Cincinnati Bengals

With just $3.3M in dead money ranking 29th leaguewide and committed spending declining sharply after this season, the Bengals have a cap structure built to sustain a championship push.

23 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Four starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Seven picks in the upcoming draft, all in the first round, give this franchise a rare opportunity to overhaul multiple position groups in a single offseason.

The roster's top strength is a generational wide receiver and quarterback pairing at the skill positions, while the interior offensive line and linebacker corps represent the clearest weaknesses on the depth chart.

• LEDGEhigh

  Cashius Howell starts at left defensive end but the position ranks 31st in starter quality and 20th in depth, making an upgrade the top defensive priority.

• LGhigh

  Dylan Fairchild holds the left guard spot at just 71 overall, ranking 29th among starting guards leaguewide, and the depth behind him is thin.

• MIKEhigh

  Barrett Carter starts at middle linebacker but ranks last among all 32 starters at the position, and the overall depth ranks 25th, making this the most urgent defensive interior need.

• RGhigh

  Dalton Risner starts at right guard but ranks 25th among starters and the depth ranks 27th of 28, leaving the right side of the line exposed at every level.

• LTmedium

  Orlando Brown Jr holds the left tackle spot at 76 overall, but the starter ranks 25th leaguewide and succession planning is warranted given where he is in his career.

• WILLmedium

  Demetrius Knight Jr starts at weakside linebacker at just 73 overall, ranking 26th among starters and 16th in depth, and the position needs a talent upgrade.

• REDGElow

  Boye Mafe handles the right defensive end spot at 78 overall and the depth ranks 4th leaguewide, making this one of the few spots on the roster with real quality behind the starter.

• SSlow

  Jordan Battle starts at strong safety at 77 overall and the starter ranks 23rd, so adding a higher-caliber option opposite Bryan Cook should be on the mid-term agenda.

• TElow

  Mike Gesicki starts at tight end at 78 overall but the position ranks 22nd among starters and dead last in depth at 26th, making this a quiet but real roster concern.

• 70T.J. Slaton JrDTT.J. Slaton Jr ranks third on the DT depth chart behind two superior options and cutting him frees $5.7M against $3.4M in dead money, a reasonable trade given the cap needs elsewhere.Frees $5.7M · $3.4M dead
• 68Drew SampleTEDrew Sample sits third on the tight end depth chart at 68 overall and releasing him frees $2.5M while leaving only $300K in dead money, making it an efficient way to clear space.Frees $2.5M · $300.0K dead
• 66Jalen DavisCBJalen Davis is the fifth cornerback on the roster at 66 overall and cutting him recovers $1.3M against a negligible $180K dead-money charge.Frees $1.3M · $180.0K dead
• 73Joe FlaccoQBJoe Flacco is the backup quarterback at 73 overall and releasing him frees $1.3M, though it leaves $2.0M in dead money, so the math only works if the savings are redeployed to a higher-priority need.Frees $1.3M · $2.0M dead
• 64Swayze BozemanMIKESwayze Bozeman starts nowhere on the depth chart at 64 overall and releasing him frees $1.1M with zero dead-money consequence, making this the cleanest cut available.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead

The Bengals enter this franchise window with one of the most enviable offensive backbones in the game, built around Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, who together give the team a ceiling most franchises can only aspire to. Tee Higgins and Chase Brown add complementary weapons that make the offense difficult to scheme against. The defensive interior is a genuine strength with Dexter Lawrence II and Jonathan Allen, though Allen is entering the later stage of his career and a succession plan at DT will matter in the medium term. The offensive line is the team's clearest vulnerability, with below-average starters at left guard, right guard, left tackle, and a left defensive end group that ranks near the bottom of the league. The linebacker corps is similarly thin, with the middle linebacker spot ranking last in the NFL in starter quality. With seven draft picks in the upcoming class and three first-rounders over the next three years, the Bengals have the resources to rebuild the trenches without sacrificing the championship window that Burrow and Chase demand. Cap room is workable at this stage, and cutting a few low-value veterans can create additional flexibility to bring in reinforcements.

The Bengals were founded in 1968 by legendary coach Paul Brown, who had been fired by the Cleveland Browns in 1963. Brown's ownership group received AFL approval on May 23, 1967, the team began play in 1968, and joined the NFL in the 1970 merger. Brown chose the same shade of orange as Cleveland and named the team 'Bengals' to link it to earlier Cincinnati pro teams of the 1930s-40s. The franchise's golden era came in the 1980s: after adopting the iconic orange tiger-striped helmets in 1981, the Bengals, led by QB Ken Anderson (1981 NFL MVP), reached Super Bowl XVI, losing 26-21 to the 49ers. Under QB Boomer Esiason (1988 NFL MVP) and coach Sam Wyche, they returned to Super Bowl XXIII after 1988, losing 20-16 to the 49ers on a late Joe Montana-to-John Taylor touchdown. After a 1990 playoff appearance, the team collapsed into 14 consecutive non-winning seasons, earning the nickname 'The Bungles.' A 2-14 finish in 2002 led to the hiring of Marvin Lewis in 2003, who restored respectability but never won a playoff game across 16 seasons. The drafting of Joe Burrow first overall in 2020 transformed the franchise: in 2021 the Bengals won their first playoff game since 1990 and reached Super Bowl LVI, losing 23-20 to the Los Angeles Rams. They returned to the AFC Championship Game in 2022 but missed the playoffs in 2023, 2024, and 2025.