The Cincinnati Bengals are drawing plenty of attention before the 2026 season even kicks off, and ESPN has them sitting at No. 7 in its latest watchability and excitement ranking.
That placement comes with a clear reason: this team feels loaded with questions, pressure, and possibility all at once. Cincinnati is coming off a rough 2025-25 season, but there’s optimism tied to a revamped defense and a healthy Joe Burrow. At the same time, there are still enough unknowns to keep the spotlight fixed firmly on the Bengals.
ESPN’s Ben Solak framed it as a team impossible to ignore. “You know what’s fun to watch?
High stakes. And stakes are higher nowhere else than in Cincinnati this season.
Doesn’t every single game feel like a referendum on something or somebody in Cincinnati? Will every loss come with questions about the internal relationships of coach Zac Taylor, quarterback Joe Burrow, and Bengals ownership?
Won’t every win come with a sigh of relief and validation that the Bengals are finally healthy, balanced and ready to win it all?” Solak wrote.
“The defense does need to be better, though. Bad defense can improve watchability rankings (read: create shootouts), but terrible defense is so repugnant that I end up clicking away in disgust.
The Bengals started to round that critical corner last season, and in the early weeks of the season, I’ll be glued to the tube to see whether Dexter Lawrence II looks as healthy and impactful as they need him to be.”
That mix of hope and uncertainty is exactly what makes Cincinnati such a compelling team heading into the new season.
In Other News...
Former Bengals Are Suddenly Fighting For NFL Jobs Again
The first wave of NFL roster cuts put a few familiar former Bengals back in the churn, with teams across the league trimming down to their Week 1 group and several ex-Cincinnati players landing on the wrong side of the numbers game. Safety Geno Stone, guard Cordell Volson and defensive end Khalid Kareem were among the names released, while others with Bengals ties found at least a temporary landing spot as practice squads began to take shape.
Cameron Sample and Bobby Hart were among the former Cincinnati players who surfaced on practice squads, a reminder of how quickly the margins tighten once the league moves from training camp to the regular season. For players with roster experience already behind them, the challenge now is simple but unforgiving: stay ready, stay visible and wait for the next opening. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrows Bengals Just Got Hit With A Contender Reality Check
The Bengals still have the kind of skill-position talent that keeps them in the conversation every season, but a recent poll of NFL executives from The Athletic served as a reminder that reputation only goes so far. The roster is built around Joe Burrow and a passing game that can stress any defense, yet the same conversation keeps circling back to the trenches and whether Cincinnati can do enough up front to make the offense more balanced.
Even with the same starting offensive line back in place, league observers are still uneasy about the teams ability to run the ball and keep Burrow clean. There are also lingering questions about the defensive scheme, and in a recent AFC pecking order, Cincinnati landed seventh. For a team expecting to be treated like a contender, that is the sort of outside skepticism that tends to hang around until September starts answering it. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Fans Have One More Reason To Trust This Rebuilt Line
Dylan Fairchild has become one of the quieter reasons the Bengals feel better about their rebuilt offensive line. The starting left guard spoke briefly with FOX19 about his preparation for the upcoming season after a strong rookie year, and his focus was on the same thing that has defined much of Cincinnatis camp work up front: staying healthy, staying steady and carrying that progress into the regular season.
Fairchild also pointed to the importance of an early fast start, which matters even more for a line that has spent the offseason intact while the rest of the offense waits to see how it all translates. Cincinnati opens against Tampa Bay and Houston, a quick first test against two difficult fronts, so the Bengals comfort level in the trenches could get tested immediately. [Read more 🡒]