Quarterback

The Bengals were dealt a crippling blow to their playoff chances in week 2 of last season when Joe Burrow suffered a foot injury that would require surgery and keep him out months. Even with Burrow, one of the best quarterbacks in the league, the Bengals were not a guarantee to make the post-season in 2025 because of their awful defense and, without Burrow for an extended period of time, their playoff chances completely disappeared. They immediately turned to backup Jake Browning, but he fared so badly that they traded for Joe Flacco, who was surprisingly decent, but still managed to go just 1-5 in his six starts because of the Bengals’ terrible defense that finished 31st in the NFL in schedule adjusted efficiency.

Burrow did return late in the season and seemed like his usual self, finishing the year with 66.8% completion, 6.98 YPA, 17 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions, while actually leading the Bengals to a 5-3 record in 8 starts. Durability has been an issue for Burrow throughout his career, costing him at least six games in three of six seasons in the league, but when healthy he has played at a high level in his career, completing 69.0% of his passes for an average of 7.54 YPA, 144 touchdowns, and 46 interceptions over the past five seasons. In his last fully healthy season in 2024, the Bengals ranked 8th in schedule adjusted efficiency on offense, but missed the post-season because their defense ranked 30th.

Burrow has a higher than average chance of missing more time with injury this season, but he is still likely to play significantly more games than he did a year ago and, if he does miss time, the Bengals prioritized re-signing Flacco as the backup this off-season. Flacco’s play didn’t lead to a lot of wins last season, but he completed 61.7% of his passes for an average of 6.50 YPA, 13 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. His age is a major concern, now heading into his age 41 season, but he has still shown the ability to be a solid spot starter over the past few seasons, completing 61.8% of his passes for an average of 6.75 YPA, 40 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions in 21 starts since 2023. Unless he completely drops off this season, which is a possibility, he should remain a solid backup option, although the Bengals obviously hope he doesn’t have to play.

The Bengals also prioritized upgrading their defense this off-season. It is still not a good unit, but even going from terrible to mediocre would be a boost for this team, given how good their offense is when Burrow is healthy. The Bengals did not retain Trey Hendrickson as a free agent and he had been their best defensive player in recent years, but he only played seven games due to injury last season anyway and they added several upgrades across the defense, which should more than offset the loss of Hendrickson. If the Burrow can stay relatively healthy and their defense can be noticeably better, the Bengals should have a good chance to return to the post-season in 2026.

Grade: A

Receiving Corps

Burrow isn’t the only reason why the Bengals have an elite offense when healthy, as they have arguably the best wide receiver in the league in JaMarr Chase and, opposite him, they have one of the best #2 wide receivers in the league in Tee Higgins. Despite Burrow missing half of the season in 2025, Chase still had a 125/1412/8 slash line in 16 games, while averaging 2.23 yards per route run. 

In 2024, when Burrow was healthy all year, Chase led the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns with a 127/1708/17 slash line, while averaging 2.41 yards per route run. In total, Chase has averaged a 113/1490/12 slash line per 17 games in his career with an average of 2.25 yards per route run and he has been pretty durable, only missing time with injury in one of five seasons in the league. Still very much in his prime in only his age 26 season, Chase should continue playing at an elite level in 2026 and should be considered one of the favorites to lead the league in receiving yardage.

Higgins isn’t as good, but he is very good as far as #2 receivers go. Last season, he had a 59/846/11 slash line on 98 targets with 1.62 yards per route run and, in his career, he has averaged a 78/1088/9 slash line on 122 targets per 17 games, while averaging 1.89 yards per route run. He is good enough to be the #1 receiver for a lot of teams and, if he received as many targets as a #1 receiver, he could be one of the most productive wide receivers in the league. Also still very much in his prime in his age 27 season, Higgins should continue playing at a similar level in 2026. His one concern is durability, as he has missed 15 total games in six seasons in the league, with at least two games missed in four of those seasons.

The vast majority of the targets in this passing game go to Chase or Higgins. Running back Chase Brown finished third on the team with 88 targets, 4th in the NFL among running backs, but he only had 34 in 8 games with Burrow and, in 2024 when Burrow was healthy all season, he only had 65. Brown also was not very efficient on his targets last season, only managing a 69/437/5 slash line, good for just 4.97 yards per target. With Burrow likely to play more games this season, I would expect fewer low efficiency targets to running backs and more targets downfield to Chase or Higgins.

Andrei Iosivas is nominally the Bengals third receiver, but he doesn’t contribute much, with slash lines of 36/479/6 and 33/435/2 on 0.84 yards per route run and 0.77 yards per route run respectively over the past two seasons. He could face competition for his job from 4th round rookie Colbie Young, but regardless of who wins that job, they are unlikely to have a big role in this offense. Mike Gesicki and Noah Fant split time as the primary receiving tight end last season, finishing with a 28/307/2 slash line on 1.22 yards per route run and a 34/288/3 slash line on 1.35 yards per route run respectively.

Gesicki had a 65/665/2 slash line with 1.58 yards per route run as the primary receiving tight end in 2024 when Burrow was healthy and Fant wasn’t on the roster, so he could bounce back a somewhat statistically in 2026 with Fant now gone, but Gesicki is also heading into his age 31 season, so his best days are probably behind him and he could face some competition for routes from Erick All, a 2024 4th round pick who showed promise as a rookie (1.48 yards per route run), before missing a year and a half with a brutal knee injury. 

All has a significant injury history dating back to his collegiate days, part of why he fell to the 4th round, and he is a complete question mark coming off yet another serious injury, but it is possible he is able to return somewhat to form and contribute as a pass catcher in this offense. The Bengals also have Drew Sample at tight end, but he is a blocking specialist who has averaged just 0.68 yards per route run in his career, with 115 catches in 95 career games. This is a top heavy receiving corps, but they have arguably the best wide receiver duo in the league.

Grade: A-

Running Backs

In addition to his involvement in the passing game, Chase Brown is also the Bengals’ lead back by far, totaling 232 carries in 2025, to 84 for backup Samaje Perine. Brown also had 229 carries in this role in 2024. Brown is a decent, but unspectacular runner, averaging 4.36 yards per carry over the past two seasons, with 3.07 yards per carry after contact, a 19.7% missed tackle rate, and a 52.3% carry success rate. The Bengals could probably upgrade on him as a runner if they tried, but they like his all-around solid game.

He will continue being backed up by Samaje Perine, who is a pure backup on both early downs and passing downs. He hasn’t exceeded 95 carries in a season since his rookie year in 2017, he only has averaged 4.13 yards per carry on 558 career carries, and he is now going into his age 31 season, but he is a solid pass blocker and pass catcher (career 1.27 yards per route run) who the Bengals trust when Brown needs a breather. The Bengals also have Tahj Brooks, a 2025 6th round pick, who might be a more explosive runner than Perine, but he would have to prove himself in the passing game to earn more than the 47 snaps as he played as a rookie. This is a decent, but unspectacular backfield.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line

As disappointing of a season as the Bengals had in 2025, the one bright spot was that their offensive line was noticeably better compared to 2024, when it was actually a bit of a weakness. Guards Dylan Fairchild and Dalton Risner were added in the third round of the draft and free agency respectively last off-season and, while both were only marginal starters, that was still a significant upgrade from the year before. Meanwhile, at tackle, right tackle Amarius Mims, who struggled as a rookie in 2024, took a big step forward in year two, showing why he was a first round pick, while veteran left tackle Orlando Brown played all 17 games, after missing six games the prior year.

