Grading the signing: Bengals satiate their defensive tackle need with former 2-time Pro Bowler cap casualty
Cincinnati has dipped back into free agency by signing defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.
The Cincinnati Bengals went back in the free agent waters after nearly three days of inactivity to acquire former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.
Cincinnati is signing Allen, who made two Pro Bowls during the prime of his ongoing 10-year career, to a two-year, $26 million deal that’s worth up to $28 million with incentives.
It should be noted Allen is owed $8 million from the Vikings in the form of guaranteed salary, so the amount of cash Cincinnati is paying him may be affected to by that. Regardless of that detail, the Bengals are spending legitimate money to try and shore up one of their biggest remaining weaknesses on the roster.
Grading the Bengals signing defensive tackle Jonathan Allen
Grade: B
There’s definite nuance with this deal. Allen became one of the best remaining defensive tackles on the market when the Vikings officially designated him as a post-June 1 cut Wednesday. Reports of that move first emerged last week. Cincinnati entered free agency knowing its interior pass rush still isn’t good enough, and are coming away with a proven veteran to help solve the problem.
Allen remains a capable pass rusher who can push the pocket despite entering his 10th year in the league at 31 years of age. He posted an 11.8% pass rush win rate against true pass sets last season while registering 34 pressures and 3.5 sacks.
While that production is welcomed by the Bengals, Allen’s numbers have dropped off over the last two years. That’s a natural occurrence for players who enter their 30s, but $26 million over two years is a good amount of money for someone at this point in his career.
Despite Allen’s age and production, releasing him was still a surprise to our own Tyler Forness:
“The biggest surprise with the Vikings’ offseason moves was choosing to move on from Allen. It only saved $6.5 million on the salary cap, with $17.53 million dead. That’s a major impact on the salary cap, with the biggest reason likely being that the Vikings don’t want to spend a lot of cash.
Allen is entering his age 31 season and he’s not the player he used to be, but he was plenty good enough last season, he just didn’t produce the amount of sacks and pressures many believed he would at $17 million per season. He was plenty good enough for the Vikings in maximizing the blitzes that Brian Flores called, and he was a solid run defender, but his performance wasn’t good enough to warrant paying a base salary of $16.2 million.
What you will get with Allen is a smart and savvy player who will raise the baseline of your defensive line, but he is no longer the difference maker he used to be.” — Tyler Forness, A to Z Minnesota
What bumps this grade up to a solid B for the Bengals is that Allen won’t count against the compensatory pick formula for the 2027 NFL Draft. Cincinnati is on track to receive a third- and seventh-round pick in next year’s draft as they’ve only signed two unrestricted free agents and lost four to projected qualifying deals. Trey Hendrickson’s $28 million per year deal and Cordell Volson’s $3.22 million deal, would net them the respective picks. Allen, being a street free agent after he was cut, does not count as a UFA signing.
Will the Bengals cut ties with B.J. Hill after signing Allen?
Allen is set to be the highest-paid DT on the Bengals’ roster, eclipsing the Average Annual Value B.J. Hill signed for last free agency. Instead of cutting Hill to fit Allen, it looks like the club will keep both and form a new tandem at the 3-technique spot.
Hill ended up teasing the signing minutes before it was reported with a smiley face emoji.
That reads as someone happy to have a new partner in crime.
Nose tackle T.J. Slaton Jr. may be the one in trouble following this news. Cincy can save $6.4 million in cap space by releasing him if Allen’s cap hit takes up too much space for the front office’s liking. It would be best to keep as much depth there as possible, but the Bengals never like to be close against the salary cap.