Bengals rumor could lead to signings of Packers and Colts free agents
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It's no secret that the Cincinnati Bengals need help on defense.
Along with injuries to Joe Burrow, Cincinnati's unit is one of the biggest reasons why the Bengals haven't made the playoffs in three straight seasons.
Going into this offseason, Cincinnati needs help at just about every level of the defense, so we expect the Bengals to be aggressive.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Bengals are a team to watch for Green Bay Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary and Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross.
Here's more from Fowler:
The team that could prove most aggressive on the defensive free agent market is Cincinnati, which is exploring just about every position group. Edge rusher Rashan Gary is a name to watch here should the Packers move on. New Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery was with Gary in Green Bay. Cincinnati has been linked to safety Nick Cross and several defensive linemen, too.
The Bengals' need along the edge is dire now that Trey Hendrickson is off to free agency and isn't coming back. Cincinnati may also have to replace Joseph Ossai, who is also a pending free agent.
At safety, Geno Stone is a pending free agent and isn't guaranteed to be back.
Gary has been viewed as a cut or trade candidate the entire offseason after he disappeared in the second half of 2025. The former first-round pick has still managed to be fairly productive with 46.5 career sacks over seven seasons.
The Packers edge rusher appeared to have confirmed he wasn't going to stay in Green Bay with a social media post that bid farewell to the Packers, but that post has since been deleted and the claim is that Gary was hacked and that wasn't him.
Even still, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says all options are on the table with Gary, including a release and trade.
Cross' future with the Colts remains murky. Indianapolis is already shelling out significant money to quarterback Daniel Jones via the transition tag, and Alec Pierce is another expensive, high-priority free agent.
If the Colts bring both back, they might not have the funds to re-sign Cross.
Given how desperate they are, we could see Cincinnati bringing in both players.
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