<\/p>\n
As of this writing, the\u00a0Cincinnati Bengals\u00a0often get tabbed as a franchise about to invest in its defensive line in the top 10 of the 2026 NFL draft.<\/p>\n
Makes sense, really. The draft class has a smattering of elite front seven prospects like Peter Woods. Cincinnati\u2019s own front seven was a disaster last season, to put it nicely.<\/p>\n
But it might not be that simple.<\/p>\n
In fact, Sports Illustrated’s\u00a0Conor Orr\u00a0just listed bold predictions for each NFL team and suggested the\u00a0Bengals\u00a0going with a secondary player at No. 10 is one:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bengals want the coaching staff to develop the talent up front, and in the meantime, will aid the pass rush by bolstering the secondary. Either Caleb Downs or Mansoor Delane will wind up in stripes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n But it might not end up being that bold.<\/p>\n The Bengals already have two first-round edge defenders with Shemar Stewart and Myles Murphy. Odds are they\u2019ll sign another pass-rusher if they don\u2019t bring back free agent Joseph Ossai. And one has to think they\u2019ll sign a quality free agent starter for the interior.<\/p>\n Secondary talent is harder to come by. Just ask the Bengals, who have been reeling since letting Jessie Bates get away a year ago.<\/p>\n Adding a blue-chip talent in the top 10 to a secondary with budding boundary stars like Dax Hill and DJ Turner would be a shrewd move.<\/p>\n The whole idea hinges on the Bengals actually spending notable free-agency money on the front seven in front of the secondary, but it\u2019s one path forward that might not end up being that bold in hindsight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" usatoday.com wants to ensure the best experience for all of our readers, so we built our site to take advantage of the latest technology, making it faster and easier to use.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cincinnati-bengals"],"yoast_head":"\n