The Cincinnati Bengals are almost out of preseason mode and into the part that counts, with 2026 carrying real weight for the franchise and for head coach Zac Taylor.
There’s plenty of optimism around this team, and for good reason. The Bengals have not made the playoffs in the last three seasons, but the belief around the roster is that this group may be the most talented one Taylor has had to work with. That has pushed expectations sky high, with plenty of people already talking in Super Bowl terms.
Greg Auman of Fox Sports isn’t going that far. For him, the baseline for a successful Bengals season is much simpler: get into the playoffs.
"If you'd said three years ago that Joe Burrow and Cincinnati would miss the playoffs three years in a row, you'd sound crazy," writes Auman. "The Bengals' success starts with a healthy Burrow, but it's also going to require major improvement on defense."
Auman pointed to the biggest defensive addition, tackle Dexter Lawrence, as a player who changes the look of that side of the ball. Still, he also flagged the opening month as a major test of whether Cincinnati is really ready to contend.
The Bengals open with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jacksonville Jaguars - a tough four-game run right out of the gate. If Cincinnati stumbles early, that could put Taylor in a dangerous spot as the pressure builds on the sideline.
For a fan base used to thinking bigger, a playoff spot might not feel like the full answer. But it would be a meaningful step.
That’s why this season has been framed so often as now or never in Cincinnati. If the Bengals are going to be special, they can’t afford to spend that first four-game stretch trying to catch up.
In Other News...
Bengals Optimism Comes With One Roster Concern Fans Can't Ignore
With Joe Burrow back and offseason buzz surrounding defensive additions like Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, theres plenty for Bengals fans to like as the regular season approaches. The picture around Cincinnati has a healthier feel than it did at times last year, and the expectation is that core pieces such as JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins will be ready when the opener arrives.
Still, this kind of preseason optimism usually comes with one nagging roster question, and Cincinnati is not immune. The Bengals have been sorting through a handful of developments as they get ready for Week 1, and the final shape of the roster will tell a lot about how real that optimism is once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Took A Risk Joe Burrow Is Counting On
The Bengals spent the offseason making a real push to shore up the defense, headlined by a $40.25 million deal for safety Bryan Cook and a trade for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. It was the kind of roster work that signals urgency, the sort of aggressive spending that usually comes with a message to the locker room and to Joe Burrow that the front office believes the window is open.
Still, not every part of the plan has been greeted with universal approval. Analysts such as Daniel Mader of Sporting News have questioned whether Cooks contract matches his past production, which is the sort of skepticism that follows any big investment before a player proves it again on the field. Burrow, though, has sounded encouraged by the changes, and for Cincinnati the real test now is whether those moves actually turn promise into a defense he can count on. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Suddenly Have A Real Path To The AFCs Top Seed
The Bengals are starting to look like a team with a much clearer route to the AFCs top spot than they had a year ago. A soft schedule is part of the appeal, but it is the bigger picture that has people around the league taking notice, with Cincinnati also bolstering its defense and giving Joe Burrow a roster that looks more balanced on paper than it has in recent seasons. FOX Sports writer Henry McKenna even singled them out as a club that could push into the Super Bowl conversation.
Burrow, for his part, has sounded upbeat about where things stand and the standards the Bengals are setting for themselves heading into the 2026 season. That optimism matters because this is not just about taking advantage of a favorable slate, but about proving the roster changes actually close the gap in a crowded AFC. The path is there now, and the next step is showing Cincinnati can turn that opening into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]