Week 2 of NFL free agency is when the Cincinnati Bengals have historically, as the kids say, cooked.

That's right. Before the days of signing DJ Reader and Alex Cappa in the first hours (or seconds) of legal tampering, the Bengals waited until the bargain bin at your local Walmart was running low on $1.50 DVDs from 2005. Only then would they pounce. 

Not a great way to build a roster. 

For a second, it seemed like the Bengals were reverting back to this last week. The signings of Orlando Brown Jr. and Nick Scott eased tensions, but there's plenty of work to be done as the NFL Draft slowly creeps up.

It would be wise of the team to add at least one player to the following position groups before they turn their attention to the rookie class.

Tight end

This is obvious. Not only is Hayden Hurst gone, the players formerly underneath him aren't under contract either. Mitchell Wilcox and Drew Sample are floating in limbo as we currently speak. The odds heavily point to both staying there for the time being.

Cincinnati very much needs a veteran presence aside from Devin Asiasi, who was claimed off waivers last season and tallied a whopping two receptions for five yards for the offense. The Bengals will undoubtedly dip into this tight end class. That's exciting, but rookies at that position rarely produced at a high-level right out the gate. It's a tough spot to make an immediate impact. 

If it's not Foster Moreau, whom they hosted for a visit late last week, it'll be more of a stop-gap option they add. 

Running back

Why Samaje Perine left the Bengals for the Denver Broncos for what was reportedly a very similar deal remains to be seen. His return would've made him the lead veteran back in the offense as he ushers in a rookie likely to be selected on day two of the Draft. Instead, he joins Sean Payton's new offense behind third-year running back Javonte Williams.

Perine's departure makes the Bengals' situation trickier. They're holding onto Joe Mixon and his cap hit of nearly $13 million for now, but nothing seems to indicate he'll be on the team at that number come September. The Bengals have asked players to take pay cuts before. It doesn't usually end that way.

Mixon's release is imminent once the Draft comes and goes, meaning the Bengals will look for a veteran replacement. Now that the market has died down at the position, they'll begin the search.

Cornerback 

Eli Apple is still a free agent. That could be the case for a week, a month, or a whole year considering how the rest of the league feels about him. The Bengals will always be in play with him so long as Lou Anarumo is the defensive coordinator. The two may not see eye-to-eye with Apple's Twitter antics, but the former-first round pick fits well with what Anarumo does defensively.

If Apple doesn't return, there's a major vacancy in his place. Chidobe Awuzie is expected to return for the start of the season from his torn ACL, which would give the secondary a full slate of starters for Week 1. But Apple's value has always shown when injuries occur at the position. They need to be prepared with a competent first corner off the bench.

The Draft may ultimately provide that player. Injecting youth behind Awuzie feels like the right move anyways. But Apple's return would suffice for now.

Defensive tackle

You can make the same argument for cornerback as you can here. Behind Reader and B.J. Hill, there's next to nothing in terms of a pass-rush presence. The absence of any additional explosion inside hurt the Bengals' defense against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship. Continuing to operate without it will only make things more difficult.

With Reader and Hill already deep into their second contracts, drafting a high-upside rusher to develop over the next year would be a smart investment. But if they already view Zach Carter as that guy, then bringing in a vet wouldn't be the worst thing either.

Keep this in mind: Cincinnati hasn't used a first-round pick on a defensive lineman in over 20 years. Any help in the draft is arriving after the 28th overall pick.