Bengals Urged to Add Veteran Defender Before New Season

The Cincinnati Bengals need to make a change before the 2026 season kicks off.

At least, that’s according to ESPN, which penned a column revealing the one move the Worldwide Leader would like to see every team make before the upcoming season begins. For the Bengals, it’s investing a quality linebacker that can help one of the worst units in the league.

“Linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter were not very good as rookies for the Bengals last season, and it’s a position where the team can definitely still upgrade. A lot of Bengals fans are interested in Bobby Wagner, but it’s hard to say how much he still has in the tank at age 36,” ESPN said.

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“A better choice might be Okereke, formerly of the Giants. He’s much more of a run stopper than a pass coverage guy, but so is Wagner at this point, and Okereke is less likely to be in decline as he turns 30 in late July. And like Wagner, Okereke is a high-character locker room influence, as he was the Giants’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award last season,” it added.

During the 2025 season, the Bengals fielded the second-worst total defense, allowing over 380 yards per game and had the third-worst scoring defense while allowing 28.9 points per game.

Adding quality defenders could take some of the pressure off of star quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense.

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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 5:18 PM.