The Cincinnati Bengals haven't been to the playoffs since 2022, but they're in a better position than most teams would be in that situation. Superstars Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase are signed through 2029, and fellow star receiver Tee Higgins is signed through 2028.

That's why ESPN's Jeremy Fowler considers them "a few moves away" from championship contention.

"The hope for a quick turnaround: The offense is good enough to keep Cincinnati in just about every game," he said. "The window remains open to win now with Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and a strong supporting cast. The team has ample cap space to strengthen its defense via free agency."

However, Fowler admitted Cincinnati's defense is the weak link.

"Why it might take longer than hoped: That defense lacks high-end talent and playmaking and is about to lose its best player [Trey Hendrickson]," he continued. "A unit that was supposed to improve finished 31st in total defense. Eventually, bad defense will become the identity and not an aberration unless addressed in a major way."

Building a championship team is never simple, but an improved defense would take Cincinnati further than it has gone recently. The team finished 13th in scoring defense when it made the Super Bowl in 2021 and fifth when it made the AFC Championship in 2022, but it has been below-average since.

2021 and 2022 were the first years of the Burrow-Chase-Higgins trio, as Burrow and Higgins were drafted in 2021 before Chase was taken in 2021. They each established themselves as forces to be reckoned with by 2021, and having a competent defense to support them was almost enough to win a ring. 

The Bengals lost 23-20 to the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl before losing by the same score to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2022 AFC Championship, and that offensive trio is still as good as ever. Burrow led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns in 2024 while Chase won the receiving Triple Crown, and Higgins got his first Pro Bowl nod this year.

A franchise quarterback is the hardest asset to acquire in football, but adding two star receivers on top of that is a dream. The fact that all three players are signed for multiple more years means that Cincinnati cannot afford to be asleep at the wheel this offseason. Adding defensive help is crucial, as it cannot keep wasting Burrow, Chase, and Higgins' primes. 

Historical precedent suggests Fowler is right if the Bengals repair their defense, but that's a big if.