Bengals' Pursuit of Top Free Agent Defensive Tackle Falls Short

This is a bummer

All Bengals Staff | Mar 21, 2021

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are still on the hunt for a veteran defensive tackle and they almost landed one of the top options remaining on the free agent market.

Unfortunately, Sheldon Rankins opted to sign with the Jets. The former first-round pick joins Carl Lawson in New York.

He signed a two-year contract worth up to $17 million according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Rankins was the 12th overall pick in 2016 NFL Draft.

The Bengals "made a hard run" at the 26-year-old according to Tom Pelissero.

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Rankins would've combined with DJ Reader and Larry Ogunjobi to give Cincinnati a trio of proven interior linemen. Rankins' best season came in 2018 when he finished with 40 tackles (12 for loss), eight sacks and 15 quarterback hits.

The top free agent defensive tackles include Jurrell Casey, Danny Shelton, Mike Daniels, Kawaan Short and Corey Peters.

For the latest free agency news, bookmark AllBengals and check out some of our other articles below.

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