Bengals’ most agonizing roster decision looming on 2026 cutdown day

The Cincinnati Bengals have some tough decisions to make coming into the 2026 season. With the deadline for the roster cutdown just a few days away, the front office and coaching staff will need to decide who gets to make it to the main roster. There are still a few more position groups that need to be discussed. Let’s talk about it.

Should Bengals bring extra defensive linemen, or invest on another offensive piece?

The Bengals have had a few standout players from their training camp, players who have, quite frankly, secured a spot on the roster already. Players like Colbie Young, Landon Robinson, and Dohnte Meyers have made a significant impact in training camp, and are expected to make the final roster. Barring a catastrophic final pre-season game, of course.

That being said, their inclusions now force a difficult question for the Bengals: where do they allocate the rest of their roster spots. Robinson’s breakout, for example, forces Cincinnati to think about whether they want to bring in 11 defensive linemen this season. They’ve done it in the past, yes, but one could make the argument that bringing more than ten linemen will put a significant strain on their roster flexibility. That 11th DL spot will likely go to a veteran like Kris Jenkins Jr, if they do go that route.

That roster flexibility can be potentially used to add a player at a different position for the Bengals. The tight end position is more or less set with Drew Sample, Mike Gesicki as the primaries with Erick All Jr and Tanner Hudson as the backups. Yet, there’s a few tight ends that could miss the cut if they get 11 linemen on the team. Cam Grandy was a solid blocking tight end to complement the offense last season, while Jack Endries has shown promise over the last few trainings. One of these players will need to be cut potentially.

Even at wide receiver, there’s one player on the chopping block that the Bengals would hate to let go: Charlie Jones. The long-time wide receiver hasn’t taken a lot of snaps at his supposed position: having just caught 8 passes through three seasons. His real value, though, is in special teams: as the primary kick and punt returner, Jones has 462 punt return yards, 1 punt return TD, 1,284 kick return yards, and two kick return TDs in his career. That’s an invaluable part of the team. Meyers might have experience fielding punts and kicks, but there’s value in having a veteran on your kick when the other team’s kicking.

At the end of the day, the Bengals need to figure out their priorities and what they want to happen over the course of the season. The practice squad is always there as an option to “stash” some of these players in the future, yes. However, who they pick for the 53-man roster can have drastic consequences for the team moving forward.

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