3 Bengals – Cincinnati’s aggressive 2026 offseason rebuilding effort has increased competition at multiple positions, putting defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr., cornerback DJ Ivey, and quarterback Sean Clifford on the roster bubble as training camp approaches.
The Cincinnati Bengals walked into the 2026 offseason with a clear job: build a defense that could hold its own against the championship-caliber offense built around Joe Burrow. They didn’t take the cautious route.
Cincy reshaped the roster with a string of high-profile additions that immediately changed expectations across the organization. The defensive front got a major overhaul with superstar nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II and veteran pass-rusher Jonathan Allen. The secondary also got reinforcements in the form of proven safety Kyle Dugger. Up front, Cincinnati signed veteran guard Dalton Risner to bolster protection.
That wasn’t all. An incoming draft class headlined by lengthy cornerback Tacario Davis and versatile defensive back Josh Newton adds another new layer of pressure—especially on veterans who once assumed their roles were more stable than they now look.
Now, as training camp approaches after the 2026 minicamp, that pressure is starting to show where the Bengals can’t afford sentiment: at the bottom of the depth chart, where the margin between “useful” and “redundant” gets brutally thin.
Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. is the player who may feel it most directly. Cincinnati invested significant draft capital in him, expecting him to become a disruptive interior force. That step hasn’t happened yet. With Lawrence and Allen arriving and changing the defensive line hierarchy. Jenkins is facing fewer rotational opportunities to carve out meaningful. repeatable work.
Unlike Lawrence, Jenkins doesn’t have elite size as a run-stuffing anchor. Unlike Allen, he hasn’t produced consistent pass-rushing impact. The result is a difficult in-between position—too light to be the unquestioned solution against the run. not yet proven enough as a pass rusher to force his way into a set role.
Jenkins enters training camp needing a breakthrough that makes penetration and impact games the norm, not the exception. If that doesn’t materialize, Cincinnati could explore trade options—or make the harder decision to move on altogether.
Cornerback DJ Ivey faces a different kind of squeeze, one that can feel unfair because the track record is there. Ivey has exceeded expectations since entering the league. developing into a reliable depth option and a valuable contributor on special teams. But roster construction doesn’t always reward what has already been earned. It rewards what is easiest to trust right now.
The Bengals suddenly have one of their deepest cornerback groups in recent memory. Established contributors include DJ Turner II, Dax Hill, and Jalen Davis. Newcomers Tacario Davis and Josh Newton have already generated considerable buzz throughout offseason workouts. and what they did during minicamp only added to the excitement surrounding Cincinnati’s young secondary.
With all of that moving upward. Ivey is sliding further down the depth chart—despite doing the job he was capable of doing. The path forward isn’t gone, but it is narrower. Unless he establishes himself as an indispensable special teams performer during training camp and the preseason. he could become the kind of roster casualty teams make when talent pools get deeper and spots get counted down.
Then there is quarterback Sean Clifford, whose situation is constrained by an entirely different kind of reality—how hard it is for backups to find room once a team decides it wants certainty.
Burrow remains firmly entrenched as Cincinnati’s franchise quarterback. But the pressure on Clifford doesn’t come from the starter. It comes from a backup quarterback room that has become one of the most experienced groups in the league.
Cincinnati added former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco, giving the Bengals a highly credible insurance policy behind Burrow. Josh Johnson continues to provide valuable experience and stability. In the NFL. most teams prefer carrying only two quarterbacks on the active roster. and that makes Clifford’s path to a meaningful spot feel especially narrow.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Cincinnati has given up on Clifford’s long-term potential. The most likely outcome. though. may be a release followed by an attempt to bring him back on the practice squad. For championship contenders, though, certainty matters. Flacco and Johnson currently offer more immediate reliability if Burrow misses time.
Clifford would likely need an exceptional preseason performance to force the coaching staff to keep more than three quarterbacks on the active roster—and even then, that scenario becomes increasingly unlikely given the Bengals’ needs elsewhere on the roster.
It’s the kind of moment every veteran eventually confronts. Cincinnati’s aggressive offseason has elevated the talent level across the roster and strengthened its chances of competing for a Super Bowl. But upgrades don’t come free. Jenkins, Ivey, and Clifford have each contributed to the organization in different ways. Still, all three now find themselves squeezed by the same equation: veteran additions, emerging young talent, and roster economics.
As training camp approaches, they remain firmly on the bubble. What they did before matters—until a contender believes it has found better options for the future.
Cincinnati Bengals 2026 minicamp Kris Jenkins Jr. DJ Ivey Sean Clifford Dexter Lawrence II Jonathan Allen Kyle Dugger Dalton Risner Tacario Davis Josh Newton Joe Burrow Joe Flacco Josh Johnson