Bengals Need Major Improvement at One Key Position to Become Super Bowl Contenders

The Bengals added a lot on defense, but their linebacker room is still a major question mark.

Dec 21, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. (44) enter the field before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Bengals have had one of the worst defenses in the league for the last few years, but they took this offseason to improve that unit in the best way possible.

They added Dexter Lawrence, Landon Robinson, and Jonathan Allen to the interior of their defensive line. They added edge rushers like Boye Mafe and Cashius Howell to help generate a better pass rush. In the secondary, they added Bryan Cook at safety and a few other players for depth.

They didn't touch the linebacker room, opting to stick with young linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter. They don't have much talent beyond this duo.

ESPN's Ben Solak recently suggested the Bengals' young linebackers could take a step forward this season because of the improvement around the rest of the unit.

Bengals Linebackers Need To Take A Step Forward This Season

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. (44) forces Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) out of bounds in the first quarter of the NFL football game between Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Nov. 2, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"It's tough to generate rosy projections from the film alone. Knight and Carter looked like rookies last year. Carter is fooled all too easily by backfield action, jumping at shadows on one play and freezing in place on the next," Solak wrote. "Knight was seeing it quicker and cleaner by the end of the season, but his lack of flexibility and agility in space forced him to take on contact at bad angles. It's not hard to foresee the missed tackle issues continuing into next season.

"But it was also the first year in Al Golden's defense. Linebacker is a position that tends to have a steep learning curve. The safety play should be better, which will alleviate stress on the linebackers in coverage, and the defensive line play should be better, which will clear up the picture for the rookies. The table has been set for them to rise to the challenge. It's hard to see the Bengals' defense taking a leap if someone in this linebacker unit doesn't take it individually."

The Bengals linebackers weren't great last season. They were often out of position and didn't fill their roles like Al Golden would have liked them to.

The rookie linebackers didn't have much support from the defensive line or the secondary. Their defensive line hardly slowed ballcarriers down before they got to the linebackers. This made life much harder on Knight and Carter.

With Lawrence and Allen up front, the linebackers should have a lot more support. The addition of a secure tackler like Cook at safety will help the linebackers quite a bit.

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