Defending the Draft 2026: The Cincinnati Bengals
The 2025-26 Season
Tiger's Claw meets Monkey's Paw.
The Bengals had started the season 0-2 for the last three years, and Zac Taylor was catching heat from it. The team and the fans wanted to turn this around, and finally get out the gate with a 2-0 start. It felt like it was all coming together. Burrow, Chase, and Higgins had all signed long-term extensions, the offensive line felt like it was finally coming together, Cam Taylor-Britt looked to be taking the step toward becoming a lockdown CB1, their back-to-back 17.5 sack menace Trey Hendrickson would be paired alongside a new first-round EDGE rusher, and Burrow made it through the preseason without injury. This year would be different. This year the team would start fast & finish strong.
They succeeded, in what may be two of the worst victories you've ever seen. In the opener against the Browns, the team cobbled together 141 yards of total offense, but the team limped to victory over Joe Flacco's Browns. The following game, they beat the Jaguars after Burrow suffered a turf toe injury that was expected to land him on IR for nearly the remainder of the season.
Jake Browning, the dependable backup QB from years prior, proved less dependable than the Bengals had hoped. After three straight losses, the team surprised everyone by making an in-division trade for Joe Flacco. Over the remainder of the season, Flacco proved he still had some Elite Dragon in him despite his 40 years of age, and he defeated Aaron Rodgers of the Steelers in the Icy Hot Bowl (alternatively named, The Unc Bowl).
It was a feel-good game for a season that was effectively over, though. The team would end up losing 5 of its first 6 games with Flacco due a historically bad defense, cursed by injuries and marred by both inexperienced rookies & uninspiring veterans, that regularly gave up over 30 points and allowed over 500 yards of offense three times. Burrow returned from injury quicker than expected, but no QB was going to save the team from this defense.
There were two major takeaways from the season. One was that the oft-maligned offensive line had actually become objectively decent, and was no longer the team's main issue. Two, the defense didn't need change, the defense needed a full-on reset.
2026 Free Agency
Defense, defense, defense. They let Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai walk, a heavily-argued decision as they were two of the few bright spots on the defense for the past couple years, but Trey's years-long contract disputes, ageing, and recent injuries couldn't be overlooked. The Bengals didn't sit around idly, though. They picked up a solid mix of high-end defensive starters (Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe) plus some solid depth pieces (Jonathan Allen, Kyle Dugger). A lot of fans felt the defense was already feeling better, but they still needed to attack it in the draft.
The 10th pick overall was looking shaky, mocks would sometimes have an amazing player fall to the Bengals, but too often every top tier defensive player was gone by 10. There were discussions about both trading up and trading back, the mix of excitement and anxiety was intense. Adding to this was another complication -- the biggest hole left to fill was interior pass rush. There were hints that the team was looking at Peter Woods, Kayden McDonald, or Caleb Banks. But taking any of them at 10 felt rich, waiting for them later was a risk, and the odds of them being immediate gamewreckers was questionable.
A week before the draft, the team made its first round selection by trading the pick for Giants' star Dexter Lawrence, in what has been widely described as a win-win trade for both teams. The Bengals, accordingly, would enter the draft without a first round pick, but would otherwise be free to pick BPA instead of trying to force a pick at any particular position.
2026 Draft
2.41 Cashius Howell (EDGE, Texas A&M)
Pick 1.10 was looking rough for Cincinnati. Too many scenarios where the kind of playmakers they needed just might not be available. Pick 2.41 was the opposite. After filling the DT/NT need with Dexter Lawrence, their early Round 2 pick was wide open for however they wanted to use it. Nobody really knew what direction they'd go with the pick, with the only consensus prediction being that it would likely be defense.
