The Cincinnati Bengals have been one of the most consistent franchises in the NFL over the past five years, as each season they have made the playoffs and been knocked out in the Wild Card round. Last year the Bengals showed that they were making progress despite another early playoff exit and finished with the franchise's best regular season record at 12-4 since losing in the Super Bowl during the 1988 season.

While losing their starting quarterback Andy Dalton at the end of the season with a broken thumb was clearly a factor in another disappointing end to their season, the Bengals front office is making sure their roster loaded with talent heading into the 2016 season. The Bengals finished the 2015 regular season with the second best defense in the league in terms of points allowed and have made some strong moves in free agency this offseason, including retaining safety George Iloka and linebacker Vincent Ray.

While the Bengals front office re-signed a few key players this offseason, it has also brought in some new talent that should only help bolster the defensive side of the ball. The Bengals have reportedly agreed to terms with free agent linebacker Karlos Dansby, who said early this month after being released from the Cleveland Browns, "I'm sure the Bengals are licking their chops right now."

The veteran linebacker makes a strong addition to Cincinnati's defense and gives it depth at the linebacker position. The Bengals will be without their starting weakside linebacker Vontaze Burfict for the first three games of the 2016 season due to suspension, and the addition of Dansby gives Bengals' defensive coordinator Paul Guenther the ability to find the strongest combination of linebackers for their 4-3 defense.

Dansby is entering his 13th season in the NFL and is coming off another productive season in which he recorded 108 combined tackles, three intereceptions, forced two fumbles and scored two defensive touchdowns. There is no doubt that the Bengals' defense just got a little better with the addition of Dansby, and their defense should still be considered one of the best in the league, as they have likely only improved with their offseason moves in free agency.