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The Cincinnati Bengals are ready to rumble in the jungle! After an eventful offseason that saw their weakest link be overhauled, Cincinnati is ready to make their return to the postseason in style. A mixture of familiar faces and new contributors are ready to take this team to the promised land.
It's the start of a new season, which means it's time for fans to set lofty expectations for their team. Let's look at three predictions of what we think would happen to the Bengals in the 2026 NFL season.
Dexter Lawrence goes for 10+ sacks
After whiffing on their last two attempts to draft an edge rusher in the first round, the Bengals tried a different approach this year. They traded the tenth overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft to the New York Giants to get Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence is arguably the best interior defensive lineman in the league, and he brings an imposing presence to the Cincinnati D-line.
The Bengals are hoping that Lawrence's' interior pressure draws enough pressure for their young edges and Boye Mafe to eat. That being said, Lawrence is good enough on his own to eat double-teams for breakfast. Don't let his 0.5 sacks in 2025 fool you: Lawrence drew 34 pressures last season per PFF, despite being doubled a whopping 70% of the time. He's good enough to draw sacks on his own despite two people marking him.
Mafe isn't a slouch either, and a good season from the former Super Bowl champion will force double teams on him and leave Lawrence in one-on-one coverage against some poor guard or center.
Dohnte Meyers becomes WR3 by the end of the year
Dohnte Meyers quickly became a fan favorite in Cincinnati after this year's training camp. The new Bengals wide receiver has an incredible story: driving seven hours from Atlanta to Cincinnati just to accomodate Joe Burrow's request to train with him. The Bengals' coaching staff rewarded Meyers with a spot on this year's 53-man roster to start the season.
The thing is… Meyers might just play himself into a bigger role this season. Andrei Iosivas is a fan favorite and has had his moments over the last two years. That being said, his production has been hit-or-miss at times. Iosivas is good, but his positon as the team's WR3 isn't a guarantee.
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What nickname was revived by the 1985 Chicago Bears?
Steel Curtain
Meyers has a chance to snatch that role eventually. He's shown in training camp and in practice that he has strong, reliable hands, something that Iosivas struggled with in his career. The Bengals WR is also electric after the catch, making him a threat at all levels of the field. That shiftiness also comes handy in the special teams department, too: Meyers is expected to be one of the primary returners for Cincinnati after Charlie Jones was cut.
Chase Brown goes for 1,200+ rushing yards
Year after year, Bengals fans want one thing from Zac Taylor and the offense: to run the ball more. Ever since Joe Burrow's arrival, Cincinnati has been one of the most pass-heavy teams in the NFL. It's been effective, yes, but it's also been detrimental to the overall success of the team.
This was especially frustrating in 2025. The Bengals had an effective run game: they ranked sixth in rushing EPA last season with Chase Brown as the lead back. The only problem was that the Bengals did not run the ball at all last year: they finished with the second-lowest rushing percentage last year.
Despite that, Brown still managed to eke out 1,000+ yards from the ground. This season, Cincinnati is making a renewed effort to run the ball. The Bengals have practiced going under center more often and have promised to give more attention to the ground game. This perfectly sets up Brown to have a monster year on the field.
Only nine players cracked the 1,200-yard mark in rushing yards last season. With how much attention the pass game will take on, expect Brown to hit that landmark next season and be an absolute force for the Bengals.