For the third time in four years, the Bengals used their first draft pick on an EDGE rusher, grabbing Shemar Stewart's old teammate Cashius Howell. There have been comments, sometimes jokingly and sometimes not, that this pick is about replacing Shemar with the better EDGE from the same college, but that was missing the point. The team had lost half of its EDGEs this offseason -- Trey Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai, and Cam Sample -- and Howell had a play-style that complemented, not replaced, Stewart's.
Howell was scouted as a speed rusher, unlikely to bullrush much with his lighter frame and short arms, but more than capable of using his insane bend & agility to get around defenders. His speed & agility also hope to serve him in coverage. Linebacker was a pain point for the Bengals in 2025, as their two rookies played startlingly like two rookies, but the team has not shown any indication that they want to replace either of them. Instead, the team spent this offseason surrounding the LBs with significantly more talent, and Cashius projects to be a big part of that. Whether it's dropping into coverage to help them directly, or pressuring the passer, or just presenting as a threat that the offense must compensate for, the Bengals will be hoping that Howell's versatility can elevate the linebackers as well as the entire defense.
3.72 Tacario "Bobo" Davis (CB, Washington)
One of the few bright spots on the Bengals defense in 2025 was at cornerback. It came at a cost of a significant setback -- their promising young CB Cam Taylor-Britt regressed massively, right as he entered his contract year, and would end up benched the majority of the season before culminating in a season-ending injury and setting off to Indianapolis in free agency. But in his place, DJ Turner II and Dax Hill stepped up and became a solid CB1/CB2 duo. That left a gap at CB3; the team made do with a few late-round draft selections they had from the past couple years, but no one proved themselves as long-term solutions for the role, and the defense was consistently dismantled by opposing tight ends.
Tacario Davis is a 6'4" CB with great speed. He's not the best at mirroring, and has a reputation for being grabby, but there's hope that with coaching he'll clean this up, and the team will be left with a CB with very rare combination of size, speed, and ball skills who can be truly disruptive in the pass game. While generally projected as an outside corner, analysts have also noted his potential to cover tight ends or even play some free safety.
Cincinnati's CB1 will be DJ Turner, but the exact configuration of the rest of the DB corp is yet to be determined, and the team will be trying to determine the correct fits for Dax, Bobo, Jalen Davis, Josh Newton, and Ja'Sir Taylor. He should be a solid contributor regardless, and as Al Golden enters his second year as the team's DC, Davis should be a versatile tool to help this defense find what it was missing in 2025.
4.128 Connor Lew (C, Auburn)
Cincinnati originally had 4.110, but when the Jets wanted to move up for a QB, they made a deal to swap 4.110 & 6.199 for 4.128 & 4.140.
Offensive line was a depth & developmental need for Cincinnati. LG and RT seem set for the future, but Orlando Brown Jr. and Ted Karras are both getting up there in age, and Dalton Risner -- while a great stopgap at RG -- is still just a stopgap as the team looks for a long-term solution there. The Bengals took shots on centers in both 2024 and 2025, grabbing Matt Lee in the 7th and Seth McClaughlin as a UDFA, but neither developed as hoped and both have departed the team.
Enter Connor Lew. Lew was one of the highest-graded pure-center prospects of the draft, lauded for his pass protections skills, especially technique & instinct. He was a team captain at Auburn, a commendation highly valued by the Bengals staff, and his presumed mentor, Karras, is also a team captain. He still has development ahead of him, everything from continued improvement of his technique, to potentially adding some mass & strength, and of course recovering from his injury. This all fits perfectly well with the Bengals, though, being a pass-heavy offense that doesn't need a new starter right away. His good fundamentals and young age put him in an excellent position to develop behind Ted Karras without needing to be rushed into a starter role, or rushed through his injury recovery.
