This offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals addressed most of the major issues that plagued them during the 2025 season.
The team struggled to generate pressure without All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson , which is why they added Boye Mafe in free agency and selected Cashius Howell with their first selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Cincinnati also struggled to stop the run, which is why they traded for three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence . Finally, Cincinnati's secondary also struggled last season, which is why they added Bryan Cook in free agency.
These aggressive moves by Cincinnati certainly raised expectations; however, as is the case for every NFL team, they still have some weaknesses. Now, before the regular season kicks off, the Bengals have added a player with some upside that could help them solve one of those weaknesses.
After finalizing their 53-man rosters, the Cincinnati Bengals announced some additions to their practice squad.
The Bengals posted on their website : "The Bengals today signed the following five players to the practice squad:
OT Blake Freeland . Freeland (6-8, 305), a fourth-year player out of Brigham Young University, originally was a fourth-round pick of Indianapolis in 2023. He played in 25 games with nine starts for the Colts during the 2023-24 seasons, then spent all of last year on the Reserve/Injured list due to a leg injury."
Bengals Wire's Chris Roling noted that Freeland could be a "big steal" on the practice squad, as he wrote: "After cutting Cody Ford early, the Bengals went with waiver claim Myles Hinton and Javon Foster on the final 53 as tackle backups, if not swing-tackle backups.
But here comes Freeland, a fourth-round pick in 2023 by the Indianapolis Colts who played a big chunk of games for that club before missing all of last year due to injury.
While the Colts eventually went a different direction, the Bengals added Freeland for his upside through what is some of the most wicked athleticism to hit the NFL level from his position in a long time."
Roling added: "Freeland is a solid long-term investment with game experience if they need him to be active on a gameday, too."
Among Cincinnati's remaining weaknesses is the swing tackle position, especially after the team released veteran backup Cody Ford.
Regarding how adding Freeland can help solve that weakness, A to Z Sports' John Sheeran wrote: "Freeland's more experienced than Hinton, Javon Foster, and Jalen Rivers , both of whom competed for the swing tackle job last month. He's a better athlete than Foster and Rivers. His rookie tape was a bit rough, but it's been a couple years since he's played meaningful football and he's healthy again.
I'm very interested to see if Freeland can make a quick impression on Cincinnati's coaching staff. He would likely be elevated off the practice squad if he does get a shot at backing up starters Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims , but he can easily be signed to the active roster afterwards."
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor noted that the swing tackle position was still up for grabs. Whether Freeland gets actual consideration for the role remains to be seen.
Like HEAVY's content? Be sure to follow us .
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Cincinnati Bengals Sign 'Steal' With Upside Before Week 1 appeared first on HEAVY .
