Not that long ago, the Cincinnati Bengals were the AFC representative in Super Bowl LVI. The following season, the Bengals narrowly lost the AFC Championship Game in Kansas City. However, that has been followed by three straight seasons of missing the playoffs—including a 6-11 campaign in which star quarterback Joe Burrow missed more than half the season.
The Bengals will have a healthy Burrow back in 2026. The collection of skill-position talent Cincy has on offense is as good as any in the league. When asked by reporters what the Bengals need to do this offseason, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said the answer is pretty obvious—the team needs to fix a defense that was 30th or worse in both yards and points allowed in 2025.
“I mean, everybody pretty much knows what we need,” he said. “I’ve said it out in the media. All I gotta do is sit back and watch. I can’t control that, so all I gotta do is control my production. I mean, at the end of the day, I’m just stating my opinion on what I think we need. So, you know, I sit back, let the organization do what they do, and I just gotta let my play do the rest.”
The defense isn’t the only problem—the team’s offensive line was ranked in the bottom-five by Pro Football Focus. But Cincinnati has over $53 million in cap space per Over the Cap and the 10th pick in April’s draft.
If the team can use those resources to build even average units on defense and in front of Burrow, the Bengals’ high-octane offense could propel the team to the top of the AFC North.