The 2026 NFL Draft will have ramifications for several players on the Cincinnati Bengals’ offseason roster. Here are the players who benefitted the most, as well as those who have the most to worry about.
The Cincinnati Bengals sent a message to their locker room after the 2026 NFL Draft.
Cincinnati believes in the steps its taken to field a championship-caliber team. Free agency and the draft have filled nearly every weakness that prohibited the Bengals from their fifth consecutive winning season last year.
Their moves have kept notable players in positions to be a part of a possible postseason return. Others won’t be so lucky when the offseason dust settles in late August. Here are a handful of winners and losers from the Bengals’ showing at the 2026 draft.
Two major checkpoints have come and go for the Bengals, and both Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. have made it through unscathed. Free agency and the draft haven’t impacted the linebacker room. Outside of a couple undrafted signings, this group is still Carter and Knight’s to lead. There were paths to this not being the case, but Cincinnati went down none of them.
It’s still plausible a veteran is added sometime before the season begins. Until then, no two players benefitted more from this offseason than this tandem of starters.
The Bengals’ starter in the slot left a fantastic impression on the coaching staff last year. Jalen Davis had never been trusted to play those kind of snaps before, and he figures to be playing a lot more this fall. Third-round pick Tacario Davis is going to be developing on the outside much more than he’ll be pushing for the nickelback role.
New signings Kyle Dugger and Ja’Sir Taylor may factor into the competition, but Davis has the upper hand entering the offseason program.
It certainly makes sense to keep Cody Ford throughout the summer after Cincinnati drafted two offensive linemen best suited to play between the tackles. Ford’s main competition for swing tackle duties are two undrafted free agents in Christian Jones and Corey Robinson II.
Jones is notably receiving a lucrative signing bonus for signing with the Bengals, and Ford just took a pay cut to stick around, but sticking around for now is a win for Ford.
The Dexter Lawrence trade may’ve been a huge win for Battle as it eliminated the possibility of Cincy drafting Caleb Downs in the first round. The Bengals left the draft without taking a safety at all, and Battle’s starting gig remains his to lose.
How much Dugger pushes him will be interesting to watch, but without a long-term alternative on the roster, Cincinnati has every incentive for Battle succeeding this year.
One of Kris Jenkins Jr. or McKinnley Jackson is getting cut if seventh-rounder Landon Robinson makes the team, and one of them could be cut anyways regardless if Robinson proves worthy of a spot. It’s as crowded as it’s ever been at defensive tackle.
T.J. Slaton shouldn’t be considered completely safe either with his $9.6 million salary cap hit backing up Lawrence, but he is the best player in a potential three-way battle with Jenkins and Jackson. The continuation of throwing resources at the position has the remaining Day 2 picks from the 2024 draft in a tougher position to stay in the locker room.
Colbie Young is coming in as a fourth-round pick looking to push Iosivas for starting snaps next to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. It’s a battle I expect Iosivas to win with his three years of experience, but Young’s talent can’t be dismissed entirely out the gate.
Iosivas is entering a contract year and has slightly stagnated. Competition could be a good thing for him, just as it could negatively alter the trajectory of his career.
Jalen Rivers was drafted a round ahead of when Brian Parker II went off the board a year later, but had Rivers played better as a rookie starter, the drafting of Parker may not be as consequential as it could be. There’s a real chance Parker proves worthy of being the first guard off the bench. If he can also earn trust as an emergency tackle/center, he’ll definitely end up higher than Rivers on the depth chart.
Betting against Tanner Hudson to make the Bengals’ roster has been a losing stance since 2024. Not even the addition of two drafted tight ends that year kept him out of their plans.
Seventh-rounder Jack Endries is coming to the Queen City pissed off about being passed on 220 times. He’s got the receiving ability of an early Day 3 pick rather than a near UDFA. Real competition may be what pushes Hudson out the door.