It was not too long ago that the Cincinnati Bengals were right up top in the AFC pecking order. In 2021 and 2022, they got as close as you can get to winning a Super Bowl without actually winning it. There was the 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI at the end of the 2021 season and the 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2022 AFC Championship game.
Of course, after those two 23-20 games in a span of less than a year, things started to come apart. Joe Burrow's health became more of a concern in 2023 and 2025, and when Burrow played at a thermonuclear level in 2024, he did so with a Lou Anarumo defense that ranked 25th in points allowed and 27th in DVOA.
Last season, Burrow played in just eight games, and in the first half of the season, Al Golden's defense was one of the worst… like, ever. According to FTN's data, Cincinnati's defensive DVOA of 30.1% in Weeks 1-9 was the worst in the history of the metric, which currently goes back to 1977. Running back Chase Brown and receiver Ja'Marr Chase were yowling about said defense in October, and for good reason.
Then, it all turned around. From Week 10 through the end of the season, the Bengals improved their Defensive DVOA to -2.2% (Defensive DVOA is better when it's negative), up from 32nd to 13th. And though the sins of the season's first half would not be erased by that improvement — the 2025 Bengals finished 30th in Defensive DVOA behind only the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets — there was enough on the bone for management to spend in both draft capital and actual dollars to improve things on that side of the ball.
Hence, the trade for ex-New York Giants game-wrecker Dexter Lawrence, as well as the signings of former Seattle Seahawks edge-rusher Boye Mafe, veteran defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, former Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook, and veteran defensive back Kyle Dugger. Adding Texas A&M edge-rusher Cashius Howell and Washington cornerback Tacario Davis in the second and third rounds of the 2026 draft should provide even more enforcement potential.
#bengals #kansas
Of course, after those two 23-20 games in a span of less than a year, things started to come apart. Joe Burrow's health became more of a concern in 2023 and 2025, and when Burrow played at a thermonuclear level in 2024, he did so with a Lou Anarumo defense that ranked 25th in points allowed and 27th in DVOA.
Last season, Burrow played in just eight games, and in the first half of the season, Al Golden's defense was one of the worst… like, ever. According to FTN's data, Cincinnati's defensive DVOA of 30.1% in Weeks 1-9 was the worst in the history of the metric, which currently goes back to 1977. Running back Chase Brown and receiver Ja'Marr Chase were yowling about said defense in October, and for good reason.
Then, it all turned around. From Week 10 through the end of the season, the Bengals improved their Defensive DVOA to -2.2% (Defensive DVOA is better when it's negative), up from 32nd to 13th. And though the sins of the season's first half would not be erased by that improvement — the 2025 Bengals finished 30th in Defensive DVOA behind only the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets — there was enough on the bone for management to spend in both draft capital and actual dollars to improve things on that side of the ball.
Hence, the trade for ex-New York Giants game-wrecker Dexter Lawrence, as well as the signings of former Seattle Seahawks edge-rusher Boye Mafe, veteran defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, former Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook, and veteran defensive back Kyle Dugger. Adding Texas A&M edge-rusher Cashius Howell and Washington cornerback Tacario Davis in the second and third rounds of the 2026 draft should provide even more enforcement potential.
#bengals #kansas
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