Key Bengals Position Groups Ranked Among NFL's Worst Ahead of 2026 Season

ESPN's Mike Clay dove into the positional units for all 32 teams last week, and Cincinnati ranged all over the place across the 10 total units.

They earned the top wide receiver group as their highest mark, along with Joe Burrow and the quarterback room at No. 5, while the tight end room was the lowest-ranked unit at 31st, along with the linebackers at No. 29 and offensive line at No. 30.

High And Low

Dec 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras (64) and guard Dylan Fairchild (63) and offensive tackle Orlando Brown (75) line up for a play during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Here are the full final rankings: QB (fifth), RB (18th), WR (first), TE (31st), O-Line (30th), Interior D-Line (sixth), Edge (26th), LB (29th), CB (12th), Safety (19th).

All in all, Cincinnati ranked 12th in total roster build.

Clay highlighted his process to start the piece.

"You would be surprised by what you can learn sitting down and objectively grading and/or ranking each positional unit of all 32 teams," Clay explained. "This is a project I've done each offseason, which has led to many interesting revelations, including the likely breakouts of teams such as the 2020 Buccaneers, 2022 Eagles, and 2023 Dolphins.

"Here are position-by-position unit rankings for all 32 teams this season, covering the 10 key offensive and defensive groups. At the bottom, I've included an overall ranking weighted based on positional importance (for example, it's more crucial to be elite at quarterback than at running back). I also gave brief outlooks on the best and shakiest units at each position, as well as intriguing groups worth keeping an eye on. Note that these are 2026 rankings rather than long-term outlooks."

Cincinnati has the clear No. 1 wide receiver group in the league ahead of another season where the passing attack will likely power winning ways for the Bengals.

"There were a few strong candidates here, but none can match Cincinnati's duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins," Clay wrote. "In 2024, Chase became the first player in league history to reach 1,700 receiving yards and 17 TD catches in a single 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 WR2, and he has the fourth-most TD catches in the league over the past two seasons (21). Andrei Iosivas is a capable No. 3 option; fourth-round rookie Colbie Young is already making a play for a Year 1 role."

Cincinnati can easily vault up some of those low rankings if the players with potential hit their marks in 2026.

The offensive line played much better down the stretch of the 2025 season and will be way better than 29th if that continues, plus the tight end position is deeper than it ever has been this decade.

If Erick All stays healthy, that will be far from a bottom-three unit and offer the Bengals some scheme diversity it hasn't tapped into very much this decade. More 12 and 13 personnel looks are crucial for Cincinnati to throw defenses off their axis consistently and try to hit that 30-plus point-per-game average mark.

It's been done in the NFL by at least one team in every season since Kansas City topped out at 29.2 PPG in 2022.

Check out the full rankings here.

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