Bengals Retool Defense After 6-11 Season as Burrow's Health Shapes 2026 Contender Hopes
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 29
Bengals Retool Defense After 6-11 Season as Burrow's Health Shapes 2026 Contender Hopes
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 29
Summary
Cincinnati overhauled its defense after a 6-11 finish, adding Dexter Lawrence by trade and signing safeties Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger to address the unit that derailed its 2025 season.
Burrow's injury last year exposed how little margin the Bengals had: the defense leaked late leads, struggled to generate pass rush and left the team out of the AFC wild-card race well before December.
Al Golden's second-year group now looks like the swing factor, with Lawrence joining Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe up front while the secondary gets a more physical look behind them.
The retool came with notable exits, including Trey Hendrickson to division rival Baltimore, while Cincinnati kept Joe Flacco and retained key offensive linemen around Burrow.
Betting optimism hinges on the same question as before: if Burrow stays upright behind a line PFF ranks 20th, the Bengals' upgraded defense could make them a real AFC North threat at +184.