Following a subpar 9-8 finish to their 2024 campaign, the Cincinnati Bengals shouldn’t be shy of any aggression heading into the offseason.
With the Philadelphia Eagles dominating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, the NFL offseason is here and each of the 32 clubs will look to be strategic to improve the future outlook of their squad.
For the Bengals, they recently got a career season from Joe Burrow, who surpassed 4,900 passing yards with 40-plus touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase was superb at wide receiver and will command quite the contract extension this offseason.
Will Tee Higgins leave after hitting the open market in free agency? Will the club extend Trey Hendrickson’s contract or trade him? There are massive questions to be answered for Cincinnati this offseason.
The Bengals can’t just make moves to retain — or not retain — players, though. With Al Golden taking over as the defensive coordinator, he needs help on the squad, and the Bengals will need to add some defensive line talent.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden.
Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
One player who the club was pitched to pursue is Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa. The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher projects the defender to secure a three-year, $63 million deal this offseason.
“This is not a particularly deep class when it comes to interior defensive linemen, but there are two top-end talents who will get massive deals. The first is Osa Odighizuwa, a four-year starter for the Dallas Cowboys after being selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft,” Mosher wrote. “…Look for Odighizuwa to earn a contract worth at least $20 million per season. Given the lack of depth at defensive tackle in free agency, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he earned significantly more.”
The Bengals will have to get creative with the salary cap, and Burrow is willing to restructure his deal with others likely willing to do the same, allowing Cincinnati to make moves in the short term to build a Super Bowl-contending squad.
Odighizuwa would give the Bengals some help on the interior defensive line, bringing a game-wrecker to the defense to help Hendrickson get into the backfield and make some noise.
Mosher lists the Washington Commanders and New York Giants as two other potential suitors for the defender.
