Much has been made about the Cincinnati Bengals' offseason moves this year, and for good reason. Fans have gotten used to the front office not really doing anything to improve the team around this time of the year. It seemed like Duke Tobin and co. got a little too complacent in the offseason and thought that they'd be able to replicate the magic of 2021 without doing any of the work.
This offseason, though, the Bengals went in the complete opposite direction. At the start of the offseason, Cincinnati snagged two of the best free agents at their position in defensive end Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook. And then, in a shocking twist, Cincinnati traded their tenth overall pick to the New York Giants to acquire Dexter Lawrence. That, along with their other acquisitions this offseason like Kyle Dugger and Jonathan Allen, has given fans hope for this year.
And yet, it's not the performance of these players that will impact the Bengals' 2026 campaign. It's what the holdovers from last season does this offseason that will dictate just how good this defense will be.
Bengals holdovers need to step up to fulfill defense's promise
Why is that? An NFL defense is only as good as its weakest link. There's only a handful of players in the league who can warp the game in a way that their weakness can be mitigated. While the Bengals did acquire a lot of star talent on all three levels, there are still major questions that need to be answered.
Cincinnati's front four was criticized heavily over the last few years due to them being a one-man army. Outside of Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals' pass rush was non-existent.
Now, the Bengals have two great players on that defensive line. Mafe was one of the key cogs in the Seahawks' Super Bowl run this past season, while Lawrence is still consistently one of the best defensive tackles in the league. However, the opposite side of the line faces some serious questions.
The other edge position will be filled by one of the Bengals' first-round picks in the last two years: Myles Murphy showed some promise towards the end of last season, but Cincinnati wants more out of the fourth-year pass rusher as he enters a contract year. Meanwhile, Stewart hasn’t performed well in his appearances last year and is now dealing with a serious injury. Jonathan Allen will man the other tackle position opposite Lawrence, but both BJ Hill and TJ Slaton will be relied upon to give quality reps in the rotation.
In the secondary, Cook fixes a major hole that the team desperately needs: a true safety. Geno Stone was supposed to be the solution… but we saw how that turned out. But then, what about the rest of the secondary?
After moving around the secondary early in his career, Dax Hill has seemingly settled into a nice role as an outside cornerback. Filling the hole left by Hill in the slot is Jalen Davis, who was a solid contributor and has been making plays in this year's training camp. Even DJ Turner II, who became one of the best CB1s in the league last season, has some pressure on him to maintain his form from 2025.
At safety, Jordan Battle has shown flashes of great play. However, he was also one of the key contributors to the Bengals’ tackling woes last season (see: the Bears game). There’s a sense that Battle was a solid defender who was stuck on one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season. PlayigThis season, the Bengals safety can prove that last season’s hiccups were merely a product of his environment.
Bengals are counting on the growth of the young linebacker group
And then, we have the linebacker group. The only group that was left untouched this offseason, it’s also the most maligned unit last season. The concerns were valid: then-rookie linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr and Barrett Carter were two of the worst tacklers in the entire league, a terrible cherry on top of their already awful performance. Veteran Oren Burks didn’t help matters on that end either.
Many Bengals fans wanted the team to address their linebacker core in some way. It’s hard for rookie linebackers to perform well in the league, so maybe a better veteran presence could have helped them. Instead, Cincinnati bet that Knight and Carter's development will progress faster with a better roster. That’s a bold move for a team looking to contend: to hope that two of the worst players at their position last year will take significant steps.
And, to give both Knight and Carter credit, both players have seemingly improved this offseason. Carter, who’s been given the green dot for the 2026 season after taking over as the play-caller last season, has done amazingly well against the Bengals offense. Both Lawrence and Cook have noted the progress Carter has made.
"He's flowing, playing confident. Second year in the defense, so he's understanding it a little better. That's a lot of credit to him,” Lawrence said, per Bengals senior writer Geoff Hobson.
In that same article, Cook says, "I can see him grow much more than today. He's setting his foundation … He's willing to learn, and he's willing to teach me. And as far as being a man for the defense, it's one of the toughest positions with both coverage and rush."
Knight has also earned praise in training camp. It’s great to see the two rookies leaving behind their awful 2025 campaign behind them. Bengals fans are hoping that Carter, Knight, and the rest of the holdovers on defense repays the trust the front office has given them.
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