There's no excuse for the Cincinnati Bengals to miss the playoffs for a fourth straight year. Their defense should be much improved, and as long as superstar quarterback Joe Burrow stays healthy, the offense has the floor to be a top-10 unit at the very least.
Unfortunately, staying healthy is an elusive objective for the otherwise superlative Burrow. It's about the only argument against him that keeps him out of the conversation as the best QB in the sport.
In addition to bad defensive units in years past, Cincinnati has done Burrow few favors with a consistently poor offensive line. That changed last year, albeit after Joe Brrr suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2. With all 11 starters returning on offense, the Bengals should fire on all cylinders in 2026.
That is, if all those returning starters, notably left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. hold up their end of the bargain.
Orlando Brown Jr. needs more reps before the regular season to save Joe Burrow
If you look at the surface-level facets of Orlando Brown Jr.'s situation, you wouldn't think his job security is in doubt any time soon. Brown negotiated his own three-year contract extension this offseason, and even made it a team-friendly deal so he could stay in Cincinnati for the long haul.
Or at least that was the idea. Brown has been a solid, but unspectacular starter since landing with the Bengals in 2023. All four of his Pro Bowl seasons predated his time in the Queen City.
I don't love using PFF blocking grades as the end-all, be-all of offensive linemen evaluation. Nevertheless, it's a useful approximation. Just look at Brown's grades year-by-year amongst offensive tackles (ranking in parentheses):
- 2022: 75.4 (19th)
- 2023: 66.1 (45th)
- 2024: 58.2 (66th)
- 2025: 60.3 (61st)
In the preseason opener against the Detroit Lions, Brown got beat badly by undrafted rookie defensive end Eric O'Neill, who had a grand total of 2.5 sacks for Rutgers in 2025. O'Neill is unlikely to make the Lions' 53-man roster, yet he straight-up hammered Burrow in the pocket right around his upper body.
Between that near-catastrophe and the general downward trend of Brown's PFF grades, that's not really you want to see.
Worth remembering, too, that Logan Wilson signed a four-year extension prior to the 2023 campaign, was traded during the season this past year, and is now retired. Life comes at you fast in the NFL.
Bears defensive ends will test Brown in Week 2 of the preseason (and at joint practice)
Orlando Brown Jr.'s mission to protect Joe Burrow's blind side won't get any easier when the Chicago Bears roll into Paycor Stadium this coming Saturday.
Brown is likely to face some combination of speedy edge rusher Austin Booker and a powerful defensive end in Dayo Odeyingbo. The latter has the versatility to kick inside and should give Cincinnati some crisply-executed stunts to pass off.
It'd be nice if Brown could put some concerns about his play to bed by putting on a stellar performance. If he can't hack it this year, it's not like the Bengals have a bunch of world beaters waiting in the wings to fill in.
Swing tackle is a notorious weakness on this otherwise stacked roster. Getting passable starter-level play from Brown and keeping Amarius Mims on the field is of paramount importance for this offense.
If you ask me, Cincinnati should invest in another tackle once the final roster cuts go down. Barring a drastic reversal in Brown's form, the Bengals are playing with fire at a premium position that's especially critical to keeping the oft-injured Burrow upright.
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