Going into 2026, the Bengals return the same starting five offensive linemen from a year ago. Risner, who has consistently been a decent starter across 92 starts in seven seasons in the league, is now going into his age 31 season and could start to decline, but any potential decline from him could be offset by potential improvement from Fairchild in his second season in the league. The tackle position is a similar situation. Brown, who has mostly been an average to above average starter in his career, is now going into his age 30 season, but Mims is only going into his age 24 season and could take another step forward in year three, after going from a below average starter to an average starter between 2024 and 2025.

The two biggest concerns on this offensive line are the center position, where Ted Karras is also on the wrong side of 30, going into his age 33 season, and depth, which could be needed more this season than last season, when three of the Bengals’ five starters all made every start and only five total games were missed across the five starters. Karras has mostly been a decent starter throughout his career, but if he declines in 2026, he could be a liability. The Bengals used a 4th round pick on Connor Lew to potentially replace him long-term, but I am not sure he would be an upgrade in the short term. 

Other depth options include 6th round rookie guard Brian Parker, who is unlikely to contribute in a significant positive way in year one, 2025 5th round pick Jalen Rivers, who was a disaster across 476 snaps (7 starts) as a rookie, and Cody Ford, a veteran who has made 42 starts in his seven seasons in the league, seeing action at both tackle and guard, but who also has been a liability whenever he has had to start and is now heading into his age 30 season. This is still not a good offensive line and they might take a little bit of a step back in 2026 compared to 2025, with three starters on the wrong side of 30, but they are likely to be better than they were in 2024, when this unit was overall a liability.

Grade: B-

Interior Defenders

The biggest addition the Bengals made on defense this off-season is interior defender Dexter Lawrence, who the Bengals acquired in exchange for the 10th pick in the draft. Lawrence had a down year last year, but he was not as bad as his sack total of 0.5 suggests, as he added 7 hits and a 7.1% pressure rate, while playing solid run defense. Both his run defense and his pass rush were a drop off from the previous three seasons though, when he totaled 21 sacks, 45 hits, and a 12.7% pressure rate across 44 games, while playing at a high level against the run. 

Lawrence is only going into his age 29 season, so he is young enough to bounce back in 2026, especially since his relative struggles last season are likely the result of coming off of an elbow injury that ended his 2024 season early, an injury he is now another year removed from. I would expect him to at least be a little better than he was last season, with his best case scenario being a return to All-Pro form. Even at his worst, he is still an above average interior defender and even that would be a big boost to this defense.

The Bengals also added veteran Jonathan Allen in free agency on a 2-year, 25 million dollar deal. Allen is going into his age 31 season and is a below average run defender at this stage of his career, but he still had 3.5 sacks, 8 hits, and a 8.3% pressure rate last season, which isn’t far off of his career 9.7% pressure rate. Allen could decline further in 2026, but he should still be an upgrade for a team where the majority of their interior defenders struggled last season.

Fellow veteran BJ Hill is the only Bengals interior defender who was at least average last season and he returns this season to a much better position group. Hill has been a solid every down player for the Bengals over the past four seasons, averaging 743 snaps per season and playing at an average level both as a run defender and a pass rusher, totaling 14.5 sacks, 37 hits, and a 7.7% pressure rate in 65 games over that stretch. He is also going into his age 31 season and could decline this season, but the Bengals won’t need as much from him with more talent around him. 

TJ Slaton (582 snaps) and Kris Jenkins (498 snaps) finished second and third among Bengals interior defenders in snaps played last season behind Hill and still remain on the roster. Both were liabilities last season and figure to remain liabilities this season, but I don’t expect them to play nearly as many snaps. Jenkins at least has upside, as a 2024 2nd round pick who is still only going into his age 25 season, but Slaton is going into his age 29 season and has mostly struggled in five seasons in the league, across an average of 445 snaps per season. 

The Bengals also have 2024 3rd round pick McKinnley Jackson, who could theoretically have upside, although he has shown next to nothing across just 377 snaps in two seasons in the league. He is likely on his last chance and could easily be left off the final roster. With Lawrence and Allen being added, this is no longer a position of weakness anymore and could be a position of strength if Lawrence bounces back from a down year and Jonathan Allen and BJ Hill both avoid decline in their age 31 season.

Grade: B+

Edge Defenders

As I mentioned, Trey Hendrickson was the Bengals’ best player and he left as a free agent this off-season, but he only played seven games last season, totaling 4 sacks, 5 hits, and a 13.0% pressure rate, so he won’t be missed as much as he would have been if he was healthy all season last year. The Bengals signed Boye Mafe to a 3-year, 60 million dollar deal in free agency to replace him. He is a downgrade, but should at least play more games than Henrickson did last season. A second round pick in 2022, Mafe played an average of 599 snaps per season in four seasons in the league and has been an all-around decent player, holding up against the run and adding 20 sacks, 15 hits, and a 11.8% pressure rate in 65 career games. He should continue playing at a similar level in 2026, now in his age 28 season.

Joseph Ossai, who was decent across 616 snaps last season, also left as a free agent this off-season, and without him the rest of this position group consists of recent high draft picks with upside, but also significant downsides. Myles Murphy is the most proven of the bunch. The 2023 1st round pick struggled in the first two seasons of his league, but made strides in year three, totaling 5.5 sacks, 4 hits, and a 10.5% pressure rate while overall playing at an average level across 682 snaps. Murphy is still only going into his age 24 season, so he could have even better days ahead of him.

Shemar Stewart was the Bengals’ first round pick in 2025, but his rookie year was disastrous, as injuries limited him to just 280 snaps in 8 games and he was awful when on the field, struggling against the run and only managing a 7.2% pressure rate as pass rusher. Stewart could be better in year two, but he has a long way to go to even be an average player. Considered a boom or bust prospect coming out of college, Stewart looks a lot closer to bust than boom now, but he still has time to turn it around. The Bengals also further added to this position group in this year’s draft, taking Cashius Howell, who could have been a first round pick, in the second round. This group has a lot of upside, but also a lot of downside.

Grade: B-

Linebackers

Linebacker was the Bengals’ biggest weakness on defense last season, as starters Demetrius Knight (798 snaps) and Barrett Carter (792 snaps) were both among the worst starting linebackers in the league. The Bengals opted not to upgrade the position at all, but both Knight and Carter were rookies, selected in the 2nd and 3rd round of the 2025 NFL Draft respectively, so both could be better this season. However, both have a long way to go to even be an average starter and chances are at least one of them will never develop into a capable starter.

Oren Burks remains as the third linebacker and he was just as bad across 340 snaps last season. Burks has mostly been a backup and special teamer in his career, starting just 26 of 125 career games, and he has mostly struggled when forced into action. Burks is now going into his age 31 season and, regardless of how the Bengals feel about their young starting linebackers, it was a mistake to not add another veteran option behind them aside from Burks. This looks likely to be one of the worst linebacking corps in the league again this season, even if the young starters do improve in their second season in the league.

Grade: C-

Secondary

The Bengals did add a pair of safeties this off-season. Bryan Cook, signed to a 3-year, 40.25 million dollar deal, will immediately upgrade a position where both starters (Jordan Battle and Geno Stone) struggled last season. Cook, a 2nd round pick in 2022, was an above average starter in 2025. Previously he had only been an average starter, so there is some concern he could regress in 2026, but it is also possible he has permanently turned a corner and, even if he is only an average starter, it would still be a boost for this defense.

The other safety the Bengals added, Kyle Dugger, will compete with Jordan Battle for the other safety spot, with Geno Stone not being retained this off-season. Dugger is probably the favorite for the job. He is going into his age 30 season and is not what he was in his prime with the Patriots, which is why the Patriots benched and eventually traded him to the Steelers for a late round pick last season, but Dugger was not bad across 559 snaps in 9 games with the Steelers. Unless he continues declining, he should be a better option than Battle, who showed promise across 524 snaps as a 3rd round rookie in 2023, but has struggled over the past two seasons.

