Bengals fans can watch free agents during the Browns vs. Texans playoff game.
After this upcoming season, the Cincinnati Bengals will have a number of holes to cover in free agency as several of their own players may choose to sign with other teams.
Though they have demonstrated a greater willingness in recent years to pursue higher-tier names like DJ Reader, Orlando Brown Jr., and Trey Hendrickson, they are still a team that prefers not to enter the NFL Draft with clear needs. As such, they frequently sign mid-tier free agents at positions of need to keep their draft options open.
Let’s look at the players that the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans have who are free agents and might be interesting targets.
Texans DTs Sheldon Rankins and Teair Tart
Because they play similar roles, I have combined these two players. The Bengals are in dire need of defensive line talent. Tart and Rankins both provide something to meet that desire.
Both struggle with consistency and are better at rush defense than run blocking. But none of the players on the Bengals’ current DT depth chart can rush the passer as well as they can, and adding a run-stopper to the mix would drastically improve the DT rotation.
Tart is a younger player who is still somewhat unknown and will probably be seeking a longer contract. Rankins, on the other hand, is a little older, more experienced, and maybe a little more expensive.
