Bengals Banking on Potential Over Production with Signing of Former 1st-Round Pick and Division Rival

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t drafted an interior defensive lineman in the first round in 30 years, but they added a former first rounder Sunday.

With the first practice of training camp three days away, the Bengals signed two defensive tackles, including Taven Bryan, a first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2018.

The Bengals also added defensive tackle McTelvin Agim, a third-round pick of the Broncos in 2020, center Andrew Raym and former University of Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder.

The Bengals went into free agency with a glaring need to add help to the interior of their defensive line, but their inability to get the extensions for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins finished in time cost them a chance to add a 3 technique.

They addressed their run defense issues with the addition of defensive tackle TJ Slaton, but it always felt as though they would be adding pass rush help at some point.

The need increased when B.J. Hill suffered a lower leg injury that kept him out of most of the offseason program.

Also an issue is that the team plans to use first-round defensive end Shemar Stewart on the interior in certain packages, but they still haven't signed him as the sides squabble over contract language.

Bryan, 29, had 6.5 sacks in four seasons with Jacksonville before starting all 16 games for the Browns in 2022 and playing the last two years with Colts.

He’s appeared in 113 games with 46 starts while recording 11.5 sacks.

Bryan appeared in all 17 games for the Colts in 2023 and 2024, playing 29 percent of the defensive snaps in each season.

While he’s never lived up to his first-round expectations, Bryan will give the Bengals some much-needed depth. And his blend of size, speed and strength gives him a chance to out-play the Bengals’ bargain-bin shopping spree on the eve of camp.

Agim has appeared in just 18 games while recording 1.5 sacks, and he’s only played one game since 2021.

Even when he played for the Broncos in 2020 and 2021, it wasn’t often as he logged 21 percent of the snaps as a rookie and 21 percent in 2021.

The Titans signed Agim to their practice squad in September last year, but they released him a few weeks before the 2025 draft.