Super Bowl road maps: Jaguars | Bears | Browns | Dolphins | Packers | Lions | Texans | Vikings | Falcons | Chiefs | Buccaneers
Welcome to Super Bowl LXI road maps, where we look at every team’s chances of winning it all in 2026. We’ll analyze the summer optimism before providing a reality check of what’s to come. Next path to assess: the Bengals.
Between bad luck and bad defenses, the Bengals have been shockingly irrelevant the past three seasons.
While Cincinnati has one of the league’s top quarterbacks in Joe Burrow and a future Hall of Fame receiver in Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals haven’t found their way to the playoffs since 2022. Incredibly, they are only one of nine teams that have missed out on the postseason in each of those seasons, joined by the Colts, Raiders, Jets, Titans, Saints, Falcons, Giants and Cardinals.
Going into 2026, there’s renewed hope. Burrow is once again healthy after playing in only eight games last season due to a toe injury, while the defense added a trio of important pieces in nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II, edge rusher Boye Mafe and hometown safety Bryan Cook.
Still, everything comes down to Burrow and his health, which has been a struggle. In his career, the three-time Pro Bowler has missed 23.7% of his career games, including 16 over the past three seasons.
Leadership
If there’s one thing that’s consistent about the Bengals, it’s their power structure. Duke Tobin is the longest-tenured general manager in the NFL, having held the post since 1999. This is somewhat amazing, considering Tobin’s career record is 199-233-4. Still, owner Mike Brown has never shown any impatience with Tobin.
On the sideline, coach Zac Taylor enters his eighth season. Taylor has failed to qualify for the playoffs in five of his first seven years while sporting a 52-63-1 mark, but don’t expect his seat to warm. His predecessor, Marvin Lewis, coached Cincinnati for 16 seasons without winning a playoff game, going 0–7 in the postseason.
If anybody is under pressure, it’s defensive coordinator Al Golden. After the Bengals made the questionable decision to fire Lou Anarumo after the 2024 season, despite his having helped engineer playoff wins over Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, Golden took over and promptly saw the unit rank 32nd in yards per play (6.7), 31st in yards and 30th in points allowed.
Most influential roster move
Trading for Lawrence was a huge swing by Cincinnati. The Bengals traded their No. 10 pick in the NFL draft to the Giants before giving Lawrence a one-year, $28 million extension.
Lawrence, 28, is one of the biggest moves any team made this offseason. The gamble is that he’ll return to his pre-2025 form after posting eight quarterback hits and 0.5 sacks last season. Before that, Lawrence had made three consecutive Pro Bowls while also earning second-team All-Pro honors twice.
After losing defensive end Trey Hendrickson to the Ravens in free agency, Cincinnati desperately needs the combination of Mafe and Lawrence, along with 2024 first-round pick Shemar Stewart and veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, to become a major factor up front.
Why this offseason move will work
Adding Bryan Cook to the secondary will prove a wise move for the Bengals. A two-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs, Cook returns to his hometown, where he starred at Mount Healthy High School before going to the University of Cincinnati.
A second-round pick in 2022, Cook became an immediate contributor in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, earning the veteran coordinator’s trust while playing 32% of the snaps. Since then, that number grew to 79%, 90% and 83% in the years to follow, while Cook has become an impact player, totaling three interceptions and 15 passes defensed.
While he’s not yet an All-Pro–caliber player and may never reach that level, he’s a smart, solid talent who has been a leader, an important facet he’ll bring to a young Cincinnati secondary.
Breakout player candidate: DJ Turner II, CB
Cincinnati has been horrific defensively over the past two seasons, but not because of Turner. In fact, if the Bengals get rolling on that side, expect Turner to be a big reason why.
In 2025, Turner had his best season as a third-year pro, including posting personal bests in completion percentage allowed (47.9%), yards per target (6.4), quarterback rating (75.6), yards after catch (127) and yards per completion (13.4). Only 25 years old, Turner will be entering his prime and should be better in the second year of Golden’s system.
Going into a contract year, Turner could work himself into Pro Bowl conversations if he continues trending the right way. And in a league where the cornerback market has exploded, including this offseason when Trent McDuffie became the first corner to ever receive $100 million guaranteed, Turner could be in line for a huge payday.
Missing piece
Who can play linebacker? The Bengals are relying on second-year man Demetrius Knight Jr., who flashed as a rookie while playing 73% of the snaps, making 106 tackles with three sacks and seven passes defensed. Beyond Knight, the group is thin, with veterans Oren Burks, Shaka Heyward and Barrett Carter fighting for playing time.
While Cincinnati upgraded the back end with Cook and spent lavishly up front with Lawrence and Mafe, the second level remains a weak spot. Assuming Knight plays more snaps, there’s still an open question about who gets the others. Carter also played 73% of the snaps as a rookie last season, but allowed 77.1% of targets to be completed while surrendering three touchdowns.
Burks is the most experienced, having been on two Super Bowl teams over his eight-year career with the Eagles and 49ers, but he’d be a rotational player in an ideal world. Unfortunately for the Bengals, ideal and their linebackers don’t go hand-in-hand.
Realistic outlook
The Bengals are one of the biggest wild cards in the league.
On one hand, Cincinnati had one of the league’s worst defenses last season, if not the worst all-around unit. While the Bengals did address multiple areas with Lawrence, Mafe, Allen and Cook, there’s a question about how much those four can do, especially with the departure of Hendrickson. While each is talented, and Lawrence has All-Pro upside, are there enough difference-makers on that defense to become a top-15 group? There’s plenty of work ahead.
Still, the obvious, looming question is whether Burrow can finally stay healthy. The offensive line in front of him remains a concern, with the same starting five as last year still in place. In 2025, the line ranked a respectable 15th in pressure rate allowed (33.2%), but Burrow was battered, going down in Week 2 with a toe injury that sidelined him for nine games.
If Burrow plays a full season, surrounded by Chase and fellow star receiver Tee Higgins, the Bengals have a chance to not only reach the postseason for the first time since 2022, but also potentially win the AFC North and make a run. If not, it’ll be another lost season with Joe Flacco playing out the string.
Cincinnati is dangerous, but so are the potential pitfalls.
