A late surge for the Cincinnati Bengals under Al Golden is one of the reasons the franchise is content to run it back with head coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel Duke Tobin in 2026. Some Bengals fans will bemoan the idea after seeing similar musings from the franchise in past years, dating well back into the Marvin Lewis days.

The air around the league feels shifted as Matt Ryan steps into the Atlanta front office as their first-ever President of Football. That aura has inspired a former Cincinnati Bengals legend to make a public plea to his former team owner,

The Bengals boast 15 unrestricted free agents and one restricted, with $69 million in cap space for 2026, ranking eighth in the NFL.

Bengals fans? They’re more than open to the idea of a Reader return to Cincinnati. While he will turn 32 years old in July, Duke Tobin recently stressed the need for veteran leadership on defense and the interior is a weak spot for the unit.

Chase is the fifth player in Bengals history to be named a first team All-Pro more than once in his career. Hall of Fame tackle Anthony Munoz earned the honor nine times, followed by tackle Willie Anderson with three. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins and wide receiver Chad Johnson each had two as well.

The greatest work to reopen their Super Bowl window, though, will have to come through the draft. They have a rare luxury, “earning” the ninth pick — their last top-10 selection was a trade up for Mahomes in 2017 — while also getting subsequent picks near the top of each round.

The Bengals got a prove-it deal done with Ossai last year. They don’t often get much else done with agent David Mulugheta. Ossai earned a longer contract and is still just 25. He’s a great rotational piece, but it’ll need to be at a team-friendly price.