Zac Taylor faces make-or-break season as Bengals rebuild defense around Joe Burrow's Super Bowl window

Few teams in the NFL are operating under as much pressure heading into the upcoming season as the Cincinnati Bengals .

With head coach Zac Taylor facing intense scrutiny in his eighth season at the helm and defensive coordinator Al Golden entering year two of his unit's retool, Cincinnati is aiming to prove that its recent stagnation is over and that franchise quarterback Joe Burrow can lead them back to deep January football.

The Bengals suffered through a deeply disappointing 2025 season, stumbling to a 6–11 record and finishing dead last in a hyper-competitive AFC North.

Burrow , again, got injured, and the team called on veteran Joe Flacco.

They were good at times, but it always felt like this team had no real chance to earn the postseason spot.

This was especially true when Burrow was out.

A leaky, depleted defense completely unraveled at times, allowing opposing offenses to dictate games and squandering late leads.

Defensive lapses and an inability to generate consistent pass-rush pressure made stringing together victories almost impossible, costing Cincinnati any realistic chance at a wild-card spot well before late December.

ZAC TAYLOR ADMITS BREAKING NFL CHALLENGE FLAG RULE FOR 8 YEARS AS LEAGUE MAKES CHANGE Recognizing that an elite offense was being wasted by defensive liabilities, the front office spent the offseason completely reshaping the front seven and secondary.

The biggest marquee splash came via trade when Cincinnati acquired star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the Giants , immediately pairing him with veteran pass rusher Jonathan Allen and edge Boye Mafe to fortify the interior line.

In the secondary, the Bengals added physical safety help by signing Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger, while re-signing reliable backup quarterback Joe Flacco alongside offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and guard Dalton Risner.

The aggressive retooling came with significant departures.

On defense, the Bengals parted ways with longtime pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, edge Joseph Ossai, and defensive backs Cam Taylor-Britt, Geno Stone, and Marco Wilson.

Hendrickson felt like the hardest to swallow, considering he went to the rival Ravens.