Bengals are closing in on signing a Super Bowl champion right as the player he's replacing leaves
The third external free agent the Cincinnati Bengals are adding this week is former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Oren Burks. As first reported by NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the Bengals are closing in on a two-year, $5 million deal with Burks. Burks was originally a third-round pick of the Green Bay Packers from the 2018 NFL […]
The third external free agent the Cincinnati Bengals are adding this week is former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Oren Burks.
As first reported by NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the Bengals are closing in on a two-year, $5 million deal with Burks.
Burks was originally a third-round pick of the Green Bay Packers from the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent the first four years of his career in Green Bay playing 1,165 snaps on special teams and only 485 snaps on defense. His time with the Packers overlapped current Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery's run as the DL coach, so there's some level of familiarity here.
The San Francisco 49ers signed Burks to a two-year, $5 million deal in 2022 and he experienced more exposure on defense. His 326 snaps in 2023 remains a career-high for him and that doesn't include the 107 snaps he played in the postseason that year.
Burks then joined the Eagles on a one-year, $1.5 million deal in 2024 but was cut before the regular season and subsequently added to the team's practice squad. He was called upon to play starting in Week 7 and played in eight games to close the season out.
Philly continued to rely on Burks in the postseason after Nakobe Dean suffered a torn patellar tendon in the Wild Card Round. What ensued was the best football the 29-year old Burks has ever played. Pro Football Focus graded him at 80.7 overall and 82.9 in coverage during the playoffs, which ended in a Super Bowl title for him and the Eagles. Burks' highest-graded game was Philly's dominant championship win over the Kansas City Chiefs in which he turned in an 87.7.
Despite his increased playing time on defense, Burks continued to contribute heavily on special teams. The combination of his recent ascension and special teams prowess explains why Cincinnati targeted him on the first day of the legal negotiating window. The question is, which linebacker is Burks replacing?
What signing Burks means for the Bengals' linebacking corps
The Bengals were expecting turnover at the linebacker position this offseason. Germaine Pratt requested a trade last month, a sign that he doesn't expect to be in the plans to finish out his three-year contract he signed back in 2023. Akeem Davis-Gaither was entering free agency and ended up agreeing to terms for two years, $11 million with the Arizona Cardinals not long after the Burks signing was reported by Rapoport.
It doesn't look like a coincidence the Bengals locked in on Burks just before Davis-Gaither agreed to terms with the Cardinals. Considering the money Burks signed for, it makes sense for him to replace Davis-Gaither as the third linebacker on the depth chart and their new special teams ace. Davis-Gaither played 1,381 special teams snaps for Cincinnati including both regular season and playoff action. Burks has logged 2,204 special teams snaps on his career.
As for playing on defense, new defensive coordinator Al Golden did confirm his schematic philosophy involves 4-3 base personnel that goes into a 4-2 nickel. Burks is going to be one of the three linebackers on the field in base. Whether or not he's one of the two in nickel may not be clarified until later in the offseason.
The Bengals weren't going to move on from Pratt without first signing a replacement. Burks could be his replacement, but for now, he'll fill Davis-Gaither's role just as it became vacant.
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