It's been nearly five years since the Cincinnati Bengals made their stunning run to the Super Bowl. It's been three full seasons since they've made it to the postseason.
As a result, patience is wearing thin around head coach Zac Taylor. His teams have been beset by slow starts, injury and the occasional combination of the two. That's led to what could be a last stand in 2026.
With a stout list of expensive defensive additions, the Bengals invested heavily in fixing a fatal flaw. If Taylor can't maximize that and claim an AFC North title -- or at least a Wild Card bid -- it could be over, even in an uber-competitive AFC.
What's he working with this fall? Let's take a look.
Key addition: Most of the starting defensive line
Cincinnati has reconciled with the idea it cannot win enough 41-40 shootouts
to make the playoffs. Thus, expensive upgrades arrived to bolster the trenches.
Jonathan Allen was signed away for $14 million annually despite underwhelming returns as a Minnesota Viking; his pressure rate has decreased each of the last four seasons, giving him more name value than on-field production. Boye Mafe was enlisted to punch up the pass rush at three years and $60 million and may be the opposite of Allen, but Cincinnati is paying a premium to find out.
Dexter Lawrence and his $28 million annual salary came at the expense of the 10th overall pick in this year's draft. The Bengals scoring defense has cracked the top 16 only once in Zac Taylor's six years at the helm. If it fails again this year, that could mean the end of his run in Ohio.
Key departure: EDGE Trey Hendrickson
In 2024, Hendrickson's last dominant season, the Bengals had a 31.8 percent pressure rate and a 22 percent blitz rate — both 22nd-highest in the league. In 2025, where Hendrickson played only seven games due to injury and played well below his standard following an offseason contract debate, the team's pressure rate rose to 32.6 percent (still 22nd) while the blitz rate fell to 19.4 percent (31st). This, paired with significant veteran additions up front, provides hope Cincinnati can not only keep things together in a post-Hendrickson pass rush, but even emerge as an above-average unit.
The additions of Dexter Lawrence and Boye Mafe bring veteran experience up front. Three recent first or second round picks — Myles Murphy, Shemar Stewart and Cashius Howell — will work to revive the defense around them.
Potential 2026 breakout player: EDGE Boye Mafe
Mafe was a key part of a Super Bowl team, but only played half the snaps for the league's top defense last season. He signed a $60 million contract to be rain to the desert of Cincinnati's pass rush, part of an overhaul that added four new starters to the defensive side of the ball.
The former second-round pick has been a steady presence off the edge, settling in at a pressure rate between 12.6 percent and 12.8 each of the last three seasons. He's solid enough against the run to rack up more snaps, and we could see him set a new career high in sacks given the opportunity he'll have in his new home.
Position ranks
- QB rank (expected points added per dropback, via RBSDM.com): 6, albeit in only 302 Joe Burrow dropbacks
- WR corps rank: 3
- RB corps rank: 22
- TE corps rank: 32
Will they improve in 2026?
Yes. Joe Burrow typically doesn't stack injury-derailed seasons one after another. We saw progress early in 2025, and a revamped defense should boost the Bengals back to the postseason.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bengals 2026 season preview: Zac Taylor's 'breakthrough or bust' year
