For all their offensive talent, the Cincinnati Bengals are back in the doldrums, mired in a three-year playoff drought.
The 2025 campaign was especially disheartening, resulting in the team's first losing record since Joe Burrow's rookie season thanks to a long absence from the QB and a hapless defense.
Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who still managed a second straight All-Pro campaign despite needing to weather a transition from Jake Browning to Joe Flacco as Burrow missed nine games, is eager for the Bengals to reverse the trend -- particularly by adding defense talent -- during a pivotal offseason.
"I mean, everybody pretty much knows what we need." he told Sports Illustrated's Russell Heltman. "I've said it out in the media. All I gotta do is sit back and watch. I can't control that, so all I gotta do is control my production. I mean, at the end of the day, I'm just stating my opinion on what I think we need. So, you know, I sit back, let the organization do what they do, and I just gotta let my play do the rest."
An argument can easily be made that the offensive line is a priority on par with the defense.
The O-line finished 28th as a unit in PFF's end-of-season rankings, and for as great as Burrow is, he's now missed large swaths of time in half of his six NFL seasons. It has become obvious in each of those instances that the Bengals go as he does.
However, Cincy fixing its defense would certainly make staying competitive easier. After ranking sixth in points allowed during the team's second straight trip to the AFC Championship Game, the Bengals have finished 21st, 25th and 30th over the past three seasons, respectively. In two of those campaigns, the defense was 31st in yards allowed.
Staring at a dearth of difference-makers, the Bengals will need to make a decision regarding Trey Hendrickson's fate. They had to work out a revised contract with him last year following four straight Pro Bowl campaigns, only to see an injury wipe away all but seven games for the star. He still tied for third on the team with four sacks, only 1.5 behind leader Myles Murphy.
Whether Cincinnati keeps him via the franchise tag or parts ways with Hendrickson by tagging and trading the pass rusher or simply letting him walk, it will have ripple effects.
Luckily, the Bengals should have the benefit of evaluating any upcoming decisions without operating up against the cap. They are estimated to have the seventh-most cap space, with $53.5 million heading into free agency. That's enough to dip into the talent pool on both sides of the ball, and they also hold the No. 10 overall pick in April's draft.
It's imperative the team pulls the right switches, lest Cincy watch another year of Burrow and Chase's primes fall short of expectations.
No matter what happens, and regardless of any concerns from fans that the team is wasting that duo's best years, Chase plans to do his part by remaining focused on his own production.
"Everybody has an opinion at the end of the day, and an opinion sometimes just is a right to be heard," he said. "But I can't judge people on what they feel. I know all I can do is control what I can control, and that's my play. And what my play does is only how far I can lead the team to success or not."
