The Cincinnati Bengals have almost too many problems for just one summer. A dreadful defense performance led them to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Unfortunately, the front office prioritized the offense, a move that has received intense scrutiny since.
As a result, contract drama surrounding Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart has plagued the Bengals throughout the offseason. With the edge rusher situation not seeing any conclusion anytime soon, one analyst wants Cincy to turn its attention elsewhere on the defensive line.
No Trey Hendrickson, No Problem for the Cincinnati Bengals
Rather than finding a way to bring back the league leader in sacks, the Bengals offered historic extensions to both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins over the summer. This left the team extremely cash-strapped and caused many problems throughout the offseason.
Hendrickson isn’t back on the team with a new deal, and the lack of money has also caused them to alienate their first-round pick over contract clauses. With those situations not seeing any solution, Cory Woodroof of USA Today switched gears in Cincinnati.
Rather than trying to beat a dead horse, his focus was firmly on finding other talent that could serve to elevate a defense that ranked in the bottom five of PFSN’s Defense+ metric last season.
As a result, in his list of landing spots for the remaining premier free agents, Woodroof paired Cincinnati with Matthew Judon. A former fifth-round pick in 2016, Judon had firmly outplayed his draft positioning with four consecutive Pro Bowl selections, starting in 2019.
While two years removed from his last Pro Bowl campaign, he was still an effective and proven commodity on the defensive line. After the burden Burrow had to carry for the entire 2024 season, the Bengals will be hoping that the defense can support him, at least to some extent, this year.
Matt Judon now has a career-high 10.5 sacks. #NEvsATL pic.twitter.com/IWRl2o9fgy
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) November 19, 2021
“Judon is the right guy for Cincinnati to bring in with so much uncertainty with the pass rush,” Woodruff wrote. “He could stand for a bounce-back season after a relatively down year with the Atlanta Falcons last season. The Bengals need him.”
For Judon, it would be a chance to rebuild his reputation in one of the marquee teams across the league. With the focus of the NFL on him, Judon could earn a bigger paycheck down the road, potentially the last one of his storied career.
