Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers dealt a major blow to the playoff hopes of the Cincinnati Bengals. A win would have pulled them within one game in the AFC North and given them a season sweep of the Steelers. Instead, they sit at 3-7 and three games behind the Steelers in the division and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wild card race.

So with that, it may be time to start looking ahead to the 2026 offseason. That includes a potential top-10 pick in the draft.

Following Sunday’s games, the Bengals sit with the ninth overall pick, per Tankathon. The Bengals are one of three teams — along with the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals — with a 3-7 record. The Falcons have a slightly easier schedule (.511 vs. .517), giving them the No. 8 pick that is getting sent to the Los Angeles Rams from their draft-day trade back in April. The Cardinals have a .547 strength of schedule, putting the Bengals ahead of the Cardinals for the 9th pick.

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Current NFL draft orderTennessee Titans 1-9New York Giants 2-9Cleveland Browns 2-8New Orleans Saints 2-8New York Jets 2-8Las Vegas Raiders 2-7Washington Commanders 3-8Los Angeles Rams (via ATL 3-7)Cincinnati Bengals 3-7Arizona Cardinals 3-7Miami Dolphins 4-7Dallas Cowboys 3-5-1Minnesota Vikings 4-6Baltimore Ravens 5-5Kansas City Chiefs 5-5Houston Texans 5-5Carolina Panthers 6-5Detroit Lions 6-4

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