After a fast start but pedestrian finish to free agency, the Cincinnati Bengals’ roster has more holes than a team would like.

Since the impact of landing safety Bryan Cook and edge Boye Mafe in the opening hours of the negotiating period, the Bengals have added only defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.

The team didn’t fill out the roster with a bargain free agent or bring back a few of its players on expiring deals in the second-wave mix. The Bengals even let special teams ace and fourth safety Tycen Anderson sign with the Denver Broncos for a mere one year and $1.5 million.

The lack of action requires a dissection of the depth chart. For the second consecutive year, the Bengals will try to plug as many holes as possible through the draft, which will force them to prioritize positional need over pursuing the best player available with many of their picks.

The list of rotational spots needing significant upgrades or mentioned by coaches as offseason needs is long: RB4, WR3 competition, swing tackle, backup G/C, rotational edge, rotational defensive tackle, combo linebacker, nickel corner, backup outside corner, two backup safeties and Joe Flacco.

There’s still time (and money, despite recent penny-pinching) for the Bengals to target remaining free agents for value signings. That approach produced Lucas Patrick, Dalton Risner and Noah Fant last offseason, and a similar haul will be necessary this year.

Inevitably, de facto general manager Duke Tobin won’t be able to fill all those spots and must count on player development, but the team’s needs still exist with eight picks projected for April’s draft and only four in the top 180.

Let’s examine each position group, including the projected starters, backups and those outside the 53-man roster, as well as who left, what the team needs, the draft outlook and analysis of what could come next. There are 49 players listed here as starters and backups, with soon-to-be-drafted rookies expected to fill at least four more spots to round out the roster.

Quarterbacks

Starter: Joe Burrow
Backup: Josh Johnson
Outside the 53: Sean Clifford
Gone: Jake Browning (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Still need: Free agent Joe Flacco to return. The Bengals signed Johnson to serve as a placeholder until Flacco says he will sign to back up Burrow. If he doesn’t, Johnson is a veteran who has played for nearly half the teams in the NFL. He knows how to operate an offense while serving as a competent backup through the offseason program and into training camp.
Draft outlook: Not a great draft for quarterbacks. The Bengals could use one of their late-round picks or their priority free agent spot on a player capable of developing as the third quarterback for now. There just aren’t many options in this draft.
Analysis: In an ideal world, the Bengals would go into opening day with Burrow and Flacco as the two active quarterbacks. Most jobs with the possibility to start or compete for snaps have dried up. The question is how long Flacco will be willing to remain unsigned while waiting for an opening to develop elsewhere during training camp or the early portion of the season.

Running backs

Starter: Chase Brown
Backups: Samaje Perine, Tahj Brooks
Outside the 53: Kendall Milton, Gary Brightwell
Gone: None
Still need: Another young running back in the pipeline.
Draft outlook: There will be a fascinating conversation around Jeremiyah Love if the Notre Dame running back slides down the board as he did in The Athletic beat writer mock draft. If he’s still available when the Bengals pick at No. 10, the front office would have to make a bold decision to select him rather than a defensive player to fill one of the team’s needs. The rest of the draft is thin at running back compared to previous years, so finding value on Day 3 will be more challenging than normal.
Analysis: The Bengals operated with three active running backs the majority of last season, so it wouldn’t be crazy to see them leave the draft without an addition. The team could also look to add an established veteran for near the minimum as camp draws closer.

Tight ends

Starters: Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample
Backups: Tanner Hudson, Erick All Jr.
Outside the 53: Cam Grandy
Gone: Noah Fant (New Orleans Saints)
Still need: To think about the future. Fant’s departure leaves the hope that All, coming off multiple ACL surgeries, can return to full health. Gesicki is 30 years old, and Sample is in the final year of his deal. There’s room to add a developmental prospect behind them.
Draft outlook: This draft possesses one of the deepest batches of tight ends in recent memory. That depth could work out well for Cincinnati, which has four picks in the sixth and seventh rounds. One of those almost certainly will be earmarked for a tight end.
Analysis: This group will blossom from good to great if All can stay healthy and regain the form of his rookie season, when the Bengals shifted the offense around his skill set. The organization’s level of confidence in his health will likely determine how aggressive the team will be in the draft. I’d be shocked to see a pick before the fourth round at this position.

Wide receivers

Starters: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas
Backups: Charlie Jones, Ke’Shawn Williams, Mitchell Tinsley
Outside the 53: Xavier Johnson, Dohnte Meyers, Jordan Moore, Kendric Pryor
Gone: None
Still need: Competition (and maybe a succession plan?) for Iosivas. Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher expressed confidence in Iosivas, who has been solid and improved each year. He also suggested that he expects competition for the third spot, although the team has yet to add any in free agency.
Draft outlook: A deep receiver draft with an impressive array of talent at the top. Much like tight end, this screams for a sixth- or seventh-round pick. Remember, Iosivas was a sixth-rounder in 2023. This draft sets up well to add a similar contributor in the later rounds, but the Bengals’ window to consider the move won’t open until pick No. 72 (and unlikely even then).
Analysis: Jones and Williams probably will battle it out to own the receiver/returner role, but this group feels like it needs one more name. The best bet is a sixth-round pick.

