Bengals leave door wide open for free-agent LB signing

The Cincinnati Bengals want fans to know they are not down at all on linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter.

But they’re still open for business, too.

Speaking with reporters at his post-draft press conference, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said that they have plenty of confidence in the linebackers on the roster.

With a caveat.

"We'll always look at adding the right guy again. I am not down on my linebackers," Tobin said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. "They individually will improve and collectively will improve by what we've done and the experience that they've gained. If there are people that we think can add to the group, we'll add to the group. We're not done roster building."

Most onlookers don’t need told how rough Knight and Carter looked as rookies when thrown to the wolves. Or how the Bengals hope that the arrival of Dexter Lawrence and others, combined with Knight and Carter’s development, means improved play from the unit.

Still, it’s hard to ignore the idea of the Bengals adding help. Per Over the Cap, these are some of the free-agent linebackers still available:

• Bobby Okereke
• Bobby Wagner
• Matt Milano

The Bengals very obviously still need veteran leadership on the depth chart at linebacker. Being able to enter the game situationally and help in a positive manner is a must, too.

It has continued to sound like the Bengals didn’t want to ignore linebacker during the draft, but the board just never fell that way. Fans, then, can reasonably expect them to get active at the spot in free agency between now and training camp.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals leave door wide open for free-agent LB signing