Thanks in part to a defense that ranked 30th in the NFL in scoring and 31st in yards, the Bengals sputtered to a 6-11 record in 2025. A healthy season from quarterback Joe Burrow would go a long way toward an improved record in 2026, but the Bengals are still in dire need of defensive help. They figure to focus on that side of the ball in the upcoming draft.
Holding the 10th overall pick and looking to boost a lackluster pass rush, the Bengals hosted Miami defensive end Rueben Bain on Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. There are serious concerns over Bain’s short arms, and some regard Miami teammate and potential first-rounder Akheem Mesidor as the better edge prospect. Although Mesidor is already 25, more teams than expected prefer him to the soon-to-be 22-year-old Bain, according to Albert Breer of SI.com.
While there may be leeriness toward Bain in some circles, the 6-foot-2, 263-pounder is widely considered a top-10 prospect. To finish off a terrific three-season run with the Hurricanes, Bain won ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American in 2025. In addition to an FBS-high 83 pressures, he tallied 15.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in 16 games.
The Bengals ended last year just 25th in sacks, which explains their interest in Bain. They also lost their best pass rusher, Trey Hendrickson, to the AFC North rival Ravens in free agency. While Hendrickson barely factored in during a seven-game, injury-wrecked 2025, he posted a league-leading 35 sacks over the previous two seasons. Expecting that type of production from Bain or anyone else would be unrealistic, but the Bengals would benefit from adding a new blue-chip talent on the edge.
Cincinnati signed former Seahawk Boye Mafe to a three-year, $60MM contract in free agency, though the team also lost Joseph Ossai to the Jets. That leaves the Bengals with Mafe, Myles Murphy and former first-round pick Shemar Stewart as their top edge rushers. The jury is still out on Stewart, a raw prospect they chose 17th overall last year, after he mustered just 11 tackles and a sack in an eight-game rookie season. Pro Football Focus ranked Stewart’s performance last among 119 qualifiers at his position.
Meanwhile, although there are questions over whether the Bengals will add a linebacker, they hosted decorated Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez on Friday, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. If Rodriguez falls to the Bengals’ second-round pick, they could consider snagging the 6-1, 231-pounder. The Bengals’ second selection slots in at No. 41, which is exactly where Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com ranks Rodriguez among this year’s prospects.
Rodriguez, who began his college career at Virginia, broke out at Texas Tech in 2024. Over 13 games, he racked up 127 tackles, 10.5 TFL, five sacks and three forced fumbles en route to first-team All-Big 12 honors. Last season was another first-team All-Big 12 showing for the 23-year-old Rodriguez, who notched 128 tackles (11 TFL), forced a whopping seven fumbles, intercepted four passes and recorded a sack. He earned unanimous All-America honors, took home major hardware (including the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for the best defender in college defender) and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy race.
In moving on from Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson, the Bengals have turned over their linebacker group in the past year-plus. The team spent a second-rounder on Demetrius Knight and a fourth-rounder on Barrett Carter last spring. They took over as rookie starters, but neither thrived on a bottom-tier defense. Although the Bengals have not made any needle-moving additions at linebacker this offseason, that could change if they draft Rodriguez or another high-end prospect.
2 of the dream tandem first 2 picks guys