Bengals Receive Head-Scratching Defensive Ranking After Successful Offseason

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart (97) celebrates a sack in the third quarter of the NFL Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals at Paycor Stadium in Downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. The Bengals won 37-14. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bengals Receive Head-Scratching Defensive Ranking After Successful Offseason

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated May 1, 2026 4:19 PM ET

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The Cincinnati Bengals have had one of the worst defenses in the league for the last few seasons, so they made a big effort to improve that unit this offseason.

In free agency, they signed players like Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, Jonathan Allen, Ja'Sir Taylor, and Kyle Dugger to help bolster the unit. Dexter Lawrence was the biggest addition, added in a trade with the New York Giants. In the NFL draft, they brought in players like Cashius Howell and Tacario Davis to help improve from a horrendous season last year.

Despite these additions, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport ranked the Bengals defense as the 28th best unit in the league heading into training camp.

Bengals Defense Ranked Near Bottom Of NFL

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"The Bengals made a concerted effort to change that in 2026—especially along the defensive front. Boye Mafe got $20 million a season to replace Trey Hendrickson on the edge," Davenport wrote. "Cincinnati sent the 10th overall pick to New York for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Veteran tackle Jonathan Allen was signed, and Texas A&M edge-rusher Cashius Howell came to the Queen City via a second-rounder.

"But Mafe had just two sacks last year in Seattle and saw his snaps scaled back. Lawrence is coming off arguably the worst season of his career. Allen is past his prime. Howell fell to Day 2 due to concerns about his arm length. In other words, Cincinnati's new-look defensive line is by no means a sure thing. And if that line isn't markedly better in 2026, a shaky linebacker corps and a secondary that allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game a year ago is going to be exposed—again."

Davenport points out the flaws in each of the top players the Bengals added. Lawrence is coming off the worst year of his career, but he's still an impact player. Howell has short arms, but a very high motor. Mafe didn't record very many sacks, but he won at the line of scrimmage.

This defense could come together and flop, but it deserves a higher ranking than No. 28 in the NFL.

Bengals Defense Is Better Than That Ranking

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The defense isn't going to be the best unit in the NFL. That's not up for debate. But it's hard to argue that it's at the same level it was last season. At the very least, the Bengals won't be the worst run defense in the NFL again. Even if the linebacker room keeps struggling, the additions of Lawrence, Allen, Mafe, and Howell will help improve the run defense.

On paper, this defense is better than last year's. It likely belongs ranked between No. 15 and No. 20 in the NFL. Obviously, the game isn't played on paper, it's played on a field, so a ranking like this could quickly change when training camp and the regular season start.

This article first appeared on Cincinnati Bengals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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