NFL Free Agency 2025: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart + Offseason Moves

Every game matters in the NFL. Just think - the Cincinnati Bengals make the 2024 playoffs if they simply beat the lowly New England Patriots in Week 1. Instead, a white-hot Joe Burrow, averaging over three touchdown passes per game over his last nine games, was forced to watch the playoffs from the sideline.

It’s hard to blame a single factor. And any team can win in any given week. But having both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins miss huge portions of the NFL offseason program could not have helped. They’ll hopefully have a much more organized go of things this time around.

And that’s what we’re here to talk about today. We’re going to look at the Bengals weapons in terms of depth chart, contract, salary cap, and free agents. Then we’ll predict what kind of moves they might make and how the depth chart could evolve in NFL free agency. Maybe our predictions can even help in your dynasty fantasy football leagues or for your 2025 mock draft!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart 2025 (Fantasy Football Relevant)

• White = unrestricted free agent
• Green = role is safe
• Yellow = role in flux
• Orange = likely a depth piece
• Red = roster spot not guaranteed

Cincinnati Bengals Free Agency 2025

• CURRENT PROJECTED 2025 SALARIES: ~$223M
• CURRENT ESTIMATED 2025 CAP SPACE: ~$58M

Bengals Quarterback Depth Chart

Joe Burrow: It’s no secret in the modern NFL that you either have a quarterback who can win it all or you don’t. The few Super Bowls won by one-off players is far outweighed by the guys named Brady, Manning, and Mahomes. Luckily for the Bengals, they have one of those ones in Joe Burrow. 

Burrow is under contract on a massive deal through 2029. So the only question is whether or not he is willing to help shuffle money around to make sure they keep key pieces in town. He actually spoke about the possibilities in an interview with Pardon My Take where he not only mentioned that he’d be willing to help but laid out some examples of how it can be done.

So, if/when deals for Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase are done, don’t be surprised if that coincides with a renovation for Joe Burrow. The reality of those moves is they often cement the future of the player with the organization. And not just based on good faith either as money can end up being back loaded in a way that is difficult to get out of for the team.

Jake Browning: Jake Browning played well in 2023 when Joe Burrow had a wrist injury. So they rewarded him with a two year deal through 2025. He could technically be released for a little over $1M in savings with no dead cap but that’s as affordable of a deal as you are going to see for a solid backup.

• Reserves/Futures: N/A

BENGALS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: Assuming their thoughts on Browning haven’t changed much, this team is pretty set. Maybe they keep a quarterback around the practice squad as an “emergency QB3” but it’s not worth doing too much speculation on who that could be. 

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: N/A

Bengals Running Back Depth Chart

Chase Brown: They felt comfortable enough with Chase Brown to move on from Joe Mixon last off-season. But that didn’t stop them from bringing in Zack Moss for a little safety. Chase Brown pretty quickly showed he was the more dynamic player. And then a neck injury for Zack Moss sealed the deal in early November.

In the modern NFL, every backfield is split to some degree. Chase Brown will undoubtedly have a key role. But the question is how they will divide up the work. Will he be a three down back with a backup that mixes in? Or will they bring in a complimentary piece and split the work? I’m willing to bet that Brown gets the bulk of the meaningful touches and, in this offense, that’s a valuable role. So this is a guy I’m buying in dynasty leagues.

Zack Moss: The NFL is a tough business. And the Bengals are counting their cash. Zack Moss was outplayed by Chase Brown before getting hurt and now is likely a cap casualty in 2025. He can be released with ~$3.3M in savings with $1.5M in dead cap.

In deeper dynasty leagues it might be worth holding to see if he lands on his feet in a thin free agent class. But the odds of a team adding him and making him their feature back aren’t great. And the odds of that team being a good team aren’t either. Maybe Dallas would consider it if he takes a discount?

Chris Evans: Chris Evans was touted as a possible pass-catching back but has primarily played special teams for the Bengals over the last couple of seasons. Last year was the final deal of his rookie contract and he missed the entire season after suffering a knee injury in August. Given his lack of productivity through three years, there’s no major rush to bring him back as an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

Khalil Herbert: The Bengals picked up Khalil Herbert in a trade with the Bears shortly after the Zack Moss injury. He never really amounted to more than a change of pace back for Chase Brown as he never played more than 7 snaps in a game until Brown got nicked up in Week 17. He was basically just a band aid so he’ll probably end up elsewhere in free agency. 

