Cincinnati Bengals
Getty
The Cincinnati Bengals received some bad news after free agency
The Cincinnati Bengals entered NFL free agency among the top-10 teams in available salary cap space. With an offense featuring superstar talent led by quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals have a championship window if they can stay healthy and build an adequate defense.
Unfortunately, last season neither of these things occurred. Burrow was out for a large portion of the season as he dealt with a turf toe injury. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati defense struggled as they allowed the second-most yards in the NFL and the third-most points. As a result, the team missed out on the postseason for the third consecutive year despite having the seventh-best offense in the NFL.
In response, the Bengals signed three defensive starters to multi-year deals. However, despite the moves, one NFL analyst does not believe Cincinnati’s outlook will be different in 2026.
Cincinnati Bengals Projected to be Worse in 2026
Fox Sports NFL writer Ben Arthur evaluated whether teams improved or declined following the 2025 season and determined the Bengals got worse. He wrote, “The writing was on the wall for Hendrickson’s departure, but adding Boye Mafe — signed to a three-year, $60 million contract — doesn’t sufficiently make up for the pass-rush production lost. Mafe had just two sacks last season with the Seahawks.”
To make matters worse, Arthur believed the division rival Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns both got better. While he wrote that the Steelers got worse, that was due to the impending status of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is currently unsigned.
One could make the argument against Arthur, that he’s underrating the addition of Mafe, categorizing him as just a two-sack guy. Despite finishing the season with just two sacks, Mafe was ranked as the No. 28 free agent in this year’s class, asDaniel Popper of The Athletic wrote, “Mafe was a rotational piece on Seattle’s loaded Super Bowl defensive front in 2025. He played 50 percent of the defense’s snaps under coach Mike Macdonald, but he has upside in more of a full-time starter role. Mafe is an elite athlete with a high motor and closing speed in space. He is also disruptive against the run. He needs to refine his pass-rushing moves to take the next step in his career.”
Bengals Secondary
Additionally, the Bengals added safety Bryan Cook, who should provide an upgrade over defensive back Geno Stone, who struggled over the past two seasons with the Bengals. Cook, meanwhile, is coming off the best season of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.Pro Football Focus ranked Cook as the fourth-best safety in the NFL last season. It marked the first time Cook graded as a top-50 safety in the NFL.
While the pair of additions may not be enough to give the Bengals a top-ranked defense, it seems unlikely that the team’s defense got worse after finishing with a bottom-12 defense in each of the past three years, even with Trey Hendrickson on the roster.