Offensive line

Starters: LT Orlando Brown Jr., LG Dylan Fairchild, C Ted Karras, RG Dalton Risner, RT Amarius Mims
Backups: G/T Cody Ford, C Matt Lee, G Jalen Rivers
Outside the 53: Javon Foster, Jacob Bayer, Andrew Coker
Gone: Cordell Volson (Tennessee Titans)
Still need: Swing tackle and veteran depth. Re-signing Risner solidified the starters, but there’s a need to find an answer beyond Ford if Mims or Brown gets hurt. It would make sense to bring back Lucas Patrick, who had good chemistry with the current group and brings dependable depth at center and guard. Will the Bengals do that, or will they opt to go the younger, more volatile route?
Draft outlook: The draft is top-heavy at tackle, with the best group of playable starters expected to be off the board when the Bengals pick at No. 41, and it’s unlikely they will use the No. 10 pick on an offensive lineman, with Mims and Brown signed up for multiple years. A mid-round, developmental tackle seems like the best option at the position group.
Analysis: The Bengals didn’t add a dependable veteran tackle in free agency, which feels like a miss that has added to the team’s draft needs. This position will be an option between the second and fourth rounds. Some affordable veterans are still available if the draft doesn’t fall the Bengals’ way, but solving through the draft feels more realistic.

Defensive line

Starters: Myles Murphy, Jonathan Allen, T.J. Slaton, Boye Mafe
Backups: B.J. Hill, Kris Jenkins, Shemar Stewart, Cedric Johnson, McKinnley Jackson
Outside the 53: Isaiah Foskey, Jordan Jefferson, Howard Cross III
Gone: Trey Hendrickson (Baltimore Ravens), Joseph Ossai (New York Jets)
Still need: Another edge rusher and defensive tackle depth. The Bengals added Mafe to replace Hendrickson, but they don’t have a replacement for Ossai. They could also use competition for Jackson and Jenkins in reserve roles.
Draft outlook: A gorgeous draft for edge rushers, particularly on Day 2. If Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. falls to No. 10, the Bengals could check this box early, but otherwise, the edge prospects expected to go in the second round would hit them just right to restock. While the top of the draft at defensive tackle is thin, the class fills out in the later rounds and could provide competition for Jenkins or Slaton.
Analysis: If an early edge pick gets added to the rotation of Mafe, Murphy and Stewart, the Bengals would have to like the potential of their waves. The team appears hesitant to spend much more in free agency, but a veteran like DJ Reader, who’s still available, could bring leadership and depth at a manageable price point.

Linebackers

Starters: Barrett Carter, Demetrius Knight Jr.
Backups: Oren Burks, Joe Giles-Harris, Shaka Hayward
Outside the 53: Liam Anderson, Antwaun Powell-Ryland
Still need: Someone. Anyone. The Bengals passed on adding a veteran or combo-backer here. They are not expected to pursue anyone beyond a bargain price at this point, but names like Bobby Okereke and Christian Rozeboom are still available amid a largely picked-over crop. For the most part, the Bengals will turn to the draft to fill this gap. They tried the same thing last year, and that decision doomed the season. There will be heavy pressure to develop Carter and Knight for 2026.
Draft outlook: A solid collection of options. The most notable would be an unlikely slip of Ohio State’s Sonny Styles down the board. It’s a pick that suddenly would look better and better for the Bengals. Beyond that, this would be considered a solid linebacker draft, generally, but nobody else fits the bill at No. 10. The most likely outcome is a Day 2 swing at linebacker to fit need and value.
Analysis: It’s hard to believe the Bengals put themselves in this position again, but the onus falls on Knight and Carter to ascend in Year 2. Any drafted linebacker would likely have to undergo the same growing pains those two experienced before becoming a player capable of helping the team. Not signing any of the available linebackers in free agency will haunt Cincinnati all year if Carter and Knight don’t improve.

Defensive backs

Starters: CB DJ Turner, CB Dax Hill, NCB Jalen Davis, S Bryan Cook, S Jordan Battle
Backups: CB Josh Newton, CB DJ Ivey, S Daijahn Anthony, S PJ Jules
Outside the 53: Jalen Kimber, Brayln Lux, Russ Yeast
Gone: Geno Stone (Buffalo Bills), Cam Taylor-Britt (Indianapolis Colts), Marco Wilson (Miami Dolphins), Tycen Anderson (Broncos)
Still need: A backup outside corner, real competition for Davis at nickel and at least one backup safety.
Draft outlook: Thankfully for the Bengals, there will be quality players at all of the positions of need. That starts with the possibility of Mansoor Delane (LSU) and Jermod McCoy (Tennessee) at No. 10. Adding a top-10 outside corner could push Hill back to the slot to get the best three backs on the field. The Bengals could also look for a more versatile, nickel/safety hybrid player who better fits the construction of the defensive backfield. Jalon Kilgore (South Carolina) and Keionte Scott (Miami) are two names in that mold who are expected to be available on Day 2.
Analysis: It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Bengals take defensive backs with two of their first three picks, considering the team’s lack of depth at the position. They also have three extension-eligible starters (Hill, Turner and Battle) in the last year of their contracts, some of whom might not be with the team after next season. Cincinnati will look to the rubble of the free-agent market to add depth. There are five free-agent corners available who played at least 45 percent of snaps last year and made less than $2 million in AAV: Rasul Douglas, Jack Jones, Adoree’ Jackson, Kaiir Elam and Jalyn Armour-Davis. Adding one of them would alleviate the draft pressure at the position.

Specialists

Starters: K Evan McPherson, P Ryan Rehkow, LS William Wagner
Backups: None.
Outside the 53: None.
Still need: None.
Draft outlook: None.
Analysis: None.