### **The Bengals' unprecedented offseason spending is paying off.**
While expectations for the Cleveland Browns were low entering this season, as pointed out in last week's preview, it was a different story in Cincinnati. The Bengals finished second in The Athletic's annual "[Hope-o-Meter](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7566537/2026/09/06/nfl-predictions-2026-fan-rankings-survey/)," which measures the preseason optimism levels of all 32 NFL fanbases, with 96% of respondents dubbing themselves optimistic about Cincinnati's 2026 season.
Their placement was interesting compared to their peers. The other teams in the top five – the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and New England Patriots – all made the conference title game last season. The Bengals haven't made the playoffs since 2022. Why was hope so high?
One reason was likely a bet that Cincinnati's stars, namely Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, could stay healthy and lift the Bengals back to championship-level heights. The other likely had to do with something the franchise hadn't done much before: spend significant assets on upgrading the roster over the offseason.
It wasn't a buy-a-few-small-things-at-Target kind of outing. The Bengals had a full-on shopping spree, committing more than $125 million in free-agent contracts to help shore up a defense that'd been one of the NFL's worst over the past few seasons. They also traded the No. 10-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the New York Giants for All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, marking the first time the Bengals had ever dealt a top-10 pick for a player. Lawrence then signed a one-year, $28 million extension.
Optimism didn't just exist on the outside. In June, Burrow compared the vibe surrounding this year's Bengals to 2019 LSU, one of the greatest college football teams ever that Burrow and Chase helped to an undefeated national title-winning season.
Through six weeks, the Bengals aren't exactly on pace for historic greatness, but they'll fly into Baltimore at 3-2 coming off their bye week. That's in part because …