The Bengals walked into the 2026 offseason acting like a team that knows its window is closing. They made moves. Big ones. Dexter Lawrence via trade. Jonathan Allen in free agency. Draft picks spent on offensive line depth. All of it designed to get Joe Burrow and company back to the playoff conversation.
But training camp opens July 29, and right now some guys are looking over their shoulders. Not everyone who showed up this spring will be on the active roster when the regular season starts. Here are three players who need a strong camp, or they might not make it to September.
Cody Ford is fighting youth and dollars
The Bengals finally have something they haven’t had in years — offensive line continuity. Same five starters returning from last season. That’s rare in Cincinnati. But it also means the backup spots are tighter than ever, and Ford might be the odd man out.
He signed in 2023 and has been a reliable swing lineman ever since. Reliable, but not irreplaceable. At 30, Ford is now the old guy in a room that just added two rookies — guard Brian Parker II and center Connor Lew — neither of whom is expected to start this year, both of whom are cheap and under team control for four years.
Cutting Ford saves only $1.3 million. That’s not nothing, but it’s not the kind of money that forces your hand. The real issue is that Ford is on an expiring contract. The rookies are not. If it comes down to keeping a veteran on a one-year deal or a rookie on a four-year rookie deal, the math leans toward the kid. Ford’s only real edge is position flexibility — he can play guard or tackle. But he’ll have to prove in camp that he’s still sharp enough to justify the roster spot.
T.J. Slaton Jr. got buried by two superstars
The defensive line room in Cincinnati went from thin to absolutely loaded in one offseason. The Bengals traded for Dexter Lawrence, who is one of the best interior disruptors in football. Then they signed Jonathan Allen. Two All-Pro caliber players at the same position. That changes everything for the guys underneath them.
Slaton is a capable rotational tackle. But he’s not Lawrence. He’s not Allen. And suddenly the depth chart behind them includes Kris Jenkins Jr., B.J. Hill, and McKinnley Jackson. That’s a crowded room.
The math is brutal here. Slaton carries a $9.16 million cap hit. If the Bengals cut him, they free up $6.6 million. That’s real money. Money that could be used midseason to add a veteran at a position of need, or just give the team flexibility if injuries hit. When a team has a clear top two at a position and a bunch of guys fighting for scraps, the expensive ones usually lose.
Slaton can absolutely earn his spot with a dominant camp. But he’s going to have to outplay guys who are younger and cheaper. Cincinnati isn’t sentimental about cap space, and they just proved they’ll spend aggressively when they see a chance to improve. That same instinct could make Slaton expendable.
Erick All Jr. needs health and a miracle
Every now and then you get a player whose talent is obvious but whose body just won’t cooperate. That’s All right now. The tight end dealt with back and ACL injuries in college. Blew out his ACL again as a rookie. Spent all of 2025 recovering. Now he’s entering camp with one last shot to make an impression.
The problem isn’t just the medical history. It’s the guys in front of him. Mike Gesicki is locked in as the starter. Drew Sample has the TE2 role locked down. Behind them, Tanner Hudson is a reliable veteran who actually stays on the field. And rookie Jack Endries is a seventh-round pick on a cheap contract that the front office will want to protect.
There’s probably only one or two roster spots available at tight end behind the top two. All has more upside than Hudson or Endries, but upside doesn’t matter if you’re on the sideline. The team has not confirmed anything about his camp status, but if he can’t stay healthy through July and August, the decision gets made for them.
The most realistic path for All to survive camp is an injury designation — PUP list or injured reserve. That’s a grim way to keep a job. And even that only buys time. At some point, the Bengals have to decide if they can count on him. Right now, the answer is probably no.
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