In the coming days, I’ll be doing brief synopses for each NFL team regarding their current cap situation and offseason approach they should take.
We’ll start with the teams that have the most cap space available, then work our way down to those teams who have less cap space, to those who have work to do to gain cap space.
Each synopsis will look at cap space (or how much over the cap), players under contract, total draft picks, any players with a fifth-year option decision ahead and notes about the most notable free agent, the most likely player cut and the quarterback situation.
For this installment, we’ll look at the Cincinnati Bengals.
Players under contract for 2026: 62
Projected cap space: $54.9M
Total draft picks: Eight (No. 10 in first)
Most notable free agent: Trey Hendrickson
Most likely roster cut: Tedarrell Slaton
Fifth-year option decision: Myles Murphy
Quarterback situation: Joe Burrow is the unquestioned starter.
The ideal offseason approach:
Zac Taylor might be entering a “win or else” situation for 2026, and if so, it’s clear the Bengals will need to address the defense. It might help to upgrade the offensive line as well to take some pressure off Joe Burrow.
The only issue with free agency is that it’s not as strong on defense as it is on offense, but they might have to consider some players on defense given their pending free agents. The Bengals usually aren’t aggressive in free agency but, at times, they have shown a willingness to pursue players they really like.
They are probably letting Hendrickson depart in free agency, but it’s possible they could bring back a couple of their other defensive free agents who are younger. Because the Bengals have a top 10 pick in the 2026 draft, they have a good chance at finding a player in the draft who can help out immediately.