The Cincinnati Bengals had one of the worst defenses in football last year. To fix this, they spent the off-season bringing in a lot of new talent. They signed veterans like Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, Jonathan Allen, Ja'Sir Taylor, and Kyle Dugger. The biggest move, however, was trading for star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants.

The team didn't stop there. They also used the NFL Draft to add young players like Cashius Howell and Tacario Davis to help turn things around after a tough season. Even with all these new players, not everyone is convinced the team is fixed. A recent report by Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport gave the team a very low score, placing them at #28 out of 32.

"Cincinnati's new-look defensive line is by no means a sure thing. And if that line isn't markedly better in 2026, a shaky linebacker corps and a secondary that allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game a year ago is going to be exposed—again."

At the end of the day, looking good on paper doesn't matter as much as playing well on the field. Fans won't truly know how good this new group is until training camp begins. Because of that, these early rankings could definitely change once the season starts.

Why Is The B/R Ranking The Bengals At 28th Position 

The analysts of B/R aren't sure if the new big names in the team are as good a performer on the field as they used to be. While the team spent a lot of money and traded away a top draft pick to get stars like Dexter Lawrence (traded for the 10th pick) and Boye Mafe, both players had a rough time last year. 

As Davenport wrote, “The Bengals made a concerted effort to change that in 2026, especially along the defensive front. Boye Mafe got $20 million a season to replace Trey Hendrickson on the edge.”

The finances here are risky. What makes the move a bit worrisome is that Mafe saw his playing time cut in Seattle. His starts and total snaps have decreased every year since his 2023 peak.

On the other hand, Lawrence is coming off the worst season of his career. Because of this, some experts are worried the Bengals paid a star price for players who might have passed their prime performing phase.

While the opinions are divided on them being ranked 28th, there will be changes if the Bengals' defense shows improved performance. For now, it's a waiting game.

Do you think the new Bengals defense can do better this season?

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Written by

Aaindri Thakuri

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi