The Cincinnati Bengals very much needed a safety this offseason and they went out and plucked one from Kansas City, signing Chiefs’ free-agent Bryan Cook to a three-year deal worth $40.25 million with $14 million guaranteed. That fills the void immediately, but does it affect their draft plans at the position?
If Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is still available when the Bengals select at No. 10, the team could still consider him because of how versatile he is, perhaps play him at nickel corner. However, the Bengals have praised the improvement of fellow safety Jordan Battle, who had 125 combined tackles in 2025. Duke Tobin raved about Battle at the Scouting Combine.
“He’s scratching the surface of what he can be. And I think we put a good group around him, I think he can, help direct it,” Tobin said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He’s got a lot of traits you look for in the position. And I feel like Jordan is a guy that’s developing a leadership role on our team, which you have to have in the back end there.”
The Bengals can get out of the contract after one year, but ideally, the Bengals have their new safety locked in for years. Cook is only 26 years old and is coming off an 85-tackle season with six passes defended.
As such, this opens up the Bengals to grab an edge defender, even with the signing of Boye Mafe, or best player available at No. 10, even if that is Downs. But safety is now not as pressing a need in the first round with the signing of Cook.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: How Bengals signing Bryan Cook overhauls NFL draft plan
Reporting by Billy Riccette, Bengals Wire / Bengals Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
