Much has been made of how the Cincinnati Bengals' medley of new additions to the roster have brought a different vibe and leadership to the locker room. However, we shouldn't downplay the incumbent veterans who still provide that critical intangible in spades.
Yes, Dexter Lawrence as the new anchor of the defensive line, and Bryan Cook holding it down at safety will both be a big help. We just can't short-change a few players in particular from last year's team.
Is it possible for an elite quarterback like Joe Burrow to have a mentor — or two? Yes. The same goes for an elite cornerback in DJ Turner. We'll start there.
Jalen Davis has quietly been instrumental to DJ Turner's development (and stabilizing the secondary)
After years of toiling away in obscurity on the practice squad and occasional special teams duty, Jalen Davis got the call last year to start at nickelback. Dax Hill flexed back out to the boundary, where he's easily best suited to play, and now Dax and DJ Turner enter the 2026 campaign as one of the NFL's premier perimeter cornerback tandems.
Apparently, much of that is thanks to Davis.
This past December, a telling quote from cornerbacks coach Charles Burks emerged about how well Davis has mentored Turner and other Cincinnati players behind the scenes, via Bengals beat reporter Charlie Goldsmith:
"Jalen may not talk a lot, but being the veteran in the group, he really does bring those guys together. They really look up to him. He has really helped DJ Turner is a lot of ways."
It should be noted, too, that Dax Hill was looking like a bust of a first-round pick for a while. He bounced from safety to boundary cornerback before tearing his ACL in 2024. Then, the Bengals started him in the slot last season, only to pivot him back to the outside.
If Davis had as much of an impact on Turner as Burks claims, it stands to reason he helped Hill's rocky transition across the defensive backfield.
Also, let's not dismiss what Davis can do on his own merits. He's stuck around Cincinnati since 2020 for a reason. He waited out a chance to start at nickel for years whilst watching Mike Hilton thrive in front of him. Now, Davis will enter Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the unquestioned starter. It's a great story.
Joe Flacco is the ultimate backup QB Joe Burrow has always needed
After some dazzling perforamnces last season in relief of an injured Joe Burrow, it stood to reason that Joe Fglacco would get some looks as a starter in free agency. Well, those opportunities weren't appealing enough to pull him away from Cincinati.
It can't be emphasized enough how much fun Flacco made the 2025 season once the Browns traded him to Cincy out of nowhere. If the defense could stop a nosebleed, and if he hadn't sprained the AC joint in his throwing shoulder, Flacco would've led the Bengals to the postseason sans Burrow.
Instead, Flacco is back as the QB2, and is arguably the best backup at the position in the sport. He's one of the most unique personalities in the sport, and you'd never know that during his lengthy tenure as the Ravens' franchise QB and Super Bowl MVP.
Flacco knows what it takes to go all the way. His sage wisdom is a major asset for the already whip-smart Burrow in the Bengals' QB room. If he ever needs to step in, Flacco showed in '25 he still has plenty of game to get it done.
But really, with Burrow handling the weight of being the face of the franchise, who better for Bengals players to consult with if they have a question about anything than Flacco? Doesn't hurt that he seems like a fun hang, knows anything and everything there is to know about ball, and should give the first-team defense plenty of quality looks in practice as the season hums along.
Quarterbacks are great leaders by nature. Flacco is no exception. He can help steer Burrow as a de facto assistant coach, and perhaps be the difference between winning and losing the Lombardi Trophy.
Captain Ted Karras keeps trucking along as the tone-setter on oft-maligned Bengals offensive line
The man responsible for snapping Joe Burrow the ball is wily veteran center Ted Karras. He's about as rugged and tough as centers come.
No surprise that Karras wasn't fazed that the Bengals selected not one, but two potential successors in Connor Lew and Brian Parker II in the 2026 NFL Draft. Karras is in the last year of his contract, and the 21-year-old Lew is next in line.
As the Bengals transition to a new-look, more under center offense, it sure helps to have someone like Karras at the epicenter in the trenches. He can keep everyone else on task, and take even a little bit of responsibility on Burrow's plate at times. Or at least not have Joey B worrying about simple, fundamental procedures in running what should be a high-octane offense.
Beyond his high football IQ and on-field excellence, Karras really is an emotional leader. You see the quote about Jalen Davis from before. Not very vocal. Burrow is getting better but admits that's not his typical approach. The same goes for Flacco.
Karras is a necessary shot in the arm, or loud voice in the room, who can shoulder some of that burden. And whether this is the last ride for him as a Bengal in 2026 or not, he is the glue that holds the offensive line together. He was pivotal in their rise from a terrible run blocking unit last year to one of the better ones in the NFL through the end of the season.
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