Should Bengals target Jerry Tillery after his release from Chargers?

The Cincinnati Bengals have had some surprising defensive line performances from the likes of Jay Tufele and Zach Carter amid injury concerns.

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But that probably shouldn’t stop the team from having an interest in Jerry Tillery.

Tillery, a first-round pick in 2019, was just waived by the Los Angeles Chargers. He has struggled to meet expectations that come with the high draft slot, to say the least. But that probably shouldn’t stop a Bengals team that has a defensive staff that consistently squeaks the most out of almost anyone, from Eli Apple to B.J. Hill and beyond.

As Adam Schefter notes, the move wouldn’t happen until after the bye week and other teams had interest:

DL Jerry Tillery will not officially be waived until Friday, which means he cannot be claimed until Monday. Considering that multiple teams expressed interest in trading for him before the deadline, Tillery is expected to be claimed. https://t.co/rdwgatDGg2

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 11, 2022

On one hand, the Bengals seem solid at the area right now. On the other, they’ve had miserable injury luck so far and this is the sort of low-cost move they like.

Given the coaching staff’s ability to get the most out of players, Tillery could be a nice pass-rushing addition to the middle of the defense.