Bengals: Four free agency targets from conference championship teams

Team: Baltimore Ravens
Position: Defensive tackle
2024 age: 27

If the Bengals were to make a splash in free agency, defensive tackle feels like the position to do so. They've done it before with DJ Reader, and with Reader's departure a good possibility, the position group is set to be a massive liability for an already underwhelming defense.

Madubuike is not a Reader replacement as he does his work outside of the A-gaps in Baltimore. That said, he's one of the best defensive lineman set to enter a deep free agency class. He posted 13 sacks in what has been a career-year for an elite Ravens defense, and he just turned 26. These are the players you pay a premium for, and the Bengals' history would agree. 

Donovan Peoples-Jones

Team: Detroit Lions
Position: Wide receiver
2024 age: 25

Cincinnati knows Peoples-Jones very well from facing him during his Cleveland Browns days. The Lions traded for the former sixth-round pick this season and implemented him as their punt returner. He's yet to be involved much as a receiver since joining the NFC North champions.

The tape from 2021-22 shows that DPJ is an exciting—albeit inconsistent—vertical threat, and one that has had success against the Bengals. He's gone over 80 receiving yards in three of his six career games vs. Cincinnati. Should the Bengals move on from Tyler Boyd and want a veteran to round out the room prior to the draft, Peoples-Jones makes sense as a low-cost depth piece.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Team: Kansas City Chiefs 
Position: Running back
2024 age: 25

The Bengals may not know Edwards-Helaire very well, but their two best players do. CEH was the lead running back for LSU's perfect 2019 season along with quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase. That season helped him get drafted in the first round by the Chiefs, but his career thus far has not been worth that investment. He's averaging well below four yards a carry this year and has forced just 24 missed tackles in the last two years combined after forcing 39 as a rookie.

Edwards-Helaire has held on to a minor role within the Chiefs' offense, but he could absolutely use a fresh start. What better landing spot than with the QB he took handoffs and checkdown passes from in college? He's an obvious scheme fit that, if surrounded by close friends, might be extra motivated to locate some of the juice he once had a few years ago .

Javon Kinlaw

Team: San Francisco 49ers
Position: Defensive tackle
2024 age: 27

One of many notable defensive linemen for the 49ers, Kinlaw finally seems to have unlocked some of that elite pass-rushing potential that got him drafted 14th overall back in 2020. He's already put together his best season in terms of getting after the quarterback with 32 pressures and an 11% win rate, and has yet to miss a tackle in nearly 500 snaps.

San Francisco somehow finds a way to pay most of their good players, but with so much investment already in their front four, Kinlaw might have a chance to test the free agency waters. He makes perfect sense as that missing 3-technique to pair with B.J. Hill in Cincinnati.

There are much bigger names on these teams that are eligible for new contracts, such as Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones or 49ers edge defender Chase Young, but the Bengals are also fairly predictable when it comes to their veteran targets.

Their typical targets are at least a few years under the age of 30. They also don't come near market-resetting deals at any position, though Reader's deal was in the ballpark, and at least a handful of signings won't end up becoming true starters.  

Free agency extends beyond the likes of Reader, Trey Hendrickson, and Orlando Brown Jr. The Bengals value players from winning cultures who can provide an excess of value.

Should these players become available in March, Cincinnati will have eyes on the.