There weren't many things the Bengals were particularly stellar at this season, but this was a glaring issue in 2025 that cannot repeat in 2026.
A three-year playoff drought beginning just two years after reaching the Super Bowl is maybe the last thing a Cincinnati Bengals fan would have thought they’d be going through. Unfortunately, that is the sad reality to begin 2026, and this offseason is important as any in recent memory to fix the mistakes.
Mistakes seem to be the theme of the Bengals in the past few years. Whether it be mistakes in technique, lack of judgment, or even organizational mistakes, they need to come to a halt going into the 2026 season. It may be viewed as a mistake to keep head coach Zac Taylor for another year, but only time will tell if that becomes another missed opportunity.
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor | © Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Something that may seem like a mistake dates back to the 2025 draft class, as shown by the rookie production rankings from Pro Football Focus.
In 2025, PFF recorded data for every NFL team’s snap-weighted rookie rankings; the Bengals finished 31st in the league with a score of 45.5.
Immediate performance isn’t completely necessary to deem a draft class successful or dreadful. However, it may show a negative outlook for the future when ranked amongst the bottom of the league. Snap-weighted indicates that the amount of snaps for each rookie was taken into account for the rankings.
This is key information to know because it gives little room for excuses for first-round pick Shemar Stewart, who played in just eight games for Cincinnati in 2025. His longest stretch of consecutive games played was just three, which really limited his ability to find a rhythm playing for a defense that frankly needed him to show superstar potential.
Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Shemar Stewart | © Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Looking further, the Bengals' next two picks in the draft, Demetrius Knight (pick 49) and Dylan Fairchild (pick 81), showed promise in stretches. Knight, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker out of South Carolina, was able to provide positives in several key stats; he started in 14 games and supplied 106 tackles, four tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, three sacks, seven passes defended, and two interceptions. Fairchild, a 6-foot-5, 318-pound offensive guard out of Georgia, struggled early in the season, but was able to prove himself as a solid pass-blocker. He started in all 17 games and allowed five total quarterback hits and two sacks.
Possibly the biggest contributor to the poor ranking was fifth-round pick Jalen Rivers. Primarily a backup offensive guard, Rivers started in seven games and did not perform to the level the team needed. In his seven starts, the former Miami Hurricane was ranked 80th out of 81 total guards in pass block grade, run block grade, and overall grade.
A ranking of 31st in the league surely does not fall on one player. Regardless, the Bengals organization must ensure they pick difference-makers in the 2026 NFL Draft to end the playoff drought.