The Bengals have spent the last few offseasons talking about closing the gap.
2026 doesn’t feel like more talk. It feels like a deadline.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano laid it out plainly in his latest column on offseason overreactions. He agreed with the idea that this season is huge for Joe Burrow and Cincinnati. If the Bengals can’t make it work this year, the franchise might look very different next offseason.
“A lot of this is on Burrow, who needs to stay healthy to give the Bengals the best possible chance,” Graziano wrote. “But if he does, and if the defense still lets them down, leading to another missed playoffs, Zac Taylor’s eighth season as their head coach could very well turn out to be his last.”
The defense got real help
Cincinnati’s defense has been a problem for a while now. Burrow can play at an MVP level and still lose because the other side of the ball gives up too many points. That might actually change this year. The Bengals added Dexter Lawrence up front, Boye Mafe on the edge and Bryan Cook in the secondary. That’s a lot of new talent in one offseason.
But the AFC North looks different too. The Ravens, Steelers and Browns all have new head coaches. That kind of turnover usually creates a window, even if it’s a small one.
“With all of the other three teams in the AFC North in transition phases under new head coaches, the opportunity is there for the Bengals to return to the top of the division and compete for an AFC championship,” Graziano added. “If they do not, you’re going to once again hear people on the outside wonder how long Burrow will want to be there. And next offseason could bring more significant roster and staff changes than we’ve seen in Cincinnati in a while.”
The stakes are simple
Nobody in Cincinnati will say this is Super Bowl or bust. But anything short of a deep playoff run is going to feel like a letdown. Burrow is healthy. The defense has been upgraded. The division is in flux. If not now, when?
We’ll find out this fall.
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