As a lead-up to the 2025 NFL draft, we've broken down the current depth chart of every NFL team and identified the biggest draft and team needs for the Cincinnati Bengals.
You can find additional team-by-team draft needs articles and other draft content on our 2025 NFL Draft Hub.
Cincinnati Bengals Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2025
- Defensive Front 7
- Offensive Line
- Safety
What Picks Do the Cincinnati Bengals Have in 2025?
The Cincinnati Bengals have 6 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, including:
- Round 1 (17)
- Round 2 (49)
- Round 3 (81)
- Round 4 (119)
- Round 5 (153)
- Round 6 (193)
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Cincinnati Bengals 2025 Draft Capital Stats
The Bengals have the 20th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.
Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.
Cincinnati Bengals Draft Value vs. Other Teams:
The Bengals’ draft value is 12% lower than the league average of all 32 teams.
Cincinnati Bengals Draft Prediction:
Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Bengals to draft:
- Brendan Donahue's 2025 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
- Ryan McCrystal's 2025 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #8 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
Cincinnati Bengals Strength of Schedule, 2025
The Cincinnati Bengals have the 17th-easiest NFL strength of schedule for the 2025 NFL season.
Cincinnati Bengals Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Cincinnati Bengals, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Depth Chart, Bengals:
- Joe Burrow
- Jake Browning
Joe Burrow did his best to carry the Bengals and a lackluster defense last season, leading the NFL in completions (460), attempts (652), passing yards (4,918), and passing touchdowns (43).
While all of the counting stats were gaudy and elevated by the frequent shootouts Cincinnati was involved in, Burrow made some significant underlying strides.
His 1.4% interception rate was his lowest since his rookie season.
He had a career low 6.7% inaccurate throw rate.
Although it was still right on the league average, Burrow was sacked on 20.8% of his pressures, a career low.
Sack avoidance has been his longest ongoing bugaboo on an otherwise clean resume, but getting to the league’s base rate is a considerable development.
He has improved in that department in each of the past three seasons.
Since the Bengals drafted Burrow, they rank eighth in the NFL in points per drive without a sack (2.50), but they rank 16th in points per drive with a sack (1.03).
Last season, they scored a touchdown on 36% of their drives without a sack (5th) compared to 9.5% with a sack (17th).
We don’t have to linger here.
Burrow is a front-end starter signed through the 2029 season.
Behind Burrow, the team still has Jake Browning.
Browning is only under contract for 2025, but the Bengals have restricted rights on him next offseason.
Running Back Depth Chart, Bengals:
- Chase Brown
- Zack Moss
- Samaje Perine
- Gary Brightwell
- Kendall Milton
The Bengals received a breakout season from Chase Brown last year.
Brown turned 283 touches into 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He shared a backfield with Zack Moss through eight weeks, but after Moss was lost for the year due to a neck injury, the Bengals were finally forced to give Brown an opportunity as a feature back.
Over his eight weeks as the starter, Brown averaged 116.3 yards from scrimmage per game, trailing only Saquon Barkley (156.8) and Derrick Henry (117.6).
During that period, Brown was tasked with carrying the entire backfield.
He handled 189 of 198 (95.5%) backfield touches in those games.
That rate is not something a team gives out unless it’s a necessity.
As a byproduct, Brown handled 23.6 touches per game over that stretch.
Brown needed to prove that he could stand up to protection, and he did that last year.
He finished 12th among all running backs in pass blocking grade, allowing a 4.5% pressure rate (fourth).
Brown is on the front line to lead this backfield again this season, but we know he will not be pressed to handle 95% of the touches again.
Moss remains under contract for one more season at $4.8 million.
There were rumors that he would be released, but that has not happened.
The team brought back veteran Samaje Perine on a two-year deal.
Perine is a serviceable passing-down back.
This is not currently a team “need,” but with Brown's small sample size and the depth here still lacking overall quality, the Bengals could add competition and depth.
The team has already used a top-30 visit on TreVeyon Henderson and attended Bhayshul Tuten’s pro day as a potential signal that they are keeping that door open.
Wide Receiver Depth Chart, Bengals:
- Ja’Marr Chase
- Tee Higgins
- Andrei Iosivas
- Jermaine Burton
- Charlie Jones
- Isaiah Williams
- Kendric Pryor
- Mitchell Tinsley
- Cole Burgess
The Bengals' offseason story is that they were able to agree to long-term extensions for Ja’Marr Chase (through 2029) and Tee Higgins (through 2028).
