This offseason could be a turning point for the Cincinnati Bengals franchise. If you’re annoyed by the constant “Joe Burrow wants out of Cincinnati” blog posts and Tweets from the most clueless among us, imagine how much worse it’ll get if the Bengals don’t nail this offseason. With the salary cap about to jump to north of $300 million, the Bengals have PLENTY of room to play. According to OverTheCap, with the most recent projected cap jump, the Bengals have just shy of $55 million in cap space to work with. Before anything happens, that’s good for the seventh-most space.
It’s been far too long since the Bengals have been in the playoffs. With Burrow at quarterback, getting to the playoffs is the minimum, even if he misses time due to freak injuries. The obvious issues are there. The defense is a mess, so getting the Bengals back to just a somewhat decent level has to be a priority.
To start, let’s play with Paul Dehner Jr.’s mock offseason sheet. The The Athletic writer gives us an Excel spreadsheet with each position able to be filled out, some cap casualty options, and draft options. In this practice, we chose to restructure Burrow’s contract, thus freeing up $12 million. Of course, of all of these moves, that is the most unrealistic; the Bengals have never done a restructure, as they don’t like pushing the burden onto future teams. His sheet has the Bengals playing with $35 million, so even if the team doesn’t restructure, there is plenty of room.
2026 Bengals Mock Offseason: Let’s Fix This Team
Cap Casualties
There are a few players who could be let go in order to save a few million. For this exercise, let’s cut Cody Ford (add $2.9 million), Oren Burks (+$2.3 million), TJ Slaton (+$6.4 million), and Drew Sample (+$2.9 million). That does tip our hand a bit for what’s to come, but realistically, the Bengals need to upgrade at a number of spots and can do so for cheap. Ford is a swing tackle who is a massive downgrade from either starter. Sure, he’s a benchwarmer (and had an awesome moment, nearly running for a touchdown), but the Bengals can find a swing tackle in the draft. Burks and Slaton are expensive for what the team got out of them. Sample is another unlikely cut, but if the Bengals can find a blocking-first tight end in the draft (preferably not in the second round as they did with Sample…), it would be an upgrade.
Fix the Defense
The Bengals have fielded the worst defense in the NFL over the last two seasons. It seems that firing Lou Anarumo didn’t magically infuse the team with talent. This year’s crop of free agents is ripe with talent, so let’s try to upgrade as many positions as we can.
To start, let’s extend both D.J. Turner and Dax Hill. The corner position is set for 2026 and beyond with those two moves alone. Turner had a breakout season in 2026, and Hill finally looks comfortable as the CB2.
Let’s start up front. You can’t have too many pass rushers, so adding Arnold Ebiketie and K’Lavon Chaisson for less than the top free agents (and the same as Joey Bosa) is a win. Myles Murphy has started to look like a viable EDGE, but Shemar Stewart has not. Of course, this gives them plenty of flexibility to kick Stewart inside on obvious passing downs. On the interior, you have to replace Slaton, so go get D.J. Reeder back. Pairing him up with Lee Hunter would shore up the rushing defense overnight.
Linebacker was a massive concern last year. The Bengals had to play two rookies because none of the veterans at the position stepped up, and it showed. While Knight and Carter showed some promise, you have to improve the room. While getting Devin Lloyd would be fantastic, let’s get Lavonte David (and maybe draft a guy like Red Murdock on Day 3?).
In the secondary, with the two extensions, bring back Jalen Davis. He showed he deserves a shot, and he and Josh Newton can be the CB3s, with a cheap veteran to round it out. Now, let’s have fun. Caleb Downs manages to fall to 10 due to positional value. Pair him up with Jaquan Brisker. The Bengals have scrambled to replace the Jessie Bates-Von Bell tandem for years. This would fix the back-end. Jordan Battle is still there and would be a fine third safety with Daijahn Anthony rounding out the room.
Add to the Offense
The Burrow-led offense has a ceiling of “best in the NFL,” but there are still a few holes. Who can step up if Tee Higgins or Ja’Marr Chase misses time? Is Chase Brown the future at running back? Who will be the starting right guard?
Burrow is QB1. Joe Flacco is currently a free agent, so what if he wants to start somewhere? Go get Jimmy Garoppolo. We flip-flopped on the Brown extension, but for this, let’s say no. He’s outplayed his fifth-round draft capital, so that probably emboldens the front office to think they can do it again. Let’s keep Samaje Perine around so that Tahj Brooks (or another late-round pick) can learn behind him for another year.
Chase. Higgins. Then what? Nobody has stepped up, even if Burrow trusts Andrei Iosivas. Why not add a dynamic playmaker in the draft? Tight end is weird with Erick All still rehabbing from his ACL tear, but with Sample being let go, we will draft a replacement.
On the offensive line, roles are pretty defined for the first time in what feels like a decade. Orlando Brown, Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, and Amarius Mims are set. Go get Dalton Risner back. Then, add a swing tackle in the draft and sign Dillon Radunz for interior depth because you never know what happens with injuries.
Overall, the offense is mostly set, but it can be improved upon.
Nail the Draft
The Bengals love to go into the draft with obvious needs. As a result, they reach and get guys like Cedric Ogbuehi, Billy Price, Shemar Stewart, etc. In this exercise, the Bengals manage to complete a tag-and-trade with Trey Hendrickson to net a third-round pick.
So, this is about as best-case scenario as can be. The Bengals can get four instant-impact and one depth piece in this sort of mock.
Downs is a wild card because he could go third overall just as easily as he could go 15th because of positional value. Hunter has been hot on everyone’s boards, so we will have to see if he’s even there. Branch has a track record of being a dynamic receiver, plus he can add to the special teams. Raridon is Sample, just younger.
Of course, this is just assuming the Bengals stick at 10. If Downs, Reuben Bain Jr., David Bailey, and Arvell Reese are all gone, trading back should be the move, especially if the Bengals are active in free agency. That way, they can stock up on talent.
Super Bowl or Bust?
Would this make the Bengals a Super Bowl contender? It’s likely, but the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league, and the Bengals, led by Taylor, haven’t done much to warrant that hype.
With Burrow, all things are possible…except overcoming a historically bad defense.
This is a pivotal offseason, just as the last few have been.
At the end of it all, the Bengals end up with $2.5 million in cap space…plus the $20ish million from the new cap. This exercise just goes to show that fixing the Bengals is absolutely doable. Sure, other teams are also trying to sign these free agents, but it’s possible.
We know the Bengals won’t use every last bit of the cap, but if they go into the season with more than, say, $15 million in space, it would have been a missed opportunity.
The Bengals have an opportunity to get back to where they think they should be. It will be up to the front office to step up to the moment.