The Bengals can still make a pretty convincing case on paper. Joe Burrow is there, the skill talent around him is elite, and the front office has clearly pushed chips in this offseason. That kind of setup usually buys a team a lot of trust.
But around the league, not everyone is sold.
In a preseason poll conducted by The Athletic’s Mike Sando before Week 1, some NFL executives pointed straight at the same issues that have followed Cincinnati all offseason: the offensive line and a defense still trying to prove it can be more than just a work in progress.
"For me, it was the O-line that held me back," an exec told Sando. "You love the skill-position talent, and the defense should take a 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 kind of skepticism is going to irritate Bengals fans, especially after a strong season up front and with the same starting five back together for the first time in the Burrow era.
Still, the doubts haven’t come out of nowhere. The line and offense looked shaky at times in limited under-center work during the preseason, and that’s enough to keep people asking questions. Add in the rebuilt defense and the issue of health, and Cincinnati has a few boxes to check before the league starts giving it full credit.
For now, those unanswered questions are part of why the Bengals sit seventh in the AFC in those rankings.
In Other News...
Bengals Optimism Comes With One Roster Concern Fans Can't Ignore
The Bengals are heading into the regular season with plenty to like, starting with Joe Burrow back in place and a defense that has been bolstered by the additions of Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen. On paper, that kind of mix gives Cincinnati real reason to feel better about its chances than it did a year ago, especially with the offense still built around Burrow and the familiar firepower of JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Still, the early-week injury chatter is worth watching because even minor issues can matter once the games count. Chase and Higgins have both dealt with bumps along the way, but they are expected to be ready for the opener, which leaves the Bengals with optimism and just enough uncertainty to keep one roster question hanging over the buildup to Week 1. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Took A Risk Joe Burrow Is Counting On
The Bengals spent the offseason trying to shore up a defense that needed more impact, and the moves came with a price. Cincinnati signed safety Bryan Cook to a $40.25 million deal and also traded for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, a pair of additions aimed at making the unit tougher and more reliable around Joe Burrows offense. Even so, not everyone has been sold on the Cook contract, with some observers wondering whether the money matches his previous production.
Burrow, though, has sounded encouraged by what those additions could mean for the teams balance. For a quarterback who has already carried plenty of the load in Cincinnati, any meaningful defensive upgrade matters because it can change how often the Bengals are forced into shootouts. The front office clearly took a calculated swing here, and the payoff will depend on whether Cook can justify the investment while the rest of the defense takes a real step forward. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Built This Roster To End One Criticism Around Burrow
Joe Burrows health has not been the only measuring stick around Cincinnati lately, and that is part of why the Bengals spent the offseason reshaping the other side of the ball. Richard Sherman made that point on his podcast, arguing that the defense has been the bigger reason the Bengals have not been in the AFC North race the last two years, even when Burrow has been available. It is a familiar frustration in Cincinnati, where the offense has usually done enough to keep the team relevant, only for the defense to drag the whole operation back down.
So the front office went after help with a sense of urgency, making additions aimed at changing the balance of the roster for 2026. The Bengals brought in defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and added free agents Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook, moves designed to address a unit that has ranked near the bottom in points allowed over the past two seasons. Whether those changes are enough to finally remove one of the most persistent criticisms around Burrow is still the question hanging over the team. [Read more 🡒]