Report links Bengals to pass-rusher ahead of free agency
Defensive line is a sneaky need for the Bengals this offseason.
One area you can never count out the Cincinnati Bengals spending on is the defensive line.
Look no further than the deals DJ Reader and Trey Hendrickson signed for over the past three years.
Cincinnati won't be in the market for contracts of that level this week, but there's one player to keep in mind as free agency begins.
ESPN's Dan Graziano reports that Houston Texans defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo is a potential target for the Bengals as they look to bolster their pass rush.
The Bengals are among the teams looking for edge rush help in free agency and could be one of the teams interested in Obo Okoronkwo if the Texans aren't able to get him signed before the market opens.
A fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams back in 2018, (when Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was still an assistant coach for L.A.) Okoronkwo signed a one-year, $3.25 million contract with the Texans last offseason. He proceeded to have his best season to date; recording five sacks and 36 pressures on just 268 total pass-rushing snaps.
Pro Football Focus graded him out at 81.9 as a pass-rusher, and spent equal time coming off the right and left side of the formation.
Okoronkwo could look to cash in this week for his first major contract, but a modest multi-year deal might be in the cards for Cincy. Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard make for a quality 1-2 duo at edge, and Joseph Ossai is primed for a breakout third season behind them.
The soon-to-be 28-year old Okoronkwo would fit in perfectly to make a dynamic quartet of edge rushers.
Taylor's knowledge of Okoronkwo can also play a factor in this. In his last game as a Ram, Okoronkwo played 10 snaps against the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
With Hendrickson and Hubbard locked in for at least two more years, Okoronkwo won't be tasked with a starter's role for the Bengals. If that's what he's after, he'll have to find it someplace else.
But as a complementary rusher with upside? The match is ideal for Cincinnati.
