The Bengals may be getting plenty of offseason buzz, but not everyone around the league is ready to stamp them as a true AFC heavyweight.
In The Athletic’s latest poll of six NFL executives, Cincinnati landed with a median projection of seventh in the conference - just enough to squeeze into the playoff picture, but not enough to inspire much confidence beyond that. The group had the Bengals behind Buffalo, Denver, Houston, New England, Baltimore and Kansas City.
The spread on Cincinnati was wide, though. One executive saw them as high as second in the AFC, while another dropped them all the way to 10th, slotting them behind teams like Pittsburgh and Jacksonville.
“Even with Burrow back, they have to make a huge jump defensively,” That low-ranking exec said to Sando. “You could argue for flipping Cincy and Pittsburgh. But I think Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and Indy, I think I have that clump right.”
That skepticism starts with the defense, which is still carrying the burden of last season’s collapse. The Bengals’ 2025 unit allowed the most yards per play in the league, so even with a revamped look, there’s real doubt about how fast that side can turn around. And because the roster is still a little top-heavy, any major injury - especially to names like Bryan Cook or Dexter Lawrence on that new-look unit - could send things sideways again.
Offense wasn’t exactly a free pass either. One executive pointed to the line, even though Cincinnati ranked fourth in Pro Football Focus’s pass-blocking efficiency over the final 11 weeks of the 2025 season. The concern there is less about a single number and more about whether the Bengals can consistently handle pressure when the heat comes.
Joe Burrow’s ability to survive those moments remains a big piece of the puzzle. He posted a 19.8% pressure-to-sack ratio last season, which ranked 30th among qualified quarterbacks, and that kind of number keeps the spotlight squarely on the protection in front of him.
“For me, it was the O-line that held me back,” the exec ranking the Bengals eighth in the AFC noted to Sando. “You love the skill-position talent, and the defense should leap, but I'm not sure they have the scheme to be elite defensively.
Offensively, can they run it with Chase Brown? Do they even want to run it?
Can they protect? This ain't fantasy football.”
That’s the basic tension hanging over Cincinnati right now. The pieces are there, but the league still wants proof that the two biggest problem areas from this decade - the defense and the line - are actually fixed. If both settle in at an average level, the Bengals should be right there with Baltimore in the division race and better than seventh in the AFC by season’s end.
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Bengals Added A Tackle Orlando Brown Clearly Believes In
The Bengals added Myles Hinton, and Orlando Brown Jr. wasted little time making clear he likes what Cincinnati brought in. Brown pointed to Hintons talent, size and athleticism, a useful mix for a team that has spent plenty of time trying to keep the pocket cleaner and the offensive front sturdier around Joe Burrow. It is the kind of move that does not grab headlines the way a splashy signing does, but it still fits the broader push to keep building depth where it matters most.
The move also lands in a week where the Bengals have had plenty of other roster threads worth tracking, from Joe Giles-Harris finding his lane on special teams to Burrows measured optimism about where the team is headed. There is still the larger backdrop of Trey Hendricksons contract situation and how it could shape draft-pick decisions, plus the usual summer noise about whether Cincinnati belongs in the Super Bowl conversation. Hinton is not the center of all that, but he is part of the same bigger picture, and Browns endorsement suggests the Bengals see something worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Be Fast-Tracking Joe Burrows Next Big Protection Test
The Bengals have been leaning on one of the NFLs toughest interior defenders in practice to sharpen Connor Lew, a rookie center working his way back from a torn ACL. Dexter Lawrence, a two-time All-Pro, gives Cincinnati a problem that looks a lot like the ones Lew will face on Sundays, and that kind of daily stress is part of the plan as the team keeps developing him behind veteran Ted Karras.
For Cincinnati, the bigger picture is obvious: the center spot is one of the most important lines of protection for Joe Burrow, and the franchise is already thinking ahead to the eventual transition. Lew is viewed as a potential long-term answer there, so every rep against Lawrence serves both the present and the future, even if the real test of how ready he is still lies ahead. [Read more 🡒]
JaMarr Chase Just Gave Bengals Fans A New Off-Field Reason To Care
JaMarr Chase has turned another chapter of his partnership with Fabletics into something Bengals fans can actually shop, releasing a new collection that blends performance gear with casual looks. It is the third drop in the relationship, and this one comes with a fairly wide spread of options, from cargo pants and oversized tees to joggers, shorts and hoodies, giving Chase another way to stay visible beyond Sundays.
The collection features 25 styles and is available online and at Fabletics stores nationwide, with prices running from $14.95 to $159.95. For Cincinnati-area fans, there is also a local wrinkle: exclusive items are being sold at the Kenwood, Ohio location, adding a little hometown appeal to a rollout that keeps Chase in the conversation even when he is not making plays on the field. [Read more 🡒]