The Bengals entered last season with playoff aspirations, but they were never truly in contention. The team sputtered to a 6-11 record for a couple of obvious reasons: 1.) Superstar quarterback Joe Burrow missed eight games after suffering a toe injury in September. 2.) The defense was an unmitigated disaster.
While the 2026 campaign is still four months from kicking off, Cincinnati looks like a prime rebound candidate. Burrow, who returned in November to fire 15 touchdowns against five interceptions in six starts, is healthy. He will again lead an eminently talented offense that boasts an elite receiver duo (Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins) and a legitimate dual-threat running back in Chase Brown.
Even with the combination of Jake Browning and Joe Flacco filling in for Burrow for a large chunk of 2025, the Bengals’ offense still had enough horses to finish 12th in the NFL in scoring (24.4). The Bengals put up 30-plus points eight times, and the club went 5-3 in those games. When the Bengals scored fewer than 30, they went 1-8.
It is fair to say that if the Bengals are going to snap their three-year playoff drought in 2026, their defense will have to go from abysmal to competent. Since finishing 30th in points, 31st in yards and dead last in pass rush win rate last season, the unit has undergone a significant makeover.
The Bengals’ defense took a couple of notable hits in free agency when edge rushers Trey Hendrickson (Ravens) and Joseph Ossai (Jets) walked out the door. Hendrickson’s exit may be especially unfortunate when you consider he joined the AFC North rival Ravens, though the Bengals already began adjusting to life without him in 2025. A hip/groin injury limited Hendrickson to seven games, four sacks and kept him out from late October onward.
Aside from Ossai and Myles Murphy, nobody did much to fill Hendrickson’s void last season. The Bengals are likely confident that will change in 2026, as they brought in ex-Seahawk Boye Mafe on a three-year, $60MM deal and used a second-round pick on former Texas A&M pass rusher Cashius Howell. They have now Murphy, Mafe, Howell and 2025 first-rounder Shemar Stewart, who did not do much as a rookie, as their top options along the edge.
The Bengals’ collection of pass rushers should get a boost from a vastly improved interior defensive line. In a bold strike atypical of the Bengals, they landed perhaps the premier nose tackle in football when they traded the 10th overall pick to the Giants for Dexter Lawrence. The three-time Pro Bowler only managed a half-sack during a 17-game 2025, but just looking at sack totals doesn’t do Lawrence justice.
As a magnet for double teams, Lawrence makes life far easier on his defensive teammates. Despite drawing extra attention from opposing offensive lines, Lawrence has not had trouble affecting QBs. Dating to 2022, he has piled up 108 pressures as a nose tackle, an incredible 76 more than second place (32), per Warren Sharp of SharpFootballAnalysis.com.
The Bengals expect the best version of Lawrence to show up, which they believe would make a bigger difference than any rookie they could have drafted 10th overall. He is now the face of a strong DT group that also includes B.J. Hill and free agent signing Jonathan Allen. A former Commander and Viking, Allen has started in 125 of 126 games and accrued 45.5 sacks over his nine-year career.
Along with what looks like a quality group of players up front, the Bengals have a steady collection of starters in the defensive backfield. Dax Hill and DJ Turner should be their top outside corners, while former Chiefs safety Bryan Cook came in on a three-year, $40.5MM pact in free agency to pair with Jordan Battle. Cook figures to offer a clear upgrade over the departed Geno Stone, who started 17 games in 2025 but missed a career-worst 20% of tackles (Cook checked in at 4.5%).
As for potential weaknesses, linebacker sticks out. Barring an outside acquisition (Bobby Wagner, anyone?), the Bengals are poised to rely on Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight for the second season in a row. Counting on them as rookies last year did not go well, but the club has done nothing to upgrade over them this offseason. The Bengals also look shaky at nickel corner. Jalen Davis is the frontrunner for the job, but despite being an eight-year veteran, he lacks defensive experience. Davis never approached 100 defensive snaps in a season until he amassed 270 over seven games in 2025.
Turning back to the offensive side, keeping the oft-injured Burrow healthy will be the most important order of business. That will largely be in the hands of a starting line that has not changed since the end of last season. The Bengals are running it back with tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims, guards Dylan Fairchild and Dalton Risner, and center Ted Karras. Pro Football Focus rated the unit the league’s fifth-worst in 2025.
The Bengals are in a division with two other playoff hopefuls (Baltimore and Pittsburgh), but they should push for a postseason berth if Burrow stays healthy and the defensive acquisitions pan out as hoped. Vegas agrees, having set the over/under on the Bengals’ win total at 9.5. That ties them with last season’s AFC title game representatives, the Patriots and Broncos, as well as other conference contenders in Jacksonville and Houston. If the Bengals fall short of expectations again, long-tenured head coach Zac Taylor may not get a ninth year in 2027.
How do you expect the Bengals’ season to go? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
How many games will the Bengals win in 2026?
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Under 9.5 51% (688)
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Over 9.5 49% (660)
Total votes: 1,348
I think they’re a fun high variance team with a very high ceiling and some serious concerns. If Lawrence rebounds to his heights, the young defensive players take steps forward, and the offense stays healthy, they could make a serious run. If Burrow gets hurt and things go sideways for the defense, they could be a bottom ten team easily. I’m no Bengals fan, but just as a football fan, I’d love to see the version where it clicks.