Trayveon Williams: Trayveon Williams played on four different special teams units but, given their move for Khalil Herbert, they clearly don’t view him as much of an offensive weapon. If they decide to bring him back in 2025, it will be for special teams. 

Kendall Milton: Milton mostly floated around on the practice squad. He was activated briefly for the game after Zack Moss got hurt and for Week 18 when Chase Brown was out but only played six total snaps. He’s technically under contract for 2025 but can be released for zero dead cap and $960K in cap space so his roster spot isn’t safe whatsoever. 

• Reserves/Futures: Gary Brightwell

BENGALS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Bengals have to do something at running back. Assuming Zack Moss gets cut, they essentially have Chase Brown under contract and that’s it. The cheapest way to get affordable running back depth is the draft so that is always on the table. But even then, they might want some help in free agency. 

Chase Brown can do it all so, if they want to simply look for an affordable backup to spell him at times, these are the best options. Obviously, if they had the money, it would be great to go for someone like Najee Harris, but they need to do some bargain shopping.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: J.K. Dobbins, Kenneth Gainwell, Miles Sanders, Rico Dowdle, Alexander Mattison, Cam Akers, Elijah Mitchell, Khalil Herbert

Bengals Wide Receiver Depth Chart

Ja'Marr Chase: The Bengals picked up the fifth-year option on Ja'Marr Chase, but a long-term extension is one of their key goals in the near future. In fact, at the NFL combine this week Bengals GM Duke Tobin said they plan to reward Ja'Marr Chase and make him the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL. He is a 24-year-old wide receiver just now entering the prime age apex for the position, after all.   

That’s a big reason why Ja'Marr Chase is the WR1 in dynasty for me. We can argue about individual talent between Chase, Justin Jefferson, and even CeeDee Lamb if we want. And there are arguments to be made for sure. But the difference is that Chase is tied to Joe Burrow whereas the others have a little less certainty. We’re splitting hair at the top anyway and that’s how the hair splits for me. 

Tee Higgins: The future for Tee Higgins is not nearly as certain as it is for Chase. And that’s largely because of the injury history with Higgins. He’s now either left games or missed time in all five of his NFL seasons, a lot of which were the result of soft tissue injuries like hamstring, quad, and ankle issues.

Bengals GM Duke Tobin consistently says that he wants Tee Higgins there and he wants him on a long-term deal. But he’s also said that it’s simply hard to pay Higgins what he wants and also pay Ja'Marr Chase. Word around the Bengals organization is that they could franchise tag Tee Higgins again for 2025. But that doesn’t mean he will be a Bengal. We’ve seen guys like Jarvis Landry and Davante Adams get tagged and traded in the past.

Regardless, I am in the camp that is buying Tee Higgins in dynasty. Either he ends up locked in as a top two target for Joe Burrow. Or he ends up a top target somewhere else. Injuries don’t bother me as much in dynasty as it’s a top-heavy game by nature. When a guy like Keenan Allen or Tee Higgins is available, I play them and enjoy it. When they aren’t I start someone else from my roster that is prepared to compete now. Simple as that.

Andrei Iosivas: When Tee Higgins is out, Andrei Iosivas plays a big snap share. When Higgins plays, Iosivas becomes a part-time player again that is touchdown dependent in any sort of fantasy football. He’s under contract on a cheap deal through 2026. And they like him there.

If they were to move on from Higgins, the Bengals would probably look to the draft for help. And betting on, or against, rookies has always been one of the best ways to create leverage. There were concerns Jermaine Burton would pass Iosivas on the depth chart after being drafted but that clearly didn’t happen. Iosivas is a clear hold to see how this Higgins situation shakes out. 

Jermaine Burton: Jermaine Burton came into the NFL with some red flags. Teams knew they were taking a risk. The talent is there. But there were some character concerns in high school and college that led him to change schools a number of times. And those have seemingly followed him to the NFL.

First there were reports of him missing practice. Then there was talk of an eviction notice for not paying his rent. That also coincided with him being spotted at a casino which is not great timing. Then a more serious incident report of a 911 call where he was accused of assault. This led the Bengals GM to give an ominous answer when asked what Burton had done to keep his roster spot - “nothing”. 

