The Cincinnati Bengals enter the offseason with linebacker sticking out as one of the team’s biggest needs.
While Germaine Pratt looks like a promising upstart, Nick Vigil is a free agent and the team cut Preston Brown. Clearly, it could be headed for a massive overhaul.
Luckily for the Bengals, there could be plenty of talent in free agency. We’ve already looked at free agents in the offensive tackles and guards areas.
Kyle Van Noy
Any time a team can bring on a versatile player from a program like the one in New England’s…it’s probably a good idea.
Van Noy was a bust out of the second round for a few years in Detroit before the Patriots got their hands on him. He’s slowly blossomed into a strong all-around player.
Now he’s a guy checking in with an 83.6 grade at Pro Football Focus after a season with 56 tackles, three forced fumbles and passes defensed and 6.5 sacks. Is Van Noy too rich for the Bengals? Maybe, but he fits well with the multiple look the defense now employs.
Blake Martinez
Martinez has managed to go underrated while pass rushers surrounding him soak up the fame.
Not that the Bengals would complain.
Martinez is a former fourth-round pick who is just 26 years old and just had a third consecutive season with a minimum of 144 tackles. Don’t forget two forced fumbles and passes defensed with an interception.
While Martinez hasn’t been the best in coverage when targeted, he’s uber-productive and a nice quality buy.
Joe Schobert
Schobert might not have many fans in Cincinnati as a Browns player, but he’s another uber-productive player who just seems to be involved in everything.
Hence the 408 combined tackles over just four seasons.
Tackles aren’t everything, of course. Schobert is 28 and last year alone had four interceptions and nine passes defensed while permitting 38 catches on 55 targets.
Again, not perfect in today’s NFL, but arguably an upgrade for the Bengals for a unit that needs to modernize.
Cory Littleton
Littleton is quietly one of the hottest names in free agency.
Just check how experts view him:
A 26-year-old ‘backer with superb coverage skills, Littleton has 315 total tackles despite just two of his four seasons boasting more than 26 percent of the snaps. Over that span he’s picked off six passes with 26 passes defensed.
Or written another way, he’s the perfect add for the Bengals.