One of the few bright spots of this defense last season was cornerback DJ Turner, a 2023 2nd round pick who broke out as an above average starter, after struggling across 827 snaps as a rookie and only being average across 508 snaps in an injury shortened second season in the league in 2024. He is still a one-year wonder in terms of playing at the level he did last season and he could regress somewhat, but it is also possible he has permanently turned a corner and will remain an above average starter.

Turner will continue starting opposite Dax Hill, a former first round pick who has not lived up to the billing. Hill began his career as a safety, played sparingly as a rookie (130 snaps), struggled across 1,089 snaps in his second season, moved to cornerback in 2024, showed improvement before tearing his ACL, and then was decent, but unspectacular across 1,012 snaps in 2025. He could still have further untapped potential, only going into his age 26 season, but there is no guarantee he is any better than average.

Cam Taylor-Britt was the third cornerback last season, but was underwhelming across 348 snaps before getting hurt. Jalen Davis took over for Taylor-Britt and was decent across 270 snaps, but he never played more than 100 snaps in a season prior to last season and is now going into his age 30 season, so he isn’t a reliable option. With Taylor-Britt leaving as a free agent, Davis will compete for the #3 cornerback job with 2024 5th round pick Josh Newton, who has been mediocre across 779 snaps in two seasons in the league, and 3rd round rookie Tacario Davis, both of whom are underwhelming options. This secondary should be better than last year due to the upgrades at safety, but this group still has some issues.

Grade: B

Kickers

Evan McPherson, who the Bengals added in the 5th round of the 2021 NFL Draft, has been inconsistent throughout his career, finishing below average compared to an average kicker in two of five seasons in the league (2022 and 2024), but overall he has added 9.43 points above average in 84 career games. It is tough to know what to expect from him in 2026, but he at least averages out to be an above average kicker.

Grade: B+

Conclusion

The Bengals have missed the post-season in three straight seasons, but in two of those three seasons Joe Burrow missed significant time with injury and their defense has struggled in all three of those seasons. This season, their defense looks at least slightly improved and, while Burrow remains an injury risk, he could easily be healthier this season than he was in 2023 or 2025. Overall, it looks like there is a good chance the Bengals get back to the post-season in 2026, but there are still things that could go wrong and cause them to miss the post-season.

Prediction: 10-7, 2nd in AFC North

Quarterback

The Bengals made the Super Bowl at the end of the 2021 season and then made it back to the AFC Championship game in 2022, but they have missed the post-season in back-to-back seasons since then. In 2023, the big issue was quarterback Joe Burrow not being healthy for most of the season, struggling through a calf injury at the start of the season and then missing the final seven games of the season with a wrist injury. In 2024, Burrow stayed healthy all season and played at an MVP level, completing 70.6% of his passes for an average of 7.54 YPA, 43 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions, but the rest of this team struggled, particularly their defense, which ranked 17th in yards per play allowed and 28th in first down rate allowed.

In the 2020 and 2021 drafts, the Bengals got Joe Burrow and his elite wide receiver duo of JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins, but, since then, they have drafted poorly. Between 2022-2024, the Bengals had ten picks in the first three rounds and, thus far, none of them have developed into an above average starter, with eight of those ten picks being used on the defensive side of the ball. The result is a very top-heavy roster. The Bengals do have one other high-level player, edge defender Trey Hendrickson, but he is going into an age 31 contract year and, thus far, the Bengals have been unwilling to give him the contract he is asking for, which could result in the Bengals opting to trade him before the season starts, even though doing so would further weaken their defense.

Burrow, Chase, and Higgins are at least signed long-term, but the Bengals ended up having to pay Chase and Higgins significantly more this off-season than they would have if they had signed them last off-season. Chase and Higgins received contracts worth 40.25 million annually and 28.75 million annually respectively, making them the 1st highest and 9th highest paid wide receivers in the league in terms of annual value. Between those contracts and Joe Burrow’s 55 million annual contract, tied for second highest among quarterbacks, the Bengals are paying a lot of money to their three best players and, if they keep Hendrickson, that will be another massive contract on the books. For this team to be consistently competitive, they will need the rest of this roster to be filled out by talented players on rookie contracts, but the Bengals’ recent history of poor drafting has prevented that.

Burrow should at least continue playing at a high level in 2025, especially since he’s keeping his top two wide receivers. Over the past four seasons, Burrow has completed 69.2% of his passes for an average of 7.61 YPA, 127 touchdowns, and 41 interceptions in 59 starts. Still very much in his prime, going into his age 29 season, Burrow should continue playing at a similar level in 2025 and beyond. The Bengals also have a good backup in Jake Browning, who only has seven career starts, all of which came in 2023, but he showed the ability to run this offense effectively, completing 70.4% of his passes for an average of 7.97 YPA, 12 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. It’s a small sample size, but Browning seems like a useful backup to have, though obviously the Bengals would be in a lot of trouble if Burrow suffered a significant injury.

Grade: A

Receiving Corps

JaMarr Chase had the best season of his career in 2024, winning the receiving triple crown with a 127/1708/17 slash line on 175 targets, while averaging 2.41 yards per route run, tied for seventh among eligible wide receivers. That didn’t come out of nowhere either, as he averaged a 101/1404/11 slash line per 17 games with 2.19 yards per route run in his first three seasons in the league. Still only going into his age 25 season, the 2021 5th overall pick could easily be one of the best wide receivers in the league for years to come. 

Higgins, meanwhile, had the second best season of his 5-year career in 2024, in terms of yards per game (75.9) and yards per route run (2.05), but he did miss five games with injury, which limited him to a 73/911/10 slash line on 109 targets. Injuries have been a concern for him for much of his career, as he’s missed at least three games in three of his five seasons in the league, including a 2021 season in which he had a 74/1091/6 slash line on 110 targets in just 14 games, giving him a career high 77.9 yards per game, in addition to having a career high 2.26 yards per route run that season. In total, he has averaged a 80/1116/8 slash line per 17 games with 1.95 yards per route run in his career and, still only in his age 26 season, coming off one of the best seasons of his career, he could easily exceed those averages again in 2025, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if he missed more time due to injury.

The rest of this wide receiver depth chart, however, is an example of the lack of depth on this roster. Andrei Iosivas was the #3 wide receiver last season, but he had just a 36/479/6 slash line on 61 targets, while averaging 0.84 yards per route run, similar to the 0.77 yards per route run that the 2023 6th round pick averaged in a smaller role as a rookie. Iosivas didn’t even step up in Higgins’ absence, with just 8 catches for 72 yards and 3 touchdowns in the five games that Higgins missed, games in which the Bengals went just 1-4. 

The Bengals used a third round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Jermaine Burton, who they were hoping would become the #3 receiver long-term, but he didn’t gain the trust of the coaching staff and barely played as a rookie, seeing just 131 snaps in 14 games, while averaging just 1.11 yards per route run when he did play. He still has a lot of upside though and could take a step forward in his second season in the league, but he’ll probably still start the season as the Bengals’ #4 wide receiver, despite Iosivas’ struggles as the #3 last season.

The Bengals did at least get a solid season out of starting tight end Mike Gesicki, who had a 65/655/2 slash line on 83 targets, while averaging 1.58 yards per route run. Gesicki also had slash lines of 53/703/6 and 73/780/2 and with the Dolphins in 2020 and 2021 respectively, while averaging a combined 1.52 yards per route run, but he fell to slash lines of 32/362/5 and 29/244/2 in 2022 and 2023 respectively, while averaging a combined 0.87 yards per route run. 

