Bengals Roster Ranked Among Middle of NFL After 2026 Spending Spree

ESPN's NFL team ranked all 32 NFL rosters from best to worst this week, and Cincinnati checked into the middle of the pack in the exercise. Despite all the additions this offseason on defense and basically full continuity on offense, Cincinnati still checked in at No. 15 overall among all 32 teams.

The team has some salary cap space to maybe add one veteran in the linebacker room, but the additions are largely complete this offseason.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow throws a short pass. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It's not hard to land on their biggest strength entering the season: the wide receiver position.

"I could've gone quarterback here, but not many teams can match Cincinnati's elite Ja'Marr Chase/Tee Higgins duo," Mike Clay wrote. "Chase continues to dominate. In 2024, he became the first player in league history to reach at least 1,700 receiving yards and 17 TD catches in a season. Last season, he became the third receiver to produce 120-plus catches and 1,400-plus yards in multiple campaigns. Higgins is arguably the league's best No. 2 receiver and sits fourth in the league with 21 TD catches over the past two seasons."

The team's biggest weakness may be even more obvious. They had the worst linebacker play in the NFL last season, and that's what ESPN dialed into.

Things should be much better this fall with both Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter entering Year 2, while they will have a much stronger defensive front to aid them after that front-line posted the worst rushing stop rate of any defensive line since 2021 last season.

"Despite finishing last in pass rush win rate (28.8%) and tackles for loss (56) last season, the Bengals will run it back with a linebacker corps that includes second-year players Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr., along with veteran Oren Burks. All three struggled badly in 2025, ranking 83rd, 85th and 88th, respectively, in PFF grade among 88 qualified LBs. Cincinnati hopes Carter and Knight make a big leap in their second pro seasons," Clay noted.

Cincinnati had the second-ranked roster in the AFC North behind the Baltimore Ravens at No. 5.

Offensively, the team has zero new projected starters, and nearly every major coach is coming back to continue teaching that unit. The slow starts from years past should be jettisoned this fall if the whole team can stay healthy.

They face arguably the easiest schedule in the NFL (easiest on ESPN's Football Power Index) and should be on the betting line in three of the first four games. It's time to take control of the division early for the first time in years, and Cincinnati is set up to do it.

Check out the full roster ranking here.

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