The 2026 NFL offseason has entered its quieter phase: OTAs and minicamps are complete, players and coaches are scattered for summer breaks and training camps are about a month away, according to ESPN. Outside of the supplemental draft and a few headlines, the league has been largely idle while teams prepare for the fall.
ESPN notes Cincinnati arrives at camp amid mounting questions. The Bengals missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season and posted their first losing record since Joe Burrow’s rookie year in 2020. Over the 2023-25 span, Cincinnati ranked 10th in the NFL in offensive EPA but 29th in defensive EPA, a split that helps explain the club’s decline from its 2021-22 peaks, ESPN says.
The offense returns all 11 starters from last season, but the front office made notable defensive additions in an effort to reverse the slide. Cincinnati traded the 10th overall draft pick to the Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, signed edge rusher Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook in free agency, and selected edge rusher Cashius Howell and cornerback Tacario Davis in the second and third rounds, respectively, according to ESPN. Al Golden begins his second season as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Other contextual factors bolster expectations, per ESPN. The Bengals were the only AFC North club not to change head coaches this offseason, and Cincinnati’s schedule is projected as one of the three or four easiest in the league. Those elements, combined with the roster moves, create a window for the team to reassert itself in the division and conference.
ESPN’s assessment is that declaring this a make-or-break season is not an overreaction. The analysis emphasizes that Burrow’s health remains central to Cincinnati’s outlook, that the franchise has invested heavily to keep the offense intact and that front-office resources were stretched this offseason to address defensive shortcomings. If the revamped defense fails to deliver and the Bengals miss the playoffs again, ESPN warned, Zac Taylor’s eighth season could carry significant consequences for the staff and roster.