However, those struggles can easily be blamed on playing in an offense that didn’t use the tight end much in the passing game in Miami in 2022 and then playing on a bad offense in New England in 2023. His career seemed to get back on track in 2024 now in a more effective and tight end friendly offense in Cincinnati and he could remain a solid receiving tight end in 2025, though it is worth noting he is going into his age 30 season and could start to decline soon.

The Bengals don’t have bad depth at tight end, but all of their other tight ends have their issues. Tanner Hudson has averaged 1.66 yards per route run over the past two seasons, but plays sparingly and is now heading into his age 31 season. Erick All, a 2024 4th round pick, averaged 1.48 yards per route run as a rookie, but had his rookie season ended by a torn ACL after 231 snaps in nine games, which, coupled with his collegiate injury history, dampens his long-term projection and reportedly could cost him the entire 2025 season. 

Drew Sample ranked second on the team in routes run from the tight end spot last season, but he averaged just 0.46 yards per route run last season and has averaged just 0.73 yards per route run in six seasons in the league, so he would be best as a blocking specialist. The Bengals have a great wide receiver duo, probably the best in the league, and tight end Mike Gesicki is a good third option, but the rest of this group leaves something to be desired, which affects their overall grade slightly.

Grade: A-

Running Backs

Probably the best player to come out of the Bengals’ recent drafts is running back Chase Brown, a 5th round pick in 2023. Brown started the 2024 season in a timeshare with veteran Zach Moss, after playing sparingly (93 snaps) as a rookie, but Moss went down for the season in week 8, leaving Chase Brown to have a heavy usage the rest of the way, averaging 23.6 touches (18.9 carries, 4.7 catches) per game in eight games without Moss, as compared to 11.8 touches (9.8 carries, 2.0 catches) per game in the eight games that Moss played.

Moss is set to return in 2025, but Brown drastically outplayed him last season, averaging 4.32 YPC to Moss’ 3.27 YPC, so it seems highly unlikely that they will go back to splitting carries, leaving Moss as purely a change of pace backup. Moss does have some bounce back potential, as the 2020 3rd round pick averaged 4.29 YPC on 484 carries in his first four seasons in the league, prior to struggling in 2024, but, even if he bounces back, he is best as a backup. He’s also missed at least three games due to injury in all five seasons in the league, with 23 games missed total.

The Bengals also added Samaje Perine in free agency and, while he will probably finish third on the team in carries, having averaged just 59.3 carries per season and 4.05 yards per carry in eight seasons in the league, he is a useful pass catcher, averaging 1.40 yards per route run as a receiver in his career, as opposed 0.85 for Moss, so he could be used in obvious passing situations and cut into Brown’s passing game opportunities, though Brown also has averaged 1.38 yards per route run in his career and should continue having a significant passing down role. Brown won’t see the same usage he had down the stretch last season, with Moss back from injury to spell him on early downs and Perine added to spell him on passing downs, but Brown is still the clear feature back, a role he should be at least solid in. 

Grade: B+

Offensive Line

As much of a problem as the Bengals’ defense was last season and figures to still be in 2025, the Bengals’ offensive line is arguably just as big of a problem. Burrow obviously benefits significantly from the weapons he has in the passing game, but, even with those weapons taken into account, his production is especially impressive when you consider the offensive line he has in front of him. Last season, they ranked 29th in both PFF pass block grade and PFF run block grade and, going into 2025, there isn’t much reason for optimism.

One potential reason for optimism is the likelihood that they will get better seasons from their two starting tackles, Orlando Brown and Amarius Mims. They finished last season with PFF grades of 58.2 and 57.8 respectively, but Mims is a 2024 1st round pick who could take a step forward in his second season in the league in 2025, while Brown had previously never had a PFF grade worse than 66.1 in a season, with four seasons above 70 in his previous six seasons. Still only going into his age 29 season, Brown has obvious bounce back potential, especially if he is healthier, after missing six games last season. Even Mims and Brown don’t improve in 2025, both are locked into starting roles because the best alternative is Cody Ford, who has finished below 60 on PFF in all six seasons in the league, including a 50.6 PFF grade across 688 snaps in 2024.

Even if Mims and/or Brown are better in 2024 though, the Bengals still have a concerning situation on the interior of the offensive line. Cordell Volson and Alex Cappa were the primary starting guards last season and finished with PFF grades of 59.3 and 50.5 respectively. Cappa is no longer with the team, but his replacement Lucas Patrick is unlikely to be significantly better. Patrick had a decent 64.6 PFF grade last season, but that came in just 10 starts. Additionally, that was one of just two seasons out of nine seasons in the league in which he has finished above 60 on PFF, and he’s now going into his age 32 season. He’s also never made more than 15 starts in a season, with just 64 starts in nine seasons in the league, due to injuries and ineffectiveness, so he’s a desperation option as a season-long starter.

Volson, meanwhile, has made 48 starts in three seasons in the league since the Bengals took him in the 4th round pick in 2022, but he has finished with PFF grades in the 50s in all three seasons and, already in his age 27 season, he is unlikely to be better in 2025. The Bengals did use a third round pick in this year’s draft on Dylan Fairchild, who could push either Patrick or Volson for their starting job, but it’s far from a guarantee that he would be any better as a rookie.

Meanwhile at center, Ted Karras was the Bengals’ only regular starter to finish last season with a PFF grade above 60 and he has never finished below 60 on PFF in any of his nine seasons in the league, while starting 94 out of a 100 possible games over the past six seasons, but his 64.1 PFF grade in 2024 was still underwhelming and now he’s heading into his age 32 season, so he could decline in 2025. Overall, this still looks like a very underwhelming offensive line.

Grade: C+

Edge Defenders

As I mentioned, Trey Hendrickson is by far the Bengals’ best defensive player. He isn’t a good run defender, but he has finished above 80 overall on PFF in three straight seasons despite his lack of run defense because he has finished above 90 in pass rush grade on PFF in each of those three seasons, while totaling 43 sacks, 48 hits, and a 16.4% pressure rate in 49 games. He also combined for 27.5 sacks, 26 hits, and a 14.8% pressure rate in 31 games from 2020-2021, so he has five straight seasons of elite pass rush on his resume. His age is a concern, now going into his age 31 season, and there is a chance he isn’t even on the Bengals’ roster this season if they can’t come to terms with him on an extension, but, if he is on the roster, he should remain a very valuable edge defender even if he does decline, as he would be declining from such a high base point.

Aside from Hendrickson, the rest of this edge defender group was a big problem in 2024, as their next three edge defenders in terms of snaps played, Joseph Ossai (573 snaps), Sam Hubbard (521 snaps), and Myles Murphy (353 snaps), finished with PFF grades of 58.3, 58.9, and 56.5 respectively. Hubbard retired this off-season and will essentially be replaced by first round pick Shemar Stewart, who has a massive upside, but who is extremely raw and also currently involved in his own contract dispute with the team. Even if Stewart eventually comes to terms with the Bengals, which seems likely, given Stewart’s lack of options, he will still have missed valuable off-season work, which is especially a concern for a player who is so raw. I wouldn’t expect him to have a significant positive contribution in year one.

Myles Murphy is also a recent first round pick, selected 29th overall in 2023, but he has been a bust thus far in his career, finishing with PFF grades in the 50s in both seasons in the league, while averaging just 21.9 snaps per game. Equally ineffective as a run stopper and pass rusher, Murphy has just 3 sacks, 3 hits, and a 9.2% pressure rate in 30 career games. The good news is he is still only going into his age 23 season and has significant untapped upside, so he could take a step forward, potentially a big step forward, in his third season in the league in 2025, but that’s not a guarantee.

