The Cincinnati Bengals have some tough decisions to make in free agency this offseason beyond the highlight of wideout Tee Higgins.
Cincinnati has a few notable defenders heading to the open market who feel like coin flips as to whether they return. Think, B.J. Hill, Joseph Ossai and Mike Hilton — and that’s before considering Germaine Pratt’s trade request.
The Bengals could always look to massage some of those possible losses with outside free agents though. The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher just provided the perfect example while listing the Bengals as one of just a few teams as a fit for Dallas Cowboys free agent Osa Odighizuwa:
He led all interior defenders in quarterback hits this season and is a force as a pass rusher despite less-than-stellar sack totals. He is on the smaller side for a defensive tackle, but teams prioritizing pass-rush ability and durability will fall in love with Odighizwua this offseason.
The projected contract there is a three-year deal worth $63 million, putting him in the $20 million-per-year range.
It’s not all that outlandish for the Bengals to consider, either. Hill is hitting that age of 30 that the Bengals don’t like to pay up for and projections put him at roughly $9 million per year on his next deal.
While the Bengals have to pay up big on a Trey Hendrickson extension, other linemates such as Myles Murphy are on rookie deals and Sheldon Rankins and Sam Hubbard are cut candidates. It isn’t that hard to see the team sliding some of the cap savings to an outside addition like Odighizuwa, especially after the linebackers and overall defense were so exposed after losing DJ Reader in the middle.
Odighizuwa isn’t Reader, but he would give the line more versatility and burst. At 26 years old, he’s certainly one to watch if the Bengals want to be buyers.