That was what I thought of the Seahawks last year where either Darnold does great or he does horrible
Bengals defense though still might be suspect even with adding Lawrence
For sure. Those linebackers were a disaster last year, and even if Lawrence bounces back some and Mafe plays well, they’ll still need *something* out of Stewart, Murphy, and/or Howell.
you’d like to buy stock in this franchise but we know that it never goes according to plan in Cincinnati
This is expressly a question of if you think Burrow will stay healthy. Even with how bad the rest of the team is, 10 shouldn’t be hard as long as Burrow is there. If he isn’t, they aren’t sniffing 9.
Super Bowl or bust
It’s the Bengals. They’ll find a way to lose. 🤓
“Not very”
burrow will get hurt. under
Mike Brown is still the owner. Enough said.
The Tisch-Koch-Mara troika in East Rutherford says hi.
They’re a good team that will always be held back by coaching, management and ownership.
Depends on what happens with Glass Joe
Steeler fan believes in the Dumb Jock trope that “It’s All About The QB!” How has that fared in Pittsburgh over the years?
Pittsburgh hasn’t had good QB play in almost 10 years now lol
This is arguably their best team by far since the Superbowl year.
I like Al Golden as a defensive coordinator so I’m hoping he can turn things around for their defense. I think getting Dex and Howell alone could be huge. Mafe and Cook shore up serious weaknesses but I feel like Howell and Dex are the guys who are just gonna keep coming and keep coming and creating all of this pressure that makes things easier for everybody around them. Howell may be undersized but he’s relentless. He and Mafe should also make life a lot easier not just for the other edges but for the linebackers behind them by simplifying their roles.
Their offense should be among the best again as long as Taylor doesn’t misuse people or call dumb games as a play-caller. I like Brooks a lot and hope he becomes part of a legitimate tandem with Chase Brown.
Unless you’re an AFC fan, you can’t help but root for the Burrow era Bengals. So much potential.
On paper, they should be Super Bowl champs. If Burrow and O-Line stay healthy, they’re a top 3 offense. I truly believe the defense should be at least top 20. I think Lawrence will make a huge difference in the middle, Howell will be a difference maker at end. Murphy and Mafe will be at least average. I really like Landon Robinson if they let him play this year. The secondary should be much better with the line hurrying the QB’s up and they have pretty good cover guys, including Cook being a huge improvement over Stone. LB’s are a question mark, but the line will help and they have more experience. Special Teams are probably top 5 to 10. If everything lines up right and the important guys stay healthy, they can win it all, but it can fall apart as soon as #9 goes down.
We have to pretend Burrow is a “superstar”?
This generations Phil Rivers.
Without throwing lobs to superstar wide receivers, this guy wouldn’t even be on your radar. But let’s gloss over his egregious injury history for a second, without a un-called tee Higgins Facemask the Bengals would have been swept out of that SB.
Joe Burrow had a wide open Chase to win it, but peed down the inside of his leg and checked down when he saw Donald…
This guy being lauded as a superstar is laughable
Other than Patrick Mahomes, who is better? Lamar Jackson, possibly. Allen and Herbert are way overrated. Rodgers is at the end. Love hasn’t done much. Purdy is decent. Stafford is pretty good, but nothing special. Yes, Burrow has great receivers, but so did Montana, Young, Elway, Manning, Favre, etc. Burrow’s not Brady, but who is?
Burrow is a great talent who rarely makes the field, meaning he can’t touch the jock straps of the list of better QBs you rattled off. Availability is everything.
Give Lamar or Josh a Chase/Higgins combo and see how many SBs they rake in.
Burrow is a construct.
So, the fact that they went to the Super Bowl with Burrow and a horrible OL, but didn’t even make the playoffs without him and the fact that Allen and Jackson haven’t sniffed a Super Bowl means nothing? If Burrow had even an average defense 2 years ago, they may have won the SB and he would have been MVP.
Allen isnt overrated. Burrow is a star but doesnt have the body to handle the attrition of pro football. Jackson cant get it done in postseason. The time is now if Stafford wants his second ring. Hurts gets maligned but wins games as the ultimate game manager. Will a new QB emerge or can another reclamation QB find a way to help a team similar to Darnold?
If the Bengals can get their defense to play in the late teens in terms of yardage and points given up, Flacco can win games if Burrow gets injured again.
I’ll say over at this point in the offseason & probably regret it after the first month of the season.
Well, they have the lowest valuation of any NFL team so that doesn’t help. Back when Sam Wyche was HC and the team had Ickey Woods they at least had an identity and were entertaining.
The “lowest valuation” comes from having a rather small catchment area of Cincy, Dayton, Lexington, Columbus, sometimes Louisville.
The Giants are shyte yet carry a “high valuation” cos they’re in NFC East.
I think the availability of streaming sites and services has pretty much eliminated the market areas that traditionally existed among NFL teams. Back in the 70s and 80s I was limited to watching the Giants on CBS or Bills on NBC in the 1PM EST slot but now those restrictions are gone.
They’ll get double digit wins and take the division