Ossai, meanwhile, is a 2021 3rd round pick and will remain involved in the Bengals’ edge defender rotation in 2025. He did have a 68.4 PFF grade in 2023, but that came on just 177 snaps and it’s his only season above 60 on PFF in his career. Also a poor run defender, Ossai has managed just 9.5 sacks, 22 hits, and a 9.8% pressure rate in 47 career games. He’s also still relatively young, going into his age 25 season in 2025, so he could also have untapped upside and take a step forward this season, but that seems even less likely than Murphy taking a step forward. 

The Bengals also have 2021 4th round pick Cam Sample, who missed all of last season with a torn achilles, but who could be part of the rotation at the edge defender position in 2025. Sample was underwhelming in his first two seasons in the league in 2021 and 2022, with PFF grades of 52.1 and 58.0 on snap counts of 310 and 411 respectively, but he did take a step forward in his third season in the league in 2023, with a 61.6 PFF grade across 375 snaps, though obviously that’s a small sample size and his 2024 injury complicates matters significantly. Stewart, Murphy, and Ossai have potential and it seems likely at least one will contribute in a significant way in 2025, but this is still an underwhelming position group outside of Trey Hendrickson, who significantly elevates the overall grade of this group for now, but might not even be on their final roster.

Grade: B+

Interior Defenders

Outside of Hendrickson, the Bengals’ best defensive player might be interior defender BJ Hill, who had a 70.2 PFF grade across 710 snaps last season, his seventh season above 65 on PFF in seven seasons in the league, including four seasons above 70. Equally reliable as a run stopper and pass rusher, Hill has 23.5 sacks, 43 hits, and a 7.7% pressure rate in 112 career games. His age is a concern, as he’s now going into his age 30 season and could start to decline soon, but chances are he’ll remain at least a capable every down player in 2025.

Hill was the only Bengals interior defender to finish above 60 on PFF last season, but the Bengals do at least have a pair of second year players who were highly drafted and could take a step forward, as 2024 2nd round pick Kris Jenkins had a 45.4 PFF grade across 496 snaps as a rookie and 2024 3rd round pick McKinnley Jackson had a 53.0 PFF grade across 248 snaps as a rookie. It’s not a guarantee that either one improves in 2025, but there is a good chance at least one of them does, even if only to the level of being a capable rotational player.

The Bengals also added veteran TJ Slaton to the mix in free agency, but he’s an underwhelming option. The 6-5 330 pounder had decent years in 2022 and 2023, with PFF grades of 61.7 and 65.1 on snap counts of 333 and 627 respectively, primarily due to solid run defense, but he’s never been a good pass rusher, with a career pressure rate of 5.0%, and in 2024 he struggled as a run defender too, leading to a 45.3 PFF overall grade across 427 snaps. He has some bounce back potential as a situational run stopper, but he’s still an underwhelming option at a position group that still looks underwhelming overall.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

Top linebacker Logan Wilson is the other option for the Bengals’ best defensive player aside from Hendrickson. He had a solid 72.4 PFF grade in 2024, but he got hurt after 743 snaps in 11 games and missed the rest of the season, which was a huge blow to this defense. He’s been a solid every down linebacker for years though, with PFF grades of 72.7 and 62.6 on snap counts of 954 and 1,068 in 2022 and 2023 as well, and, still only in his age 29 season, he should remain a solid every down linebacker in 2025.

He’ll probably start next to second round rookie Demetrius Knight. Knight replaces Germaine Pratt, who had a 60.6 PFF grade across 1,075 snaps last season. Knight has a higher upside than Pratt, but isn’t necessarily an upgrade over Pratt in the short-term. The Bengals also have 4th round rookie Carter Barrett and veteran free agent addition Oren Burks, but Barrett is unlikely to make a significant positive impact as a rookie, while Burks has flashed potential with PFF grades of 79.2, 71.3, and 83.0 over the past three seasons, but only on snap counts of 156, 326, and 147 and he’s now going into his age 30 season, having started just 17 of 108 career games, so he is best as backup. This isn’t a bad position group as long as Logan Wilson stays healthy, but it isn’t a particularly good one either.

Grade: B

Cornerbacks

Slot cornerback Mike Hilton was the Bengals’ highest rated cornerback by a wide margin last season, with a 75.9 PFF grade across 737 snaps, but he wasn’t retained this off-season, ahead of his age 31 season in 2025, and he wasn’t replaced by a comparable veteran. Instead, the Bengals’ cornerback depth group is led by a bunch of recent draft picks that have yet to develop. Dax Hill probably has the highest upside of the bunch. 

A 2022 first round pick, Hill began his career at safety and struggled, playing just 130 mediocre snaps as a rookie and then receiving a 50.9 PFF grade across 1,089 snaps upon becoming a starter in 2023, but he seemed to do better when he moved to cornerback in 2024, with a 68.2 PFF grade, although that came in a very small sample size, as his season was ended by a torn ACL after 262 snaps in five games. Hill’s injury recovery complicates his long-term projection even more, but he’s still only going into his age 25 season and has always had talent, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he picked up where he left off in 2024, or even if he took another step forward.

DJ Turner was a second round pick in 2023. He struggled as a rookie with a 51.5 PFF grade across 827 snaps, but he took a step forward in his second season in the league in 2024 with a 67.8 PFF grade, albeit across only 508 snaps before his season was also ended by injury. He’s also an unproven commodity, but he has the talent to pick up where he left off before getting hurt last season, or even to get better, though obviously that’s not a guarantee.

Cam Taylor-Britt, meanwhile, was a second round pick in 2022. He also struggled as a rookie, with a 56.1 PFF grade across 590 snaps, but he has been better over the past two seasons, though largely by default, with PFF grades of 64.5 and 63.6, while starting all 29 games he has played. Taylor-Britt, Turner, and Hill all have upside, but none of them have proven themselves as a consistently above average starter yet and there is no guarantee that happens in 2025. Meanwhile, Josh Newton, a 2024 5th round pick who had a 60.9 PFF grade across 504 snaps as a rookie, is likely to be their primary depth option.

At safety, the Bengals will start Geno Stone and Jordan Battle, who, a year ago, looked like they would be a good safety duo. A 7th round pick in 2020, Stone flashed potential with a 72.2 PFF grade across 450 snaps in 2022 and then seemingly broke out as an above average starter in 2023, with a 71.9 PFF grade across 950 snaps, but he declined significantly to a 53.1 PFF grade across 1,100 snaps in 2024. He’s still only going into his age 26 season and has bounce back potential, but there is no guarantee he returns to his 2023 form.

Battle, meanwhile, was a 3rd round pick in 2023 and flashed a lot of potential as a rookie with a 82.5 PFF grade across 524 snaps, but he struggled in 2024 with a 53.1 PFF grade and ultimately spent his second season in the league primarily as a backup, playing just 464 snaps in 15 games behind veteran Vonn Bell, who had a 62.1 PFF grade across 705 snaps. Bell is no longer with the team, giving Battle a clear path to a starting job and he still has a high upside, only going into his age 25 season, but it’s tough to know what to expect from him, given the disparity between how he played in 2023 and how he played in 2024.

If Stone and Battle don’t bounce back, the Bengals don’t really have another good option. The only other safeties on the roster who have ever played a snap are 2022 5th round pick Tycan Anderson, who has played just one snap in his career, and 2024 7th round pick Daijahn Anthony, who has played just 12 snaps. They could move Hill back to safety if needed, but that would hurt their depth at cornerback and he has shown himself to be better at cornerback than safety anyway. Overall, this secondary has some upside, but also a lot of downside.

