The Cincinnati Bengals are rolling into the 2026 season with a roster that Joe Burrow has, to great fanfare and controversy, labeled as the most talented he's ever been a part of in his NFL career.
Talent is one thing. Execution on the field is another. A healthy Burrow and every starter returning to his offensive unit should mean Cincinnati lights up the scoreboard at will. Whether the defense meshes well enough in time to be Super Bowl worthy is the biggest uncertainty.
With all the additions the Bengals made this offseason, some tough decisions will come down around the final 53-man roster. Burrow implied as much in referencing Cincinnati's enviable depth.
Joe Burrow's latest low-key comment about Bengals' roster was important but easy to miss
NFL.com's Kevin Patra covered Burrow's latest presser, leading with Joe Shiesty's assertion that this Bengals roster reminded him of the 2019 LSU squad that might've been the best team in college football history. However, this Burrow quote stood out to me more in real time, and was also featured in the story:
“We've talked in the locker room this year about in years past, you wonder who's going to make the team, and it was top-heavy, and you wonder about the bottom guys. This year, it's guys that were once that top level, they're on the team for sure now, [but] there's a lot of competition at those spots on the 53, 54, 55, at the end of that list. This is the first year that that is really the case in my opinion. It's an exciting place to be when you have too many good players."
That's some rare, brutal honesty from Burrow. When the Bengals made those deep playoff runs some years back, Joe Brrr never threw anyone under the bus even as he was getting blasted behind terrible offensive lines.
Burrow could've easily made some passing reference to poor pass protection. He could've called out the defense in far more direct fashion than he has amid three years of playoff-free football. The face of the franchise never took the bait.
All that patience has paid off. It doesn't matter if Burrow implored the front office to do something more vigorously than ever, or if someone behind the scenes finally decided enough was enough. The Bengals took action, and does it ever feel good.
Dominique Foxworth echoed Burrow's assertion about the bottom of the roster on ESPN's Get Up — a show where Bengals hype often goes to fizzle:
"A lot of people are going to be playing for their jobs and their futures for that team."@Foxworth24 speaks on the Bengals ahead of the 2026-27 NFL season 🏈 pic.twitter.com/40SRz4RbKg
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 18, 2026
With no real jobs up for grabs on offense, the two- to three-deep depth chart on that side of the ball will be full of heated competitions where the best should rise. As for the defense, anyone who can contribute to a marked improvement will be under consideration for significant snaps.
While I'd argue that linebacker is still a glaring weak spot, there aren't many other positions that figure to give Cincinnati major issues this year. What a refreshing position to be in as a fan after years of whiffed draft picks, odd free agency decisions, and resulting poor roster depth that's cost the team some critical wins when the playoffs were still in reach.
Add us as a preferred source on Google