Retired All-Pro furthers false narratives about Bengals defense and AFC North chances

The maligned national perspective of the Cincinnati Bengals defense over the past two years has followed them into the 2026 season. Even if the Bengals' offseason signaled a massive paradigm shift and eventual on-field improvement, perception is apparently reality for lots of these big media folks.

Former three-time All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman said the Bengals' defense prevents them from having a chance to win the AFC North, even if star quarterback Joe Burrow is healthy.

Is that a flawed argument? Absolutely. Does Sherman have even a soft awareness or clue of what's going on in Cincinnati? It doesn't appear so.

Richard Sherman is right about Cincinnati's defenses of the past few years

On The Richard Sherman Podcast, Sherman explains that a healthy Burrow isn't enough to save the Bengals, as Sherman himself was present for a slew of Cincinnati shootout losses in recent years.

In regard to the last two years of Bengals football, Sherman was spot on about the defense. During that 34-game span, Cincinnati averaged a 28th-ranked defense in points allowed and only held a team to single digits twice (zero times in 2025). In that same span, the Bengals allowed 28 or more points 14 times.

Cincinnati managed to lose games in which they scored 42 points, 38 points (three times) and 34 points (twice). Asking the Bengals offense to score enough points per game to overcome that level of defense would require them to be among the greatest offenses in the history of the sport.

After an atrocious tackling performance that allowed the Chicago Bears to beat the Bengals, who scored 42 points, head coach Zac Taylor seemed helpless in regard to the defense in this Sports Illustrated article on his postgame remarks:

"We're going to do everything we can to find a way. I think it's impossible for me to say yes or no; We've been trying everything we can, so we'll just keep working at it."

Sherman is ignoring the Bengals' myriad offseason reinforcements

Even though Richard Sherman might have been correct about defenses of years past, he fails to mention the massive overhaul the organization put into place ahead of the 2026 season. The Bengals attacked some of their weakest position groups with an aggressiveness that is not reminiscent of how they have traditionally handled offseason.

In one of the biggest moves that any team in the NFL made this offseason, Cincinnati traded the No. 10 overall pick to the New York Giants for standout defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Pro Football Focus has Lawrence ranked in the top-10 of interior defensive linemen after last season, but just two years ago, Lawrence reached the height of being rated higher than any defender in the NFL.

Alongside Lawrence, several free agents made their way to Cincinnati this offseason, vastly improving position groups that had dragged the defense down.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive free agency signings

• 1. EDGE Boye Mafe — While Mafe has big shoes to fill with the departure of fellow edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, his addition contributes to an overall improvement on the defensive line, which was one of the weakest position groups in years past. Mafe's pass rush helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl in 2025, and his addition, along with rookie edge rusher Cashius Howell, will provide much-needed depth on the defensive line.

• 2. S Bryan Cook — Cook may represent one of the biggest improvements to the Bengals defense as he replaces Geno Stone, who was cut from the Buffalo Bills 53-man roster and signed to their practice squad. Even though Stone is thought to have a chance to make it back onto the roster this season, his fringe placement speaks for itself in terms of abilities. Cook was the fourth-best safety in the NFL according to PFF, making him the best possible free-agent choice for the Bengals.

• 3. DT Jonathan Allen — A significant veteran addition in Jonathan Allen pushes the two Bengals interior defensive line starters, B.J. Hill and T.J. Slaton, into depth positions rather than starting roles. A massive improvement not only to the defensive line, but also to the defensive leadership group, as Allen brings in nine years of experience.

• 4. S Kyle Dugger — Another defensive back piece that makes improvements to a weak spot for the Bengals defense. Dugger, another veteran, brings 78 career regular-season starts to the young defense. Dugger will add depth, and Cincinnati hopes his experience will aid in the development of 2023 third-round pick Jordan Battle.

• 5. CB Ja'Sir Taylor — Fifth-year cornerback Ja'Sir Taylor was another low-risk, high-reward signing for the Bengals that adds depth and experience to the defensive backfield. Taylor will start the season on IR, but his experience could still prove valuable to the Bengals down the stretch.

While Sherman is right that the Bengals defense had a lot of room for improvement, the changes made this offseason are hard to overlook. It might not mean that the Bengals are the 2001 Baltimore Ravens who could've won the Super Bowl with a piece of cardboard at the quarterback position, but that is not what the Bengals need.

Cincinnati arguably has the best wide receiver duo in the NFL. To feed those receivers, they have a quarterback who led the league in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage the last time he played a full, healthy season.

Protecting that quarterback, they have an offensive line that ranked fourth in pass-block efficiency through the last 11 weeks of the 2025 season. Barring catastrophe, their offense will get the job done, meaning their defense doesn't have to be elite for them to make a run.

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