Grade: B-

Kicker

Evan McPherson struggled as the Bengals’ kicker last season, costing the Bengals 6.33 points compared to average, while also missing five games due to injury. He has been better in the past though, with 11.10 points above average in 2021 and 4.05 points above average in 2023, though he did also cost the Bengals 2.95 points compared to average in 2022. Still, he has been overall a solid kicker in his four seasons in the league and he is still only going into his age 26 season.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The 2025 Bengals are a very similar team to the 2024 Bengals, a top-heavy roster with minimal depth behind their few stars. If they end up having to trade Trey Hendrickson, that problem will be even worse. However, if they keep Hendrickson, the Bengals could still sneak into the post-season, something they almost did in 2024. The Bengals are unlikely to make a deep playoff run even if they make the post-season though.

Prediction: 10-7, 2nd in AFC North

Quarterback

The Bengals had a disappointing last place season in 2023, but the situation is a lot better than that sounds. For one, the Bengals finished last place in the toughest division in the NFL in the AFC North and they actually finished above .500 with a 9-8 record, including a 8-3 record outside of the division. That record outside of the division included a 3-2 record against playoff qualifiers, with victories over the Rams, 49ers, and Bills. The Bengals also did this despite having significant injuries at the quarterback position on offense, and a defense that ranked just 23rd in DVOA.

I will get into why their defense should be better later, but it’s not hard to see how they are likely to have better health at the quarterback position. Joe Burrow, normally one of the best quarterbacks in the league, struggled in the first four games of the season while playing through a calf injury, then went on an impressive 5-game stretch, during which the Bengals went 4-1, with wins against the 49ers and Bills, and then Burrow injured his wrist during their week 10 loss to the Ravens and missed the remainder of the season.

Despite really only having Burrow healthy for five games last season, the Bengals still ranked 11th in offensive DVOA. Part of that is because of the play of backup quarterback Jake Browning, who completed 70.4% of his passes for an average of 7.97 YPA, 12 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions in 7 starts, but, as well as Browning played, he was previously a career backup who never thrown a pass in his first four seasons in the league, after going undrafted in 2019, so Browning benefited significantly from the talent around him.

Burrow remains an injury concern, dealing with some ailment in three of four seasons in the league, with the exception being a 2021 campaign in which he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl, but as long as Burrow is healthy, he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. During his Super Bowl season, Burrow completed 70.4% of his passes for an average of 8.87 YPA, 34 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He then followed that up with 68.3% completion, 7.38 YPA, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 2022, despite missing most of the off-season due to appendix surgery. Then in his 5-game healthy stretch in 2023, Burrow completed 74.1% of his passes for an average of 7.51 YPA, 12 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. 

Still very much in his prime in his age 28 season, the upside is obvious for Burrow in 2024 if he can stay healthy, especially when you consider how well a career backup was able to play in his absence last season. Browning, meanwhile, remains as the top backup and, while he might not be as good this season as he was in a limited stretch last season, he’s still a good insurance policy to have and he should be capable of holding down the fort for a few games if needed in case of another Burrow injury. Overall, this is one of the most enviable quarterback rooms in the league, even if you take into account Burrow’s durability issues. 

Grade: A

Receiving Corps

The best part of the Bengals’ solid offensive supporting cast is their receiving corps, led by Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Despite the Bengals’ quarterback play not being as good as he’s used to, Ja’Marr Chase still had a 100/1216/7 slash line and a 2.02 yards per route run average in 2023. This comes after the 2021 5th overall pick had a 81/1455/13 slash line and a 2.51 yards per route run average as a rookie and a 87/1046/9 slash line and a 2.02 yards per route run average in his second season in the league in 2022. Still only in his age 24 season, Chase’s best years could still be ahead of him and he looks likely to be one of the best wide receivers in the league for years to come. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him set new career highs in 2024.

Higgins, on the other hand, had a down year in 2023, missing 5 games with injury and totaling a 42/656/5 slash line with a 1.66 yards per route run average in 12 games. A 2020 2nd round pick, Higgins averaged a 72/1009/6 slash line per season with 2.00 yards per route run in his first three seasons in the league prior to last season though and, still only in his age 25 season, he has obvious bounce back potential in 2024 if both he and Burrow stay healthy. Despite his down year in 2023, the Bengals still franchise tagged him at a price of 21.816 million this off-season, as he has too much upside when healthy to be allowed to leave for nothing.

Third receiver Tyler Boyd also had a down year, with a 67/667/2 slash line and a 1.15 yards per route run average, and with Boyd heading into his age 30 season, the Bengals let him leave as a free agent this off-season. Without a veteran being added to replace Boyd, the Bengals will likely give the #3 receiver job to either incumbent #4 receiver Trenton Irwin or to third round rookie Jermaine Burton. Irwin was mediocre with a 25/316/1 slash line and a 1.20 yards per route run average in limited action last season, both of which were career highs for the 2019 undrafted free agent, so he would likely struggle if he won the #3 receiver job. Burton, on the other hand, has more upside, but could struggle through growing pains as a rookie. 

The Bengals also have a pair of second year wide receivers who could take a step forward this season, 2023 4th round pick Charlie Jones, who showed some promise on 44 snaps as a rookie with a 2.13 yards per route run average, and 2023 6th round Andrei Iosivas, who struggled on 266 snaps as a rookie with a 0.76 yards per route run average. Some of the Bengals’ third receiver options have upside, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if whoever wins the that third receiver job is underwhelming in 2024.

At tight end, the Bengals gave playing time to four tight ends last season, Drew Sample (496 snaps), Irv Smith (330 snaps), Tanner Hudson (276 snaps), and Mitchell Wilcox (229 snaps). Three of those tight ends struggled, with Sample posting a 22/163/2 slash line with a 0.86 yards per route run average, Smith posting a 18/115/1 slash line with a 0.51 yards per route run average, and Wilcox posting a 9/56/0 slash line with a 0.81 yards per route run average. Tanner Hudson, on the other hand, had a 39/352/1 slash line with a 1.56 yards per route run average and he earned more playing time down the stretch as a result, with a 35/304/1 slash line in the final 10 games of the season.

That’s a small sample size though and Hudson is a 2018 undrafted free agent who had caught just 15 passes in his career prior to last season and who is now going into his age 30 season, so there is a lot of reason to believe that Hudson is unlikely to translate that impressive play into a larger season-long role if given one in 2024. The Bengals also brought in competition for Hudson’s job as the top pass catching tight end, signing veteran Mike Gesicki in free agency and using a 4th round pick on Erick All.

All is probably too raw to have a significant role as a rookie, but Gesicki has a good chance to win the top pass catching tight end job just based on experience. Gesicki had slash lines of 53/703/6 with 1.60 yards per route run and 73/780/2 with 1.45 yards per route run in 2020 and 2021 respectively, but he fell to 32/362/5 with 1.02 yards per route run in 2022 and 29/243/2 with 0.72 yards per route run in 2023. That being said, Gesicki was on a Miami offense that didn’t throw much to tight ends in 2022, while last season he spent on a terrible New England offense, so Gesicki, who is only in his age 29 season, could have some bounce back potential in 2024, now on a much better offense. Tanner Hudson will play a role, but I would guess that Gesicki will be the top pass catching tight end.

The Bengals also brought back veteran Drew Sample as a blocking tight end. He has just 0.81 yards per route run in his career and won’t play a big role in the passing game this season behind Gesicki and Hudson, but Sample is an above average run blocker and will be useful to the Bengals when they run the ball out of two tight end sets. Led by Chase and Higgins, one of the best wide receiver duos in the league, the Bengals have an impressive receiving corps, though there is some concern about who the complementary options behind Chase and Higgins are and how well they’ll perform.

Grade: A-

Running Backs

The Bengals’ running game was underwhelming last season, ranking 22nd in the NFL with 3.99 yards per carry. Feature back Joe Mixon had a solid 49.4% carry success rate, but only had 16.2% of his yardage on 8 carries of 15+ yards and, as a result, averaged just 4.02 yards per carry on 257 carries. With Mixon going into his age 28 season and owed 6.1 million in 2024, the Bengals traded him to the Texans for a late round pick this off-season and used the money they saved to give a 2-year, 8 million dollar deal to Zack Moss, who also had a solid 49.2% carry success rate last season, but additionally had 25.5% of his carries on 7 carries of 15+ yards.

