There’s always a college player to scout or a would-be free-agent to recruit, and in that sense roster building is a never-ending process in the NFL. But as things stood for the Cincinnati Bengals after they’d exhausted their 2026 NFL Draft picks, there was a sense the team was in a strong position relative to where it was when it walked off the field for the final time in January’s season finale.
The Bengals didn’t address all their needs. Head coach Zac Taylor conceded that April 25 while discussing the team not taking a linebacker in the draft. And in acknowledgement of the perpetual nature of roster building, the next phase of the roster build begins immediately after the draft as clubs pursue undrafted free-agents. Still, a lot has changed for Cincinnati, and on the defensive side of the ball in particular.
“I really couldn’t be happier. From a talent standpoint, we’re in a really good place. From a leadership standpoint, we’re in a really good place,” Taylor said. “Now, you have to actually go do the work. It’s fun to talk about this stuff in the offseason. This is where we are up to this point. There’s no work we could have really done on the field or anything like that, or from a chemistry standpoint. Now, it’s up to the players and coaches to put it all together. That’s going to require a lot of work on the field, in the locker room, off the field, but I’m excited about the group that we’re going to go do it with. Players, coaches, personnel, ownership (are) very united right now, so now it’s just we have to go do the work.
“Coaches have to do a great job putting these guys in the right spots, getting the most out of them. And the players gotta go to work, and they’ve got to work to build chemistry with a lot of new players we brought in, bringing the rookies up to speed and go get it done on the field. I’m confident that this is a group that’s really hungry to do that.”
Here’s a look at the Bengals’ offseason up to this point:
Bengals key offseason acquisitions | Free agency and 2026 NFL Draft
What the Bengals gained defensively | ‘Waves of rushers,’ younger talent
After Night 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden was asked to summarize the team’s offseason personnel work up to that point. Golden cautioned that there was still a lot of work to be done on the final day of the draft, but said the thing that stood out to him was the “waves of rushers” he now had at his disposal.
Trey Hendrickson was the tip of the proverbial spear when it came to the Bengals’ pass rush in recent years. When he was lost to injury in 2025, Cincinnati lacked for a consistently effective pass rush. Myles Murphy led the team in sacks with just 5.5, and Hendrickson only played seven games but his four sacks tied B.J. Hill for third-most in 2025.
Hendrickson is gone. So is Joseph Ossai, who had the second-most sacks in 2025 (five), but with Lawrence, Allen, Mafe and Howell in the fold, plus a healthy Shemar Stewart and Hill, and taking Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell in round 2 and Navy tackle Landon Robinson with their final draft pick, Bengals personnel decisions makers said they feel like they’re very deep in terms of pass rushers.
Substituting won’t degrade the team’s ability to harass opposition quarterbacks. Rather, the team can potentially keep a stronger pass rush coming on every snap.
Many of the aforementioned names should help bolster the run defense, too.
In pass defense, the Bengals liked Tacario Davis at the No. 72 pick as a young, physically gifted addition to a cornerback room that’s already anchored by D.J. Turner II and Dax Hill. It sounded like Golden and Assistant GM Trey Brown both agreed Davis wouldn’t necessarily be thrust into a major role immediately, although Golden noted he was talented enough to be in the mix for the No. 3 corner job right away.
“The first (difference) that would come to mind is just waves of rushers,” Golden said. “I think this time last year we were drafting starters everywhere, and now we’re drafting guys that can be mentored and integrated, and not just Day 1, ‘have to be the guy’ at every position.”
Positional depth on the offensive side for Bengals
The back end of the 2026 NFL Draft should allow the Bengals to increase the amount of meaningful competition around the offense.
The team took two offensive lineman, including Auburn’s Connor Lew (fourth round, No. 128 overall) and St. Xavier High School and Duke product Brian Parker II (sixth round, No. 189), who could potentially play at any position along the line.
Cincinnati’s offensive line grew into an effective one in 2025, and the return of free-agent Dalton Risner was praised because it kept the starters from the unit together. Quarterback Joe Burrow hasn’t always enjoyed consistently effective offensive lines and has one now. And while that group also varies in terms of the age of its key players, development for Lew and Parker could see them aid in the eventual transition away from the older members of the unit.
Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young (fourth round, No. 140) and Texas tight end Jack Endries (seventh round, No. 221) provide depth at skill positions.
The Bengals’ prolific offense didn’t need a makeover this offseason, but competition is a “must” at all times.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: These are the big themes of the Bengals offseason player additions
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
