Bengals still look like big winners for Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook signings
The strong reviews for the two biggest moves for the Bengals in free agency keep coming.
While not everyone has loved how the Cincinnati Bengals handled some of the contracts, cap hits and salary cap in NFL free agency , most agree on one thing: The Bengals got much better with their two big swings in free agency. Boye Mafe is an edge rusher who echoes the initial Trey Hendrickson signing years ago and helps the pass-rush. Bryan Cook is a massive upgrade at safety who can fix a years-long problem.
Sketching out the best moves of NFL free agency to date, PFF’s Gordon McGuinness highlighted the Mafe move: “Mafe has earned a PFF overall grade above 70. 0 and produced 40 or more pressures in each of the past three seasons. ” The praise was just as high for the Cook addition: “Cook's 83.
5 PFF overall grade in 2025 ranked fourth among all safeties. Meanwhile, the Bengals‘ starting safeties ranked tied for 57th and 72nd. This moves the needle for Cincinnati‘s defense, giving it a sure tackler who notched PFF grades above 80.
0 both against the run and in coverage last season. ” The Bengals added Jonathan Allen to the defensive line, too, in the hopes of boosting the interior pass-rush in a notable way before the draft. Adding a veteran at linebacker and more edge rushers and cornerbacks is next on the to-do list for the Bengals, with those last two items very much in play at No.