Moss isn’t as experienced as Mixon, as he has averaged just 121 carries per season in four seasons in the league, with the 183 he had last season being a career high, but he has a solid 4.29 YPC and a solid 49.2% carry success rate in his career and should at least be a good lead back, even if he doesn’t play the feature back role that Joe Mixon did. Chase Brown, a 2023 5th round pick, was the #2 back last season and will remain in that role this season. He only had 44 carries behind Mixon, but that will likely increase, perhaps significantly, in 2024 with Mixon gone. Brown had a decent 4.07 YPC last season and could be ready for a bigger role, now in his second season in the league.

Brown also figures to take on a bigger passing game role, as that is where Mixon will be missed the most, averaging 1.21 yards per route run in his career, as opposed to just 0.77 for Moss. Brown actually had a 4.46 yards per route run average as a rookie and, even though that came in a very limited sample size, he also had 27 catches in his final collegiate season and has the upside to be a good pass catching option out of the backfield at the professional level. Expect Moss to be the lead back with Brown operating as a change of pace back and a passing down complement.

Depth is a concern at the running back position behind Moss and Brown. Trayveon Williams was a 2019 6th round pick, but has just 77 touches in five seasons in the league, while Chris Evans is a 2021 6th round pick with 38 touches in three seasons in the league. Both would likely be overstretched in a big role in the absence of either Moss or Brown for an extended period of time. Overall, this is an underwhelming backfield, but the top duo of Zack Moss and Chase Brown could be effective, as long as Brown is able to spell Moss frequently enough as a runner and contribute as the primary passing down back.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line

The Bengals’ offensive line was also underwhelming last season. Two of their five starters finished below 60 on PFF, left guard Cordell Volson, who had a 58.3 PFF grade, and right tackle Jonah Williams, who had a 58.5 PFF grade. Williams was allowed to walk as a free agent this off-season and the Bengals should get better play out of his replacement Trent Brown, who they signed to a 1-year, 4.75 million dollar deal. Brown is going into his age 31 season and has had durability issues throughout his career, especially over the past five seasons, when he has missed 30 games, but he’s also surpassed 60 on PFF in all nine seasons in the league, including three seasons above 70.

Brown’s 80.2 PFF grade in 2023 was actually a career high, despite being on the wrong side of 30. It only came in 8 starts and he’s highly unlikely to repeat the best season of his career again in 2024, given his age, but he still has a good chance to be at least a solid starter, which would make him an obvious upgrade on Jonah Williams. Brown will probably miss at least some time with injury at some point this season, only playing making every start in a season twice in his career, but the Bengals prepared for that by using their first round pick on Amarius Mims, who enters the league very raw, but is still overqualified to be a swing tackle and has a huge upside long-term. He may have some rookie year growing pains, but he has a good chance to fill in adequately for a few games if needed.

The Bengals’ other starter who struggled last season, Cordell Volson, will likely remain in that role. The 2022 4th round pick has struggled through two seasons in the league, making 33 starts, but finishing with PFF grades in the 50s in both seasons. However, the Bengals lack another good option, with their best alternative likely being Jackson Carman, a 2021 2nd round pick who entered the league with a lot of potential, but struggled mightily with a 56.3 PFF grade in 6 starts as a rookie and then just 16 snaps in the two seasons since.

Orlando Brown remains the starter at left tackle and he has a good chance to have a better season in 2024 than he did in 2023. Brown wasn’t bad last season, but his 66.1 PFF grade was the lowest of his 6-year career and he had previously finished above 70 on PFF in four straight seasons. With 92 starts in six seasons in the league, Brown is a very experienced option who is unlikely to be beginning a permanent decline, still only in his age 28 season, so he has a good chance to bounce back at least somewhat in 2024.

Alex Cappa and Ted Karras remain at right guard and center respectively. Cappa is a solid starter who is still relatively young in his age 29 season, so he has a good chance to continue playing the way he has for the past four seasons, when he has made all 66 starts, while receiving PFF grades of 69.0, 73.4, 67.6, and 64.9. Karras, on the other hand, is now in his age 31 season and could start to decline. 

Karras has PFF grades of 64.5, 65.4, 72.2, 62.6, and 67.4 over the past five seasons, while making 77 starts, but he doesn’t have a huge margin for error if he begins to decline, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up being somewhat of a liability in 2024. He could remain a solid starter, but his age is a concern. He’ll be backed up by 2021 5th round pick Trey Hill, who has struggled across 217 snaps in three seasons in the league, so Karras should remain the starter no matter what. Overall, this offensive line should be better than a year ago, but they’re still unlikely to be much more than a middling group. 

Grade: B

Edge Defenders

As I mentioned, the Bengals’ defense was below average last season, but they did have some standout players. Probably their best player was edge defender Trey Hendrickson, who had a 82.3 PFF grade across 742 snaps, particularly excelling as a pass rusher, with 17.5 sacks, 12 hits, and a 16.8% pressure rate. That’s not out of character for Hendrickson, who has finished above 70 on PFF in four straight seasons, with his career best year coming in 2022 when he had a 85.0 PFF grade. 

Overall, Hendrickson has 53 sacks, 58 hits, and a 15.8% pressure rate in 63 games over those four seasons, ranking 3rd in the NFL in sacks over that stretch, only behind Defensive Player of the Year winners TJ Watt and Myles Garrett. Hendrickson is now going into his age 30 season and there’s some reason to be concerned that he’ll decline, but, even if he does, he’s starting from a very high base point and should remain a big asset for this defense in 2024.

The rest of this position group was underwhelming a year ago, but there is some reason for optimism this year. Sam Hubbard received a 61.9 PFF grade across 713 snaps last season, but he has been better in the past, as last season was a career worst season-long grade for the 6-year veteran. Hubbard has never been better than a 72.4 PFF grade for a season and he’s a better run stopper than pass rusher, with 36.5 sacks, 60 hits, and a 10.3% pressure rate in 90 career games, but the Bengals do have 2023 1st round pick Myles Murphy waiting in the wings for a bigger role, which will allow Hubbard to focus on early down plays and keep him fresher, which should help him have a bounce back season.

Murphy didn’t do much as a rookie, with a 56.2 PFF grade across 304 snaps and a 9.1% pressure rate, but he has a high upside and could easily take a big step forward in his second season of the league. Murphy taking a step forward and Hubbard bouncing back is part of the reason the Bengals could be better defensively. The Bengals also have Cam Sample and Joseph Ossai, who played small roles last season, seeing 375 snaps and 177 snaps respectively, and both will likely see similar roles this season.

Sample and Ossai were drafted in the 4th and 3rd round respectively in 2021. Sample struggled in limited action in his first two seasons in the league, with PFF grades of 52.1 and 58.0 on snap counts of 310 and 411 respectively, while totaling a 7.2% pressure rate, but he took a step forward with a 61.6 PFF grade and a 10.6% pressure rate in 2023. Ossai, meanwhile, missed his entire rookie season, struggled with a 55.3 PFF grade in 2022, but seemingly took a step forward with a 68.4 PFF grade in 2023, albiet in very limited action. 

Both Sample and Ossai are still young, in their age 25 and age 24 seasons, and they have a good chance to continue being at least decent in small roles, but both could struggle if forced into bigger roles by injuries ahead of them on the depth chart. This is the same group of edge defenders as a year ago, but they could be better if Myles Murphy takes a step forward in his second season in the league and if Sam Hubbard bounces back, likely in a smaller role with Murphy likely to take a step forward.

