Bengals Ranked Near Bottom of League in 2 Surprising Categories by NFL Analyst

Both position groups appear to be light years ahead of last year

Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97) unwraps his fingers during practice on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Kettering Health Practice Fields in downtown Cincinnati. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

NFL analyst Warren Sharp raised the eyebrows – and the ire – of Cincinnati Bengals when he slotted the team’s offensive line 28th in his annual positional rankings.

The rankings are one of many metrics Sharp includes in his 619-page annual Football Preview.

Asked why he ranked the Bengals so low despite their noticeable improvement in the second half of 2025 and the fact that they are returning all five starters, Sharp rattled off a number of reasons in a reply on X.

“Bengals ranked #28 in pass block win rate last year,” he tweeted. “Allowed #3 most pressure, #2 most non-blitz pressure, #7 shortest time-to-sack. RB runs in primary OL combo (Brown-Fairchild-Karras-Risner-Mims): 3.9 YPC, -0.09 EPA/rush, 12.8% stuff rate, 1.29 YBC/att, which rank (respectively): #26, #25, #4, #14.

“I think they can play better than this in 2026, but just rolling back 2025 would result in another bottom-10 result.”

My 2026 NFL Preview is FINALLY here!

Life since March has been writing this 619-page book:https://t.co/GHpmZS1XUU

Everything I learned last season

Everything I predict will happen in 2026

32 teams in 619 full color pages!

I KNOW you'll love it, please check it out! pic.twitter.com/wfms5uLkUf

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 23, 2026

Sharp also isn’t high on the additions the Bengals made on the defensive line this offseason, including the stunning trade for Dexter Lawrence.

In the front 7 rankings, which includes linebackers, of course, Sharp has the Bengals sitting 26th.

He also has them in the bottom 10 of his head coach rankings, which Zac Taylor coming in at No. 24, and secondary rankings, with the Bengals at No. 23.

Sharp has the Bengals at No. 3 in quarterback rankings, behind the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.

The presence of Joe Flacco as the backup boosted the ranking as Sharp has Joe Burrow ranked as the No. 5 fantasy quarterback behind Josh Allen, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and Jackson.

Sharp put the wide receiver room at No. 4, behind the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.

Among fantasy receivers, Sharp put Ja’Marr Chase second behind Puka Nacua and Tee Higgins 16th.

At running back, Sharp has the Bengals near the middle at No. 17, although he has Chase Brown ranked No. 9 among fantasy backs.

If you’re thinking about purchasing his in-depth preview, here are some of the sections included in the table of contents:

Strength of Schedule analysis

Most and Least Valuable Draft Classes of 2026

Teams Helped and Hurt by NFL Schedule (a deep dive into rest discrepancies)

Efficiency Tables

Reasons for Incompletions

NFL Win Total History Since 2000

Fantasy Football Projections

Fantasy Rankings

Full Chapters on Each of the 32 Teams

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