Three experienced defensive tackles the Cincinnati Bengals could sign as free agents

CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive tackles BJ Hill and Sheldon Rankins both suffered hamstring injuries in Cincinnati's loss to the Chiefs in Week 2.

Rookie nose tackle McKinnley Jackson is on the injured list and Kris Jenkins is still recovering from thumb surgery.

Will the Bengals sign a defensive tackle after suffering numerous injuries at a key position?

“That's something we need to talk about and we need to continue to have a plan for the future. And they do,” said head coach Zac Taylor. “We talked about it upstairs. We'll see what the week brings.”

They could sign anyone, but it wouldn't be surprising if they considered rookie Justin Rogers. They signed him to the practice squad after the Cowboys released him during recent cuts.

There aren't many options available on the free agent side, but here are three guys they could target:

Michael Purcell

The 33-year-old appeared in 16 games for the Broncos last season, starting 10 times, before being released by the Patriots last month.

Purcell may be the oldest player on the Bengals' roster, but he's a tough player, having started at least 13 games in each of the last three seasons, recording 103 tackles and five quarterback hits during that span.

Laurence Guy

The problem with Purcell, Guy, or virtually any of the available options at defensive tackle is their age.

Guy is 34 years old and his best days are behind him. He has played in 172 games since entering the league in 2012 and has posted PFF grades below 70 in each of the last three seasons (45.5 total in 2023).

Carl Davis

Davis, 32, played three games for the Cowboys last season. Dallas released him in August.

The veteran appeared in 36 games for the Patriots from 2020-22 and has played in 75 games in his career. Davis could give the Bengals another proven option on the interior. The 6-5, 335-pound lineman has 68 tackles and 2.5 sacks in his career.

There aren't many experienced options available, making the Bengals' task of finding defensive tackle support even more difficult. Of the three options listed, Purcell makes the most sense.

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