The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t need a minor repair after another lost season.
They needed a defense capable of giving Joe Burrow an actual track back to January, and after going after expensive veterans, including blockbuster trade, the tables have turned.
The Athletic included the Bengals among the NFL’s underrated teams and wrote that the offseason overhaul could leave them with “better depth than they did when they reached the Super Bowl during the 2021 season.”
That comparison arrives after Cincinnati finished 6-11 and missed the playoffs for a third consecutive year.
Pro Football Reference shows the Bengals scored 414 points and allowed 492, while The Athletic noted that the defense surrendered at least 30 points seven times and more than 45 twice.
The offense spent nine games without a healthy Burrow after he injured his toe in Week 2.
And when he returned for the final six games, the season had already slipped away.
Bengals Bet Heavily on Rebuilt Defensive Front
GettyNew Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, right, attempts to bring down quarterback Joe Burrow.
Cincinnati’s response carried far more urgency than a routine offseason reshuffle.
The Bengals sent the No. 10 pick in the 2026 NFL draft to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence, then extended the three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle through 2028.
Lawrence has recorded 30.5 sacks and 40 tackles for loss over 109 regular-season games, giving Cincinnati a proven centerpiece in the middle.
Jonathan Allen adds another accomplished interior defender.
The two-time Pro Bowler started all 17 games last season and finished with 68 tackles, 3.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits before signing a two-year deal with Cincinnati.
Boye Mafe gives the Bengals a younger bet on the edge.
Cincinnati signed him to a three-year, $60 million contract after four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. Mafe has 20 career sacks, including nine in 2023, and now enters a front built to create more favorable matchups across the line.
The investments are sensible because last season’s defense rarely offered the offense any room for mistakes. Cincinnati allowed 6,475 yards and 6.0 yards per play, forcing the Bengals into too many games where scoring in the 30s still was not enough.
Lawrence should command double-teams, while Allen can play through different alignments, and Mafe brings the speed to attack the edge.
Their presence also reduces the burden on Cincinnati’s younger defenders, which may be the strongest reason behind The Athletic’s depth comparison.
Burrow Is the Difference in Crowded AFC North
GettyQuarterback Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals looks to throw a pass from the pocket/
The defensive reconstruction only needs to create enough room for Burrow to blow the doors off the competition.
The Bengals’ quarterback started eight games last season and completed 66.8% of his passes for 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions.
His 100.7 passer rating showed that his effectiveness returned with his health, even if Cincinnati could not recover from the nine games he missed.
A full season from Burrow changes Cincinnati’s Super Bowl aspirations.
The Bengals have already shown they can score enough to challenge playoff teams, but their larger problem has been surviving injuries and preventing one defensive collapse from becoming another.
Baltimore will receive much of the AFC North attention, while Pittsburgh enters camp with its own veteran intrigue.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s path is simple.
The Bengals need their rebuilt front to turn a handful of last season’s shootouts into manageable games, an if Lawrence, Allen and Mafe deliver, the Super Bowl-era comparison will feel less like July hopefulness.
Instead, it becomes a warning to the rest of the NFL that Cincinnati’s three-year playoff absence could be nearing its end.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Cincinnati Bengals Get Bold Super Bowl Comparison Ahead of Training Camp appeared first on HEAVY.