The Bengals closed the 2025 season with a 6-11 record, with Joe Burrow sidelined for half the regular season due to injury. The result made one thing clear: Cincinnati needs change. That change begins with drafting well, adding better players, and ensuring both the offense and defense are top-notch.
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So, when Bengals stars Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins recently appeared on Up & Adams with Kay Adams, they were asked a simple question: if they could add any Pro Bowler to the Bengals, who would it be?
Higgins went first and turned his focus toward bolstering their struggling defense. “I don’t know if he is a free agent, but Jeffery Simmons,” Higgins said. “I like him. He’s just a dawg up there in front, man. Just watching him over the season, he just made so many plays with run-stopping, getting sacks on the QBs and stuff like that. I feel like we could use that.”
But it was Chase’s answer that carried real intent and real energy. “I want to go with your boy from Vegas,” he said. “Maxx Crosby. I like Maxx Crosby. He’s a dawg.” Even Tee Higgins joined in, saying, “Hey, Maxx, man. C’mon to the Bengals, man!”
Ja’Marr Chase on what Pro Bowler he’d add to the Bengals roster:
“I wanna go with your boy from Vegas, though. Maxx Crosby.”
Tee Higgins: “Hey Maxx, man, come on to the Bengals, man.”
Kay Adams: “I could see him in Cincy.”
Higgins: “I could too.”
(via @UpAndAdamsShow) pic.twitter.com/IBhuVaw705
— SleeperBengals (@SleeperBengals) February 5, 2026
Chase and Higgins naming the 5x Pro Bowl defensive stalwart isn’t mere banter. It feels more like a public acknowledgment of exactly where Cincinnati’s biggest problem lies and who they believe could fix it. Crosby would immediately address multiple failures that defined the Bengals’ 2025 collapse. For starters, they ranked 30th in points allowed and 31st in total defense.
Cincinnati also managed just 35 sacks last season, tied for the seventh-worst mark in the league. Meanwhile, Crosby, despite playing on a struggling Raiders defense, still posted 10 sacks in 15 games, along with 28 tackles for loss (second-most in the NFL) and 20 QB hits.
Just as importantly, Crosby is elite against the run, an area where the Bengals were outright disastrous. Cincinnati surrendered 1,643 rushing yards to running backs, worst in the league, while the Vegas star consistently ranks among the top edge defenders in run-stopping, making him a rare two-way disruptor.
There’s also a looming personnel reality that seems to be driving Ja’Marr Chase’s urgency. It is no secret that Trey Hendrickson’s future in Cincinnati is uncertain as he approaches free agency. In an ideal world, pairing him with Crosby would be the right move. But if not, replacing their top pass rusher with Maxx seems like the next best move.
The question now is, what will it cost the Bengals to acquire Maxx Crosby? They currently own the No. 10 overall pick, but will the Raiders, who are primed to draft Fernando Mendoza number one overall, entertain Cinci? Drafting the Heisman winner after losing Crosby would be two steps backward and one step forward.
Whether a deal materializes remains to be seen. But what’s clear is that Ja’Marr Chase isn’t being subtle. Because when your franchise receiver starts openly lobbying for a player, it’s also a message to the front office. And that message is simple: if the Bengals want to matter again, Maxx Crosby is exactly the kind of player they should be calling upon.
