Bengals' top need is position group that has been picked clean in free agency

The Cincinnati Bengals have been active to begin the offseason. While they've focused on the defensive side of the ball, they have brought back Dalton Risner and added Josh Johnson to the quarterback room.

But their best moves have come defensively. In the first wave of free agency, they've added safety Bryan Cook, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, and edge rusher Boye Mafe. Those are great additions, but there's still one position left.

According to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, the Bengals' top need is a veteran linebacker. Unfortunately for the Bengals, that top need has essentially been picked clean. Their options are not great at a position of great need.

Bengals' top position of need was picked clean in FA

"Somehow, they failed to add anyone despite 11 linebackers changing teams for between $6 million and $15 million per year," Dehner writes. "There are flawed second- and third-tier options still available, but the position remains top of the list in the defensive rebuild."

Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter struggled as rookies, and the Bengals would likely be best off adding a veteran to take some of the load off the young linebacker duo.

However, their free agent options at linebacker are not the best. Bobby Okereke, Lavonte David, Bobby Wagner, Matt Milano, Kenneth Murray, and a plethora of depth linebacker options are all available.

What stings is that the Bengals missed out on a lot of great options in Devin Lloyd, Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, Tremaine Edmunds, Kaden Elliss, Leo Chenal, Demario Davis, Quincy Williams, Davin Bush, and Alex Anzalone.

More: Bengals to sign Boye Mafe to $60 million three-year contract

While there are lackluster free agent options at linebacker, the Bengals need a veteran at the position this offseason. It's a bleak pool of players, but the Bengals need to spend on one to at least be a leader in the position room.

It's one of the positions picked clean by the league already. And while they could turn to a stacked linebacker class and hope to land someone like Sonny Styles, they ideally need a veteran who can help the younger players at the position.

The Bengals missed out on the first wave of free agency at the linebacker position. While they've added some talented players already in Mafe, Cook, and Allen, their whiffs at the linebacker position could come back to haunt them with this bleak pool of free agents.

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