4 Bengals land in ESPN’s top 100 free agents

The Cincinnati Bengals and their fans have known the big names that are set to hit the open market in a few days for far longer than that. It is why the ending they had this season stung quite a bit more than the year before.

The front office has said that it will focus on retaining their proven talent, but we will have to see what happens if and/or when they get outbid for a few of these guys. Three pillars on a very talented defense and a surprise safety blanket for Joe Burrow last season were highlighted by ESPN’s top 100 free agents list. Here they are and some thoughts on them.

5. Jessie Bates, Safety

With post and split-field range over the top and a history of creating on-the-ball…