Good News: Bengals could land a rival top player for free.
The Cincinnati Bengals are in dire need of defensive line support.
The Bengals are reportedly interested in San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Arik Armstead, according to Aaron Wilson.
Is assistance maybe on the way?
Armstead, who just completed his eighth NFL season and is due to make $17.41 million in 2024, is expected to be a cap casualty. He just finished a season in which he made 12 appearances for the NFC champion team. He had a career-best 85.1 pass-rushing grade from Pro Football Focus in addition to recording 27 tackles, five sacks, 13 QB hits, and four tackles for loss.
Throughout his career, Armstead has made 302 tackles, 33.5 sacks, 43 tackles for loss, and 88 quarterback hits in 116 games (97 starts). He has received PFF grades of 89.8 in 2019, 76.0 in 2020, 77.9 in 2021, 63.3 in 2022, and 81.9 in 2023 during the last five seasons.
The Bengals defense would benefit greatly from the 6-foot-7, 290-pound Armstead, but there will undoubtedly be competition for him. Wilson pointed out that the Houston Texans have expressed interest in Armstead and recently dealt Maliek Collins, so maybe they are optimistic about completing a deal with him.