The Cincinnati Bengals have spent years carrying a reputation they can’t quite shake, and ESPN’s latest “NFL Future Power Rankings” did little to help. Even with a 2026 roster that looks built to contend, Cincinnati landed at No. 17 in the league-wide lookahead that projects teams from 2027 through 2029.
That placement says plenty about how the Bengals are still viewed around the NFL. Joe Burrow remains the face of the franchise, but the broader perception is that Cincinnati’s front office and ownership have too often held the team back with frugality. ESPN’s index echoed that skepticism by giving the Bengals a 76.75 out of 100 for coaching, which ranked 23rd, and a 72.75 for the front office, which ranked 28th.
There’s a case to be made that Zac Taylor has gotten more out of the situation than he’s been credited for. Burrow has kept the offense moving even when he’s missed extended stretches, while the defense has been the side that repeatedly dragged the team down during three straight seasons without a playoff appearance. This offseason was supposed to change that, with the arrival of Dexter Lawrence and others giving Cincinnati a much different look on that side of the ball.
Still, ESPN’s future outlook suggests the Bengals are being treated as a team whose offseason gains might not stick. The implication is clear enough: Cincinnati will fall back into old habits, keep Taylor, and pass on a bigger swing at head coach despite Burrow being in his prime.
One of the bigger concerns in the rankings was Cincinnati’s looming free-agent class. By snap count, the Bengals have the NFL’s largest group set to hit free agency next offseason. Even so, not all of that group feels like a crisis waiting to happen.
A DJ Turner extension seems inevitable, and it would be surprising if Cincinnati took care of Turner without also keeping Dax Hill, given that the two share the same agent. On the offensive line, Ted Karras and Dalton Risner are among the names due for the open market, but rookies Connor Lew and Brian Parker II could step in as replacements. If the Bengals want to keep either veteran around, a one-year deal wouldn’t break the bank.
Samaje Perine is also in that group, though as a No. 2 running back he’s the kind of player teams can replace. The real questions are Jordan Battle and Andrei Iosivas.
Battle is still on the rise, but even a strong 2026 probably wouldn’t push him into top-of-the-market territory. Iosivas, for now, looks expendable.
And then there’s Burrow, which is always the part that makes Cincinnati’s long-range ranking feel off. ESPN gave him a 91.75, good for top-five quarterback status. If you’re buying that Burrow is still one of the five best quarterbacks in football, then it’s hard to square that with a No. 17 overall future ranking for the Bengals.
That’s before getting to the injury issue, which has followed Burrow throughout much of his career. Even so, an elite quarterback can cover for a lot, and Cincinnati’s problems have often been rooted in a bad offensive line, a poor defense, and bad injury luck rather than anything Burrow has done wrong.
ESPN’s Seth Walder also floated an interesting bold prediction for tight end Erick All Jr., writing: "Bold prediction for 2027-29: Tight end Erick All Jr. will finish in the top five in receiving yards at the position in at least one of these seasons. If All, who suffered a knee injury that cost him the back half of 2024 and all of 2025, can get healthy, he could turn into a real receiving option for Cincy behind Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. He'll have to clear Mike Gesicki on the depth chart first, but that shouldn't be too tall of a task."
If that plays out, it would only add to the argument that the Bengals are being undersold. Drew Sample likely won’t be on the roster beyond this year, and that alone makes the tight end room look different going forward.
The bigger point is simpler: if Burrow stays upright, Chase and Higgins keep producing, and All develops into a real threat, Cincinnati should be a contender more often than not. The brand may still lag behind the reality, but the roster looks better than the ranking suggests.
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