CANTON, OH – In an offseason of seismic change in the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals were the lone team in the division to enter the 2026 season with the same head coach with which it ended the 2025 campaign.
Cincinnati was plenty busy throughout the offseason, though, especially prior to the draft. Most notably, the Bengals traded the No. 10 overall pick to the New York Giantsin exchange for former All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, who received the extension he sought. The Bengals added additional pieces to the front seven via free agency with Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen. Bryan Cook, the safety who spent the first four years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, came over on a three-year deal worth $42.5 million.
All of that fuels the excitement of Anthony Muñoz, the former Bengals great and Hall of Fame offensive tackle.
“What they did before the draft, of course the trade of Dexter Lawrence, amazing,” Muñoz told USA TODAY Sports.
Of course, the Bengals’ ceiling depends on quarterback Joe Burrow – both his productivity and health. While on the field, Burrow has shown why he belongs in the MVP conversation every season. Injuries have cost him chunks of the year in two of the last three seasons, and Cincinnati hasn’t been to the postseason since the 2022 campaign.
“I’m feeling great. This is the best my body has felt in a long time,” Burrow told USA TODAY Sports in April. “It’s been a tough couple of years for me, injury-wise. It’s taken a while to get my body to the point I want it to be. But right now, I’m in a great spot.”
The offensive line, responsible for keeping Burrow upright, returns for a second year playing together. Muñoz loves the ceilings of left guard Dylan Fairchild and Amarius Mims, the third-year right tackle.
Reason for optimism on defense
Muñoz said he talks with former teammates and fans of the team about how they can have success in 2026 if Burrow stays healthy and the defense improves from among the worst in the league (the Bengals finished 30th overall and dead last against the pass) to mediocre.
“I thought that we went from a bottom-five defense to maybe a top fifteen,” said Muñoz, who calls Bengals preseason games on local TV.
Muñoz spent the Thursday prior to the preseason opener (Aug. 13 vs. the Detroit Lions, 7 p.m. ET) studying the names and tape of guys down the depth chart and the undrafted free agents.
For all of the hype in Cincinnati, Muñoz knows winning the offseason doesn’t matter come Week 1.
“They still got to play,” he said. “They still got to come together with Al Golden running the defense.”
The revamped defensive front should make the linebackers and defensive backs' jobs easier.
In addition to the three new starters to front Golden’s 4-3 scheme, Muñoz likes the skill set of linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr., a 2025 second-round pick.
“I believe when the defensive front excels, that makes the linebackers and the secondary that much better,” Muñoz said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bengals legend outlines reason for optimism not tied to Joe Burrow