In case you haven't heard, 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the Cincinnati Bengals.
So too was 2025 ... and 2024. But after once again falling short of the playoffs and finally feeling some heat from franchise quarterback Joe Burrow, the Bengals have taken an aggressive approach toward roster construction in 2026, adding four new projected starters (Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook) on the defensive side of the ball. It's an attempt to correct their neglectful mistakes made in previous offseasons and, at least on paper, it's producing intended results.
"I'm really excited about the moves we made this offseason," Burrow told this week. "We need to get better, so it was exciting to see the initiative from everybody in the organization to realize that we're in this exciting stage. We're in our primes playing great football. Finding guys like Dexter and Bryan Cook ... to, you know, really solidify that defense so the young guys can also kind of rise up. We're really going to try to achieve what we want to achieve."
Cincinnati's annual disappointments have revolved around the same defensive shortcomings in the last three years, a reality frustrating enough to prompt Burrow to wonder aloud whether he might have a long-term future with the Bengals. That seemed to inspire action in Cincinnati's front office, from which de facto general manager Duke Tobin acquired Lawrence via a trade with the New York Giants, a deal that required Tobin to send the Bengals' No. 10 overall pick to the Big Apple in exchange for a proven commodity.
Tobin's most notable move came at the end of an active period that saw him poach Mafe from the Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks and welcome Allen's beef to a defensive interior that desperately needed it. Cook followed his heart back home, making the jump from perennial Super Bowl contender Kansas City to his hometown of Cincinnati with the goal of helping the Bengals fulfill their potential. And in the draft, Tobin eschewed his traditional preference for measurables and selected explosive (but short-armed) edge rusher Cashius Howell, giving the Bengals a situational rusher to mix in with the likes of Myles Murphy, Shemar Stewart and Mafe.
The offense? Largely untouched, saved for a few depth additions largely found in the draft. But as the numbers prove, offense was never the problem in Cincinnati, not when Burrow was healthy and leading the unit toward explosive performances.
Now, it seems the other side of the ball might be ready to finally catch up. At minimum, the same excuses won't play for the Bengals in 2026, provided they can stay healthy.
Burrow knows they're nearing their target window and cannot let the opportunity pass.
"This is fun," he said. "But soon, it's going to be our job to go out on the field and execute."
