The Cincinnati Bengals entered the offseason with a clear need to improve their defense, as they finished 30th in the NFL with 28.9 points allowed per game in 2025. The front office addressed it by trading the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 draft for two-time All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and signing edge rusher Boye Mafe, safety Bryan Cook and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.

Franchise quarterback Joe Burrow likes where the team is at, via NFL.com's Nick Shook.

"I think this is the most talented roster that we've had since I've been here," the two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year said on Wednesday.

Although four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson signed with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency, Burrow has a point. The organization made a win-now move by flipping its first-round pick for Lawrence, who was No. 17 on the NFL's Top 100 Players of 2025 list, which players vote on. Plus, it used the cap space it gained by letting Hendrickson walk to sign three established veterans. Mafe has 20 sacks over 65 career games, Cook was fourth among strong safeties with an 83.5 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade last season, and Allen is a two-time Pro Bowler.

Hendrickson signed a four-year, $112 million deal including $60 million guaranteed with Baltimore, while Cincinnati's aforementioned signees' contracts are worth a collective $128.25 million. Additionally, Lawrence inked a one-year, $28 million extension with the Bengals, putting him under team control through 2028.

Cincinnati was shrewd to invest in depth rather than a six-figure deal with Hendrickson, as it needed the cap space to add multiple talented players on defense. Now, the organization has a better defense on paper despite losing its star pass-rusher.

It may not be the best defense in the NFL, but the Bengals only need an average one to go far. Their offense can do the heavy lifting, as Burrow, star wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and running back Chase Brown have proven that they're an elite group.

The Bengals have finished top-12 in scoring offense in four of the past five seasons, but they haven't made the playoffs in the last three. That's partly because Burrow had injury-shortened campaigns in 2023 and 2025, but also because the defense has been below-average that entire span.

Now, Cincinnati has put itself in position to change that trend.