4.140 Colbie Young (WR, Georgia)
WR is an unexpected need for a team with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but ever since Tyler Boyd left years ago, the Bengals have had a rocky experience finding a solid WR3 option who can also pose as a legitimate threat if either Chase or Higgins are out. Charlie Jones ended up being a solid returner, but didn't pan out as a WR. Jermaine Burton didn't pan out in any sense. Andrei Iosivas has exceeded expectations as a 6th round pick, but inconsistencies and lack of elite upside have kept him in the hot seat. The Bengals have made do the past couple years with Iosivas, their receiving TE Mike Gesicki, and newcomer Mitchell Tinsley, but they never stopped looking for a true threat to add to the WR room.
Colbie Young should be entering into a good situation. He'll be the presumptive WR3, he'll be catching passes from Joe Burrow (or potentially Joe Flacco), and his primary goal is not to be elite and carve up the opposing secondary on his own, but to simply exploit the weaknesses that Chase & Higgins open up for him. He's a large receiver, measuring 6'4", and has all the tools needed to beat out defenders for contested catches. And these are tools he'll need to make use of, as his top-end speed and lack of separation are often criticized. Ideally, Chase & Higgins will help create mismatches for Young to exploit, and his size should make him dangerous anywhere on the field -- difficult to cover in the redzone and difficult to tackle in the open field.
Controversy immediately surrounded his pick, as Young has a legal history with a domestic violence accusation. Upon the victim retracting her accusation, he accepted a plea deal on much lower charges. The Bengals have had mixed success with character concern players in the past, and will be hoping for a Joe Mixon situation and not an Adam Jones situation.
6.189 Brian Parker II (OL, Duke)
As discussed above, the OL needs were not limited to just center. The team was looking for pretty much any role, depth for now but with opportunities at future starter if anyone so impressed. This is where Brian Parker fits perfectly. What position is Brian Parker? He's "offensive line." He played both LT and RT at times at Duke, at the Shrine Bowl he played C, and scouts also projected a fit at G. Most likely, he doesn't become a starting tackle due to his frame, however anything is a possibility. Barring sudden injuries, he'll have time to sit behind vets at OT, G, and C, and see where he fits best. He might develop into a starter at any position, but he could just as easily become a versatile backup option like the Bengals have with Cody Ford.
Some physical limitations will hinder his potential, at least for the moment. He's on the smaller end, at 6'5" and below 310 pounds, with some concern for his arm length as well. However, good fundamentals, good instincts, and proven performance in college make him well worth the pick. Often mocked as early as Round 4, picking him up in Round 6 is solid value for Cincinnati.
7.221 Jack Endries (TE, Texas)
The Bengals rostered five TEs in 2025, not including Erick All Jr. who spent the season on IR. There's no Kelce or Gronk in the group, but they get the job done by committee, led by Gesicki (described, sometimes jokingly and sometimes not, as their actual WR3) and Drew Sample (their dedicated blocking TE).
Jack Endries is a solid receiving TE with uninspiring blocking upside. He'll likely be trying to fill the roster spot vacated by Noah Fant, or even steal Tanner Hudson's spot as a rotational pass catcher. He's in one of the tougher spots out of the Bengals draft class, though. The team loaded up on offensive line, adding four players as draft picks and UDFAs, not to mention loading up on defensive line, and they may look to slim down their TE corp to accommodate. Combined with Erick All's return from IR, Endries will be thrown into an arena and forced to prove himself early. But with Sample, Gesicki, and Hudson all in their 30s, and All with his significant injury history, Endries has a real opportunity to not only win a spot but to make an impact.
7.226 Landon Robinson (DT, Navy)
Sometimes the pieces come together, and you just can't pass it up. Landon Robinson, an Ohio native, talked in the past about how his father is a big Bengals fan and how cool it would be if his father could watch him play for the team. As the 2026 draft came to a close, and the Bengals looked to put the finishing touches on their defensive rebuild and trench fortification, Robinson simply made too much sense. A DT for the Naval Academy, he was scouted for his strong interior pass rush. Despite being undersized for the role, he's consistently disruptive in the pocket and put up extremely impressive testing numbers at his Pro Day.