Grade: B+

Interior Defenders

The Bengals’ defense will miss free agent departure DJ Reader, who was their top interior defender a year ago, with a 82.2 PFF grade, excelling against the run and adding 1 sack, 6 hits, and a 10.8% pressure rate as a pass rusher. The Bengals replaced him with veteran Sheldon Rankins on a 2-year, 24.5 million dollar deal. Rankins is not nearly as good as Reader as a run stopper, finishing below 60 on PFF in run defense grade in three of the past four seasons, but he could be an upgrade as a pass rusher, with 29.5 sacks, 38 hits, and a 8.4% pressure rate in 109 career games, including 6 sacks, 4 hits, and a 10.3% pressure rate in 15 games last season. Rankins is now heading into his age 30 season and could start declining, but he has a good chance to at least remain an above average interior pass rusher for another season.

BJ Hill remains as the other starter. He wasn’t as good as Reader, but he still had a solid 67.7 PFF grade, with decent play both as a run stopper and a pass rusher, totaling 4.5 sacks, 14 hits, and a 8.4% pressure rate, his 6th season over 60 on PFF in as many seasons in the league, with three seasons over 70. In total, he has 20.5 sacks, 39 hits, and a 7.7% pressure rate in 97 career games. Hill was a rotational player early in his career, but has seen snap counts of 815 and 776 over the past two seasons. Still only in his age 28 season, he should remain a solid starter on a high snap count again in 2024. 

The Bengals also used second and third round picks on the interior defender position this off-season, taking Kris Jenkins first and then McKinnley Jackson later. Both will compete for top reserve roles with Zachary Carter, who struggled as the top reserve last season, with a 51.2 PFF grade across 500 snaps. Carter was a 3rd round pick in 2022, but he was even worse as a rookie, with a 32.1 PFF grade across 395 snaps. It’s possible he takes another step forward in year three in 2024, especially if takes on a smaller role that he is more suited for. Josh Tupou had a 52.1 PFF grade across 287 snaps last season as the #4 interior defender, so better depth was needed and the Bengals got that with a pair of promising rookies. This is a decent, but unspectacular position group overall.

Grade: B-

Linebackers

The Bengals’ linebacking corps remains the same as a year ago, which is not a bad thing because Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt were decent as every down linebackers with PFF grades of 62.6 and 63.3 on snap counts of 1,068 and 975. Akeem Davis-Gaither also returns as the top reserve, although he only played 98 snaps last season and has played just 847 snaps in four seasons in the league, so he would be a projection to a larger role if forced into one by an injury to Wilson or Pratt.

Wilson was a 3rd round pick in 2020. He struggled in his first two seasons in the league, with PFF grades of 54.7 and 53.9 on snap counts of 343 and 707, before taking a big step forward with a 72.7 PFF grade across 954 snaps in 2022. He wasn’t as good in 2023, but he seems to have at least established himself as a capable starting linebacker, with the upside for more if he can regain his 2022 form. Pratt, meanwhile, is a similar story, although his year-to-year swings have been even bigger, as the 2019 3rd round pick had PFF grades of 51.0, 41.5, and 47.0 across snap counts of 437, 686, and 692 in his first three seasons in the league, before breaking out with a 80.6 PFF grade across 722 snaps in 2022 and then falling back to earth a little in 2023. He should at least remain a capable starter in 2024, with the upside for more. The Bengals are in decent shape at linebacker, especially if one of their two starters can find their 2022 form.

Grade: B

Secondary

The position group that should be most improved from a year ago and the biggest reason this defense should be better this year is the safety position. Nick Scott and Dax Hill started the season as starters last season, but both struggled, with PFF grades of 44.0 and 50.9. Scott was so bad he got benched for third round rookie Jordan Battle, who was a revelation in the second half of the season, with a 82.5 PFF grade across 524 snaps. That’s a small sample size, but Battle has a big upside and might not even need to start, with the Bengals signing Geno Stone and Vonn Bell to contracts worth 14 million over 2 years and 1.21 million over 1 year to replace Scott and also still retaining Dax Hill, who was a first round pick in 2022 and could be better in his third season in the league in 2024.

Stone should be locked into a starting job, after posting a 71.9 PFF grade across 950 snaps in 2023. Last season was Stone’s first as a starter and he was only a 7th round pick in 2020, but he also had a 71.4 PFF grade across 450 snaps in 2022, so his above average season as a starter in 2023 didn’t come out of nowhere. He’s still relatively unproven, but he’s also only going into his age 25 and could have further untapped upside. He seems likely to be the Bengals’ top safety. The other safety job will go to Bell, Battle, or Hill with a possibility of multiple of them playing significant roles this season. Battle and Hill both have upside, but Battle is still very inexperienced, while Hill was underwhelming in his only season as a starter thus far. 

Bell has plenty of experience, starting 106 of 122 games played in eight seasons in the league, and he’s mostly been a capable starter, with PFF grades over 60 in seven straight seasons, starting in his second season in the league in 2017. He’s now going into his age 30 season and had to settle for the veteran’s minimum this season, but he’s a versatile player who could play linebacker or slot cornerback, so I would expect him to at least have some role in sub packages. The Bengals have quickly turned a big position of weakness at safety into a strength, with four capable starting options, two of which have significant upsides, and a top safety in Geno Stone who looks likely to be an above average starter.

At cornerback, the Bengals let veteran Chidobe Awuzie leave as a free agent this off-season. Awuzie only had a 62.6 PFF grade across 722 snaps, but he wasn’t bad and losing him without replacing him leaves the Bengals pretty thin at cornerback. Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner were second round picks in 2022 and 2023 respectively and both are expected to take on bigger roles in Awuzie’s absence, now as the favorites to start at 17 games outside at cornerback, after being limited to 653 snaps and 827 snaps respectively in 2023. 

Taylor-Britt wasn’t bad last season, with a 64.5 PFF grade, a step forward from his rookie season when he had a 56.1 PFF grade across 590 snaps, but Taylor was a rookie last season and looked like it, with a 51.5 PFF grade. He could take a step forward in year two and Taylor-Britt could take a step forward as well, but that’s not a guarantee and, if Turner struggles or if Turner or Taylor-Britt get hurt, the only other options the Bengals have at outside cornerback are 5th round pick Josh Newton, 2023 7th round pick DJ Ivey, who played just 21 snaps as a rookie, or 2018 undrafted free agent Jalen Davis, a special teamer who had played just 281 defensive snaps in six seasons in the league. 

Fortunately, the Bengals still have slot cornerback Mike Hilton, even if he isn’t a realistic candidate to see action outside. Hilton is very undersized at 5-9 184, but excels on the slot, with PFF grades above 60 on PFF across an average of 670 snaps per season in seven seasons in the league, with four seasons above 70, including three straight from 2021-2023. Hilton is going into his age 30 season and could start to decline soon, but, even if he does, he should remain at least a solid slot specialist. The Bengals are much better at safety than they were a year ago and should still get good play on the slot, but outside cornerback looks like it could be a position of weakness unless multiple young players step up.

Grade: B+

Conclusion

The Bengals went 9-8 last season, despite only having star quarterback Joe Burrow fully healthy and at his best for five games, despite playing in the toughest division in football, and despite having a below average defense. This season, Joe Burrow should be healthier for much more of the season, the division is still tough, but maybe not as tough as a year ago, and their defense should be slightly better if only by default. Put all of that together and the Bengals not only look like a safe bet to be a playoff team, but also a potential candidate to go from worst to first and win the AFC North. I would consider them on the short list of Super Bowl contenders as well, especially if they can win the division and secure at least one home playoff game.

Prediction: 11-6, 2nd in AFC North