Pride comes before the fall. And if the Cincinnati Bengals keep refusing to make the changes they desperately need, that is exactly what is going to happen.
The Bengals need a linebacker who can cover tight ends and running backs. Their pride is keeping them from getting one.
Sunday’s 30-27 loss to Pittsburgh put that weakness on display again. Aaron Rodgers’ first pass went to running back Jaylen Warren on a short crossing route and became a 30-yard gain. Where was the linebacker?
By the end of the afternoon, Warren had three catches for 49 yards. Tight ends Darnell Washington, Pat Freiermuth and Robert Tonyan combined for six receptions and another 99 yards. That is nine catches for 148 yards from running backs and tight ends, which was more than half of Rodgers’ passing yardage.
The Bengals cannot keep watching opponents exploit the same weakness and insist the answer is already in the building.
Washington delivered the most expensive reminder. With the game tied in the fourth quarter, he turned a reception into a 47-yard gain on the possession that produced Pittsburgh’s winning field goal. Cincinnati needed to get someone on the ground. Instead, a tight end helped move the Steelers into scoring position.
Some of that was tackling. Some of it was defending receivers in space. Both require attention, and neither gets corrected by pretending the current personnel simply need more time.
A week earlier, Dalton Schultz caught 12 passes for 140 yards against the Bengals. Cincinnati won in Houston, but the result concealed a problem that Pittsburgh brought back into focus. A win does not turn a defensive weakness into a strength.
The Bengals have enough evidence. What they need now is the willingness to admit their linebacker room needs help.
That admission should not be difficult. Teams make personnel decisions, evaluate the results, and adjust. Bringing in a veteran does not require abandoning young players. It requires acknowledging that development and winning this season have to happen together.
Instead, Cincinnati is letting pride protect its decisions while opposing offenses collect the benefits.
There are options worth pursuing, starting with Shaq Thompson. Buffalo currently lists him on its practice squad, and PFF’s player page gives him a 69.2 coverage grade for 2025, 14th among 88 qualified linebackers. That is enough of a reason to make a call.
Jerome Baker deserves consideration as well. He remains on the latest available free-agent list, and his 69.1 coverage grade last season makes him worth examining, even with the limitation of a smaller workload. Bring him in and find out whether he can help.
These players are candidates, and the Bengals have work to do before deciding whether either belongs on their roster. They need to assess health, movement, and the ability to handle the assignments that are causing trouble: carrying a tight end through a route and staying with a running back coming out of the backfield.
That work should already be underway.
The standard cannot be whether a signing validates the Bengals’ offseason plan. The standard has to be whether it improves their defense.
Cincinnati does not need to hand a veteran a starting job or promise him every snap. It needs to create competition for the passing-down assignments its current players are failing to handle consistently. If an available linebacker can do that job better, he should be on the field.
Joe Burrow’s prime is too valuable to spend protecting the front office’s pride. The Bengals have a weakness, their opponents know it, and help is worth investigating.
Admit the need. Make the calls. Give this team a better chance to win.
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