, in Cincinnati, he wouldn’t need to be a top receiver. If he can give you 20-25 receptions and spell Chase, Tyler Boyd, and Tee Higgins occasionally, that’s a win. If he can’t do that, you don’t lose much. Even in this wide receiver market, I can’t see someone with Fuller’s injury history commanding a big salary. If he does, the Bengals likely can’t get him, but as with Mathieu, he’s worth at least an offer at the right price.

OG Quinton Spain

The Bengals have already brought in new presumed starters at center, right guard, and right tackle. Jackson Carman is on the roster, but Spain still being a free agent begs the question: why not? He’ll be 31 at the start of the season, but he played well for Cincinnati last season and would keep continuity on Burrow’s blind side if he slots in at left guard. Spain’s durability proved important as well, as he was one of only two Cincinnati linemen to suit up in every game they played. (Spain missed Week 18, when the Bengals rested all starters.)

TE Anthony Firkser

If you ask Pro Football Focus, Firkser had a down year in 2021 for the Tennessee Titans. In some ways, they’re right – he posted his lowest yards per reception number of his career. However, Firkser made a name for himself in 2020 as a reliable tight end who would make catches when needed. The Bengals don’t have a tight end on the roster right now committed past 2022, even with the signing of Hayden Hurst this offseason. Firkser provides an affordable option to give Burrow another safety blanket at the tight end spot if he needs it. According to PFR, he caught 79% of his targets last season, and his career number in that department is 75.7%. He’s not the most explosive threat out there, but bringing him in on a multi-year deal would provide some stability at the tight end spot that the Bengals don’t have yet.

– Chris Railsback is a contributing writer for the Bengals at Full Press Coverage.