Impending Chiefs free agents the Bengals should target

The Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs square off in the AFC Championship on Sunday, meaning each team has a maximum of two games left in the season.

As March 16th approaches, the Bengals will start looking for players to sign in NFL free agency.

The Bengals will have plenty of money to spend in the offseason. That’s a great position to be in for a team playing in a conference championship.

According to Overthecap.com, the Bengals will have $59 million to spend in free agency. The other three teams playing this weekend have a combined $10 million.

If the Bengals spend their money wisely, they could become one of the top Super Bowl favorites in 2022.

As they get ready to play the Chiefs, here are some players from Kansas City the Bengals could add in 2022.

Blake Bell, TE

While Blake Bell isn’t the tight end out of Kansas City that gets all the attention, he is a solid contributor to their offense.

Appearing in 13 games with the Chiefs in 2021, he only had nine receptions for 87 yards, three of which came against the Bengals in Week 17.

While Bell wouldn’t receive many passes from Joe Burrow if the Bengals, signed him, he might help keep Burrow upright in the pocket. Bell’s biggest strength is that he is a solid pass-blocking tight end for the Chiefs.

This would make Bell a great addition to the Bengals’ offense, especially if they take a minimalistic approach to upgrading the offensive line like they usually do.

The Bengals could sign Bell if they’re looking to upgrade Drew Sample’s role. In 2021, Bell had a 72.8 grade from Pro Football Focus. Sample has never made it above 60 in his career.

Orlando Brown, OT

The Bengals could use another tackle, and Orlando Brown has been solid for the Ravens and the Chiefs in his career.

In 2021, he committed seven penalties and gave up four sacks, but those were career highs for Brown. He typically keeps those numbers much lower, and 2021 was the only season he played on an offense that struggled so much to find their identity. Once the Chiefs got it together, Browns’ penalties dropped, with only two after Week 8.

The Bengals don’t have a long-term solution at right tackle. Riley Reiff’s contract will be up, and Isaiah Prince doesn’t look like the answer. Either the Bengals take a chance on Fred Johnson or D’Ante Smith, or they look elsewhere, like Brown.

Brown originally was a right tackle to begin his career but slowly transitioned to the left side. If the Bengals were to sign Brown, would he play left tackle and move Jonah Williams to the right side?

Austin Blythe, C

Signing Blythe won’t be a sexy move, but this would fit with the Bengals’ modus operandi regarding the offensive line.

Blythe missed a lot of time in 2021 due to a sports hernia and other injuries. But in every season he has played significant time, he has had fewer penalties than Trey Hopkins. In most cases, he has had fewer sacks as well.

Hopkins has been a great player for the Bengals, and has a great story. But he will turn 30 before the 2022 season, and has steadily been declining for the last few seasons.

The Bengals may move on from Hopkins sooner rather than later, especially since they can save about $6 million by cutting him. But Blythe also has experience at right guard, so it’s possible he could be signed to play there since that spot is just as big of a question mark entering the offseason.

Other Notables Free Agents

• Jarran Reed, DL
• Mike Remmers, OL
• Daniel Sorensen, S
• Charvarius Ward, CB
• Mike Hughes, CB
• Dorian O’Daniel, LB
• Melvin Ingram, DE
• Kyle Long, OL
• Tyrann Mathieu, S
• Ben Niemann, LB
• Derrick Nnadi, DL
• Michael Burton, FB

Check out all of the Chiefs’ impending free agents at Over The Cap and let us know which players you think the Bengals should target this year!