The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off one of the league's most disappointing seasons, posting a 9-8 record and missing the playoffs. A bottom-10 defense that gave up 25.5 points per game was central to the Bengals' shortcomings. Unfortunately, the Bengals seem to be doubling down on offense and ignoring defense; they recently signed tight end Noah Fant and are working out veteran guard Dalton Risner.
The #Bengals have quietly been active in the free agent market, recently adding TE Noah Fant and flirting with the OL market.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 18, 2025
Risner would bring a ton of experience. He just turned 30 years old. https://t.co/YOpmVadY1C
Sure, offensive line is a relative weakness for this offense, so bringing Risner could be beneficial. However, defense should be the priority for the Bengals, and they didn't do a great job of addressing it throughout the offseason. To make matters worse, the Bengals' best defensive player, Trey Hendrickson, is on the trade block after a contract dispute.
Given Hendrickson's incredible impact and the Bengals' poor defense, they should have just extended him, even if the value isn't perfect. However, now the Bengals feel primed to lose an elite edge rusher and will once again have a subpar defense, which could set up another disappointing season.
The Bengals' offseason upgrades might not be enough
The Bengals signed three defensive players, with Oren Burks and T.J. Slaton being projected starters. While Burks is a solid linebacker, Slaton wouldn't be a starting defensive tackle on most teams. Notably, Slaton posted a 43 PFF grade last season.
Cincinnati drafted Shemar Stewart in the first-round and Demetrius Knight in the second-round to bolster their front seven. However, it's unclear how impactful these rookies will be, and the Bengals opted to draft offensive players with three of their four remaining picks. Stewart even began his career by holding out, nice start.
The Bengals also lost Sam Hubbard to retirement and Germaine Pratt to the Las Vegas Raiders. Losing two starters as an already weak defense is less than ideal. Perhaps the worst part of the Bengals' offseason is that they didn't upgrade a secondary that gave up over 4,000 yards last season.
It doesn't matter how good the Bengals' offense is when the defense is this bad
Undoubtedly, with Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown, the Bengals have one of the league's most talented offenses. However, as we saw last year, this doesn't matter if you have a bottom-10 defense. The Bengals didn't improve their defense enough and will still likely be below average on this side of the ball.
With Hendrickson seemingly on the way out, the Bengals' defense could even take a step back. Overall, the Bengals are running it back with a flawed roster construction and feel poised for another disappointing season. If the Bengals don't adjust their philosophy, they could very well be wasting Burrow's prime.