The Bengals’ “New Stripes” are still getting plenty of love.
In Sports Illustrated’s latest ranking of all 32 NFL uniforms, Mike Kadlick put Cincinnati at No. 5 overall this week, slotting the Bengals behind only the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Chargers.
Kadlick had high praise for the look Cincinnati introduced in 2021, calling it “a slam dunk.” He pointed to the team’s ability to mix and match orange, black, and white jerseys and pants, along with the White Bengal helmet, which he said helped create the “iced-out look” the Bengals pair with their annual Paycor Stadium whiteout.
Baltimore edged Cincinnati out at No. 4, and Kadlick highlighted the Ravens’ updated uniforms unveiled in 2026. He noted that the new sets include two helmets, Ravens wings on the collars of the home and away jerseys, and talon-striped pants inspired by both Ravens claws and the Maryland flag. In his view, the changes kept the overall style intact without pushing things too far.
That means two of the league’s freshest looks will face off twice in the AFC North this fall.
Cincinnati’s striped identity goes back to the 1981 season, and the franchise has only changed uniforms three times since then, in 1997, 2004, and 2021. With that track record, another major overhaul this decade seems unlikely.
And if Joe Burrow has a say, the Bengals won’t be worrying much about what they wear anyway. In 2022, the Pro Bowl quarterback and Comeback Player of the Year Award winner made his stance clear when asked about the white uniforms: “I'd play in trash bags, I really don't care what we wear out there.
I know the fans are going to be excited for it. They're gonna come out in full force, hopefully we can make 'em proud and get a win,” Joe Burrow said.
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
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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 🡒]