For the Cincinnati Bengals, it's been a challenging stretch, with three seasons passing since their last playoff appearance. Over this period, the team has amassed a 24-27 record, a testament to the ups and downs they've faced on the field.
The first two seasons of this dry spell were marred by critical mistakes, and the 2025 season added even more to the list of what-ifs. But if you think it's tough being a fan, imagine being in the shoes of safety Jordan Battle.
Battle's collegiate career with the Alabama Crimson Tide was nothing short of spectacular. From 2019 to 2022, he experienced the thrill of a 48-6 record, two College Football Playoff Championship appearances, and a national title. His stats during that time were impressive: 251 total tackles, six interceptions, 16 passes defended, and multiple All-American honors.
Since being drafted by the Bengals in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Battle has yet to taste postseason action. It's a point of frustration for him, as he shared on the "Bengals Booth Podcast."
“I obviously have to play in the playoff game,” Battle expressed. "And I feel like this is the year to do it.
Then not just one playoff game. I want to play in a divisional, the conference, and then the Super Bowl as well.”
This offseason, the Bengals have made strategic moves to end their playoff drought. They've bolstered their roster significantly, bringing in defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II, safeties Kyle Dugger and Bryan Cook, cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, and edge rusher Boye Mafe. These acquisitions signal that the Bengals are gearing up for a serious playoff push.
“So, those are big goals for me. Obviously, getting to the playoffs is first, and then finish from there,” Battle added.
In his three seasons in the NFL, Battle has been a consistent performer with 140 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six interceptions, and 14 passes defended. Last season, he earned a 61.5 overall PFF defensive grade, placing him 63rd among 98 qualified safeties.
Under head coach Zac Taylor, the Bengals have shown they can be playoff contenders. Their last two playoff runs included a narrow Super Bowl LVI loss to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 and a heart-wrenching AFC Championship defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs the following year. With the current roster improvements, the Bengals and Battle are poised to make another run at postseason glory.
In Other News...
Andrew Whitworth Just Weighed In On The Bengals Burrow Debate
Andrew Whitworths take on the Bengals quarterback chatter carried the kind of weight only a former franchise cornerstone can bring. The retired offensive tackle made it clear he sees Cincinnatis identity as already tied to Joe Burrow, pointing to the way the organization has reshaped itself around its quarterback since Burrow arrived and made a much more aggressive push to build a contender.
Whitworth also framed the discussion in a way Bengals fans know all too well: the team has invested heavily, extended key homegrown players and gone after outside help, but the whole plan still turns on Burrow staying on the field. For Cincinnati, that is the real hinge point in any championship conversation, and it is why the latest debate feels less like a roster question than a reminder of how fragile the window can be. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Allen Knows Exactly What Bengals Fans Feared Up Front
Jonathan Allens arrival gives Cincinnati exactly the kind of interior presence it had been searching for, but it also reinforces the idea that the Bengals are not looking to lean on one or two big bodies and call it solved. Between Dexter Lawrence, BJ Hill, TJ Slaton, Kris Jenkins, McKinnley Jackson and Landon Robinson, the depth chart has become a real competition, and the bigger picture is pretty clear: the Bengals want more than just names up front. They want enough rotation to keep the group fresh and productive.
Allen has already made his own view of the plan known, preferring a workload that keeps him from being overextended after what he felt was too much last season. That meshes with what Cincinnati is building, but it also puts a spotlight on how the snaps will actually be divided once the games start mattering. The Bengals addressed one of their most obvious roster concerns, but the exact answer to who handles the heaviest load inside is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
What A Real Year 2 Leap Would Mean For Shemar Stewart
Shemar Stewarts first NFL season gave the Bengals only a thin glimpse of what they drafted, and the larger question now is whether a second-year leap can turn flashes into something closer to a real role. Cincinnati needs more from the edge, and Stewarts development matters because the front office cannot keep waiting forever for a young pass rusher to become more than a project.
The path is there, but it is crowded and still unfinished. Stewart is trying to build on a rookie year that produced modest returns, and the Bengals are heading into another season with multiple players in the mix for snaps on the edge, which means every practice rep and every early-season opportunity will count. A meaningful jump would not just help Stewart, it could change the shape of Cincinnatis rotation. [Read more 🡒]