Now, this might sound crazy. Like “catching a falling knife”. But, if someone drops Burton in a league, I might throw him on the bench. I’m not going to trade for this guy. But we’ve seen talented players overcome character concerns in the past. Some guys slid in the draft and some continued to make mistakes in the league but players like Tyreek Hill, Antonio Brown, Cris Carter, Darren Waller, etc. were all able to overcome those kinds of issues to some degree. It has to be a deep league at very little meaningful cost but the upside is still there for the 23 year old.

Charlie Jones: Charlie Jones will be on this team because he returns BOTH kicks and punts. That’s a valuable combination in the NFL. He also only had one catch in his eight games. So don’t expect much out of him on the offensive end unless things drastically change. 

Isaiah Williams: Isaiah Williams was released by the Detroit Lions right around the time Charlie Jones got hurt. So the Bengals scooped him up and he primarily served as their return man. Williams can be cut with zero dead cap and $960K in savings while Charlie Jones would carry ~$340K in dead cap and $860K in savings so Williams would have had to really impress them for the Bengals to flip on the explosive Jones.  

• Reserves/Futures: Kendric Pryor, Mitchell Tinsley, Cole Burgess

BENGALS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: Ja'Marr Chase will be extended. Assuming the Bengals keep Tee Higgins, they would be all set at WR. But let’s just imagine hypothetically that they didn’t.

If that were the case, they would either need to find a new split end or move Andrei Iosivas out there and maybe find a slot/flanker. The more interesting situation would be someone coming in to play the Tee Higgins role. Here are some bigger outside WR that could work for that. If they still couldn’t afford guys of this caliber, the draft would be the move.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Tee Higgins, Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine, Demarcus Robinson, Tim Patrick

Bengals Tight End Depth Chart

Mike Gesicki: The Bengals had some success with Tanner Hudson in a “big slot” type role. So they tried out Mike Gesicki in that capacity. Which was fine - he did end up being the third target on the team with 83 on the season. But he was still more of a part-time player. 

The reality is that this free agent class at tight end is fairly weak. There aren’t any great “two way” tight ends that both block well and catch passes. The closest are probably Tyler Conklin or Austin Hooper. So it would be wise for the Bengals to see if Gesicki will return on a cheap deal, otherwise they might just need to settle for a different part-time pass-catching TE. Or try their hand in the draft. 

Drew Sample: Drew Sample is a pure blocking tight end. Which is valuable in real life NFL football but not so much for fantasy football. The Bengals extended the mauler but he could be released with zero dead cap and $2.75M if they wanted to go in a different direction. I expect him back. 

Tanner Hudson: With Mike Gesicki in town, Tanner Hudson was a bit of a redundant asset. If Gesicki gets paid and Hudson will sign for the veteran minimum, then maybe Hudson will be back. But it’s hard to get super excited about him.

Erick All: Erick All is a player that I like. On paper with a very small sample size, he has a lot going for him. The problem is that the sample size is small because he has suffered multiple serious injuries. He had back surgery and tore his ACL in college. And just tore his ACL again as a rookie.

This is the closest player they have to a true “two way” tight end. But his timeline just took a serious hit. If you can stash him in deep dynasty leagues, especially in an IR spot, I still would. But they simply can’t go into this year with him as the starter given his lack of development. If they did, his value would obviously get a tremendous boost.

Tanner McLachlan: McLachlan was a fairly raw prospect coming out that they hope they can develop into a pass-catcher. He spent virtually the whole season inactive until the last two games where he primarily played special teams. He’s not a lock to even make the team in 2025 given he can be released for very little dead cap but the situation is kind of interesting.

Mike Gesicki and Tanner Hudson are both free agents. Drew Sample is a blocking tight end. Eric All is coming off a serious injury. It’s pretty far-fetched to suggest this player who was a healthy scratch most games could make an impact the next year. But a path is there.

• Reserves/Futures: Cam Grandy

BENGALS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Bengals are in an interesting spot. They are crunched for money. And the free agent tight end options out there are not great. Their fourth-round tight end Eric All from last year suffered a serious injury.

Now they have to decide what to do. Invest more capital at the position in the draft? Bring back Mike Gesicki? Find a replacement in free agency? Here are the top free agent options but it’s not pretty. Maybe Rob Gronkowski will take a discount to play there after rumors of his possible return?

edit Rob Gronkowski put those rumors to bed fairly quickly 

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Mike Gesicki, Tyler Conklin, Austin Hooper, Juwan Johnson, Gerald Everett, Hayden Hurst