Joe Burrow and Cincinnati Bengals Players Excited with New Roster Additions

There is lots of excitement around the 2026 NFL season now that the draft is over, and the Cincinnati Bengals are one of the most-talked-about teams heading into the new league year. After possessing the worst defense in the NFL last season, general manager Duke Tobin made it his mission to rebuild the roster on that side of the ball this offseason, and that mission was accomplished. 

After signing key free agents Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, Dexter Lawrence, and Kyle Dugger, he also traded for star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Tobin then re-signed Dalton Risner and extended Orlando Brown Jr, allowing for all 11 starters to be back next season for the offensive unit that has every opportunity to be the best in the league. 

That will only happen if superstar quarterback Joe Burrow is healthy. In 2024, he was able to play in all 17 games, and he consequently led the league in passing yards. In the other two of the last three seasons, all of which the Bengals missed the playoffs, Burrow failed to make double-digit appearances. With him out of the lineup, it’s very difficult for any backup quarterback to find similar production, even with the best wide receiver duo in the league, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. 

With a whole new locker room presence from the defense, Burrow discussed the different energy that is swirling around the building. 

“You can feel the vibe and the leadership has changed in the locker room a little bit," Burrow said. "It's exciting for everyone … B. Cook, in the limited time he's been here, you can feel his presence early. Dexter, too. A lot of guys on the D-Line now. You have Jonathan Allen. Myles [Murphy] is walking around with a little more pep in his step this year. That's exciting to see. I think he grew in confidence from the last five, six games. We need to carry that over, and I'm excited to see that."

It’s no secret how high fans and analysts are on the Bengals going into next season, and this level of excitement has certainly reached the roster as well. It’s clear that everyone in the organization really feels like this is their year, despite the consistent lack of success over the past few seasons. 

Having the third-easiest schedule in the NFL this season adds to this notion of belief. When adding in the fact that all three of the other teams in the AFC North are going into their first seasons with new head coaches, the Bengals have every reason to believe that they should easily end their playoff drought. That’s all on paper, though, and developing a roster like this isn’t made to just make the playoffs. Their goal is and should be to win a Super Bowl, and there aren’t many other realities that they will be happy with at the end of the season.