In 2025, the Bengals allowed the 3rd most points per game, 7th most passing yards per game, and recorded the 7th fewest sacks in the league. Robinson will join a defensive line rebuilt to attack the QB relentlessly. Robinson, of course, won't be expected to shred the opposing IOL on his own, he's not expected to be a Dexter Lawrence per se. But he has the opportunity to find a home as a rotational or depth piece, with a couple guys on the roster he's favored to beat out for that spot. Cincinnati will likely try him out at NT, 3T, and special teams before deciding on his long-term role.
2026 UDFAs
The Bengals signed 11 UDFAs. A few of these guys have legitimate shots at making the team, but I'm only going to discuss one in any kind of depth.
Last year, the Bengals' LB corp was arguably the worst in the NFL. This was not directly addressed in free agency nor the draft, as the hope was that the team's two young LBs (now entering their second year) will benefit from a year of experience and far better play from every position around them. Out of all the UDFAs, the fanbase is most intrigued by Eric Gentry. He's a super tall & lanky player at 6'6" and 221 pounds with long arms and solid athleticism. He struggles with physicality, a feature you'd think is necessary to play linebacker in the NFL, but his rare size and athleticism are worth taking a look at.
Cincinnati's RB1 isn't locked in long-term, but there's no debate that Chase Brown is the presumptive. However, Perine is set to be a free agent next year, and Tahj Brooks is yet unproven, so there's potential for either Bullock or Haynes to make a name for themself.
The offensive linemen also have a reasonable shot at finding a deep depth role, or at least a practice squad spot.
2027 Projected Needs
This year's moves included many elements of preparing for the future. Offensive line in particular should have several players competing to take over positions in '27 or '28, the majority of the team's key players are under contract at least through 2029, and the team has a lot of hope that some underperforming young players (especially the linebackers) develop into quality starters. However, there are definitely positions that are likely to be points of emphasis in 2027.
- CB. DJ Turner and Dax Hill will both be free agents, and there's uncertainty whether the team will keep both. The team will likely be looking for a new CB.
- RB. Everyone expects a Chase Brown extension, but finding a long-term power back will become a bigger priority.
- QB. Well, backup QB. Flacco returning for a third year seems unlikely, the team's previous QB2 Jake Browning left in free agency, and the team was unable to secure the QB they were likely targeting in this year's draft.
- TE. Many of the team's tight ends will be well into their 30s by next offseason, and the options for their replacements are currently a 7th round rookie, a rookie UDFA, and a player who's missed the majority of his past three seasons with injury (dating back to college). The Bengals have traditionally not put much emphasis on signing premiere tight ends, but this could become an opportunity to look for a solid all-around TE.
- And of course, any position where the team has high hopes for a player who doesn't develop as expected, or a player who regresses faster than expected. The highest likeliest situations here would be LB and LT.
Final Thoughts
The Bengals have been on a rollercoaster. From the lows of the Marvin Lewis -> Zac Taylor transition, the highs of the SB/AFCN appearances, and now the lows of whatever's happened to the team the past three years. The doomers have been feasting lately, eviscerating the team's ownership and front office at every opportunity. This offseason feels different, though. The haters are, by and large, content. The Bengals made some big moves and they addressed nearly every immediate need. They broke tradition by trading our away their first round pick, they signed quality free agents, and were opportunistic in the draft itself.
Even relatively small moves were applauded. It's hard to imagine any fanbase as excited as the Bengals' was for re-signing a 41 year old backup QB and a 30 year old guard for one season each. There's still some anxiety, around various players' performance, around Burrow's injury curses, and around how everything will come together, but the Bengals have put themselves in a solid position.
It's impossible to accurately predict the team's improvement, there are too many moving parts. But that's what the team needed. The Cincinnati offense will look mostly the same as last season, but the defense will be a whole new thing. It remains to be seen if things will be better, but the standards are low for the defense and it's very difficult for things to be worse. The fans are excited, the team is excited, and the expectations are high.
