Bengals Should Steal This Free Agent Away From the Steelers

The Cincinnati Bengals were so close to ending a storybook season with a Lombardi Trophy in 2021. They ended up falling short, but the Bengals look to be set up for years to come with a roster full of talented playmakers. A couple more may even be added to the mix before Week 1 rolls around.

The Bengals have over $34.6 million in available cap space and a few needs to address. While the inability to give quarterback Joe Burrow a clean pocket is obviously concerning, Cincinnati should steal cornerback Joe Haden away from the Pittsburgh Steelers in order to upgrade the secondary.

Bengals Free Agency

Haden is the perfect veteran addition to a contending team full of youth. The 33-year-old is likely searching for a Super Bowl ring in free agency and joining the third AFC North team of his career makes sense. After all, the Bengals are coming off a campaign in which they gave up the seventh-most passing yards per game (248.7).

The three-time Pro Bowler had a down year in 2021, which makes it the perfect time to swoop in with a short-term deal. It's worth noting that Haden has racked up 155 tackles, 35 pass breakups and 7 interceptions over the last three seasons. His coverage abilities are clearly still top notch.

The Bengals love to use zone schemes on defense and that would allow Haden to adjust to the system rather quickly. He wouldn't be forced into 1-on-1 coverages deep down the field too often. With his market value expected to be under $10 million, Haden could be a steal for Cincinnati.

All things considered, stealing from a divisional rival is always fun. Head coach Zac Taylor's team currently has the 10th-best odds to win Super Bowl 57 at +2200, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.