Bengals Beat: What The Addition of Boye Mafe Means For Bengals Defense

CINCINNATI — The Bengals knew they had to get out to a quick start in free agency Monday and they did exactly that with the signing of 27-year-old edge Boye Mafe from the Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks.

After watching John Franklin-Myers head off to Tennessee at three years, $63 million, Duke Tobin, the club’s director of player personnel, knew he had to fortify the defensive line and he was desperate to add pass rush production. With an edge room that consisted of Myles Murphy, Shemar Stewart, Isaiah Foskey and Cedric Johnson heading into Monday, the Bengals needed to act with urgency and that’s what the Mafe signing really is all about – especially after losing Joseph Ossai to the Jets and letting Trey Hendrickson go seek a deal elsewhere.

Tobin is hoping getting Boye Mafe on a 3-year, $60 million deal is 2021 Trey Hendrickson all over again. $20 million per year for an explosive edge rusher who’s hungry and entering his prime. That’s absolute market value, maybe even a steal when you look at the upside.

What are the Bengals getting? They are getting a 2022 second-round pick from Seattle who has shown, over the last few years, he can get to the quarterback, racking up nine sacks in 2023 and showing consistency with six more in 2024. The raw sack numbers dipped to two this past year, but the Bengals are buying the upside and that’s what they’re paying for. Also, Mafe had 41 pressures last season, indicating he’s still winning his matchups. He’s quick-twitch, explosive, and he’s not just a one-trick pony. He’s shown he can play the run, too, with a solid PFF grade in that area.

Mafe would appear to be a perfect fit for a Cincinnati defensive front that everyone knows needed a major jolt. He’s young, he’s coming from a winning culture in Seattle, and he brings that explosiveness that NFL analysts have been raving about and Cincinnati has sorely lacked when Hendrickson and Ossai weren’t on the field. He’s on the cusp of becoming a star and the Bengals believe this contract is going to look like a bargain by the end of year one. He fits the mold of a guy who can step in for that lost production of Hendrickson and Ossai, and he gives them a building block on the edge alongside young guys like Myles Murphy.

This deal is about balancing the books without sacrificing the pass rush. At $20M a year, he’s not breaking the bank like some of the other top-tier edge rushers, but he brings top-tier production. He’s exactly the kind of high-ceiling, athletic defender who can turn those “pressures” into consistent, double-digit sacks in a new system.

For Bengals fans worried about the defensive line, this should ease concerns a bit. Mafe brings athleticism, versatility, and proven capability to the table. He is a 27-year-old with his best football ahead of him. This is a three-year deal that has the potential to be a smart, necessary start. But it’s just that for now, a start.