Chase was sensational again in 2024, leading the NFL in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708), and touchdowns (17).
He had a league-high 9 touchdowns on throws that were not in the end zone.
Since entering the league, Chase has a league-best 25 of those touchdowns.
Keeping Higgins was a huge development, as Chase excelled when Higgins was available.
With Higgins on the field, Chase averaged 2.54 yards per route, 14.2 yards per catch, and 9.1 air yards per target.
With Higgins off the field, Chase averaged 2.22 yards per route, 12.2 yards per catch, and 8.2 air yards per target.
With Tyler Boyd leaving the team last offseason, Chase received more work inside, playing a career-high 32.2% of his snaps from the slot.
That rate has gone up every year of his career.
Higgins had an efficient 2024, catching 73 of 109 targets for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns over 12 games.
He posted 2.06 yards per route (his best rate since 2021) and was targeted on a career-high 24.7% of his routes.
When Higgins was on the field, he edged Chase in targets (109 to 107) and had a team-high 37.4% of the air yards.
He also received a bump in the absence of Boyd from the offense, getting more full-field target opportunities.
67.9% of Higgins’s targets were within 10 yards of the line scrimmage, the highest rate of his career.
His previous career high was 58.7%.
The only negative aspect of Higgins's performance is that he missed four games.
He has now missed multiple games in three of the past four seasons.
The Bengals did miss Higgins when he was off the field.
The team averaged 8.2 yards per passing play with him on the field compared to 6.5 yards per passing play without him.
That is the difference between fourth in the NFL over the full season and 27th.
His injury history could prompt the team to add depth here, especially given the depth chart's performance last season.
Andrei Iosivas scored 6 touchdowns but struggled to get open and earn regular targets.
Iosivas ended up catching 36 of 61 targets for 479 yards.
Out of 116 wide receivers, Iosivas finished 111th in ESPN’s open score.
The team added Jermaine Burton in the third round last season, but Burton repeatedly got in his own way.
He ended the season playing only 14% of the offensive snaps, catching 4 passes for 107 yards.
Burton came into the NFL with a handful of red flags off the field in college, and those cropped up in his rookie season.
Even this offseason, Burton popped up again on the negative side, receiving an eviction notice for failing to pay rent on his apartment.
Tight End Depth Chart, Bengals:
- Mike Gesicki
- Drew Sample
- Tanner Hudson
- Tanner McLachlan
- Cam Grandy
- Erick All
The Bengals brought back Mike Gesicki on a three-year contract this offseason after he finished third on the team in targets (83), receptions (65), and receiving yards (665) while catching 2 touchdowns.
With Gesicki in the fold as a slot option (he only played 12.4% of his snaps inline), paired with the lackluster runout of their wide receiver depth, the Bengals ran a lot more 2TE sets last year.
The Bengals were sixth in the league in the rate of 12 personnel used on passing plays (28%).
Gesicki was used as insurance when Higgins was not available.
When Higgins was off the field, Gesicki was targeted on 26.1% of his routes with 2.05 yards per route.
When Higgins was on the field, Gesicki was targeted on 15.8% of his routes with 1.29 yards per route.
Second-year tight end Erick All is expected to miss the 2025 season with an ACL injury, but the Bengals have viable depth here.
Drew Sample played 57.6% of the offensive snaps last season (a higher rate than Gesicki) since he was the primary blocking tight end.
Offensive Line Depth Chart, Bengals:
LT: Orlando Brown Jr, Devin Cochran
LG: Cordell Volson, Jaxson Kirkland, Tashawn Manning
C: Ted Karras, Matt Lee
RG: Cody Ford, Lucas Patrick
RT: Amarius Mims, Andrew Stueber, Andrew Coker
The Bengals finished the season dead last in ESPN’s pass block win rate (50%) and 30th in run block win rate (68%).
At Pro Football Focus, they were 29th in pass blocking grade and 29th in run blocking grade.
Ted Karras and Alex Cappa were the only linemen to play in every game.
Every other starter missed multiple games.
The starting offensive line played together on only 35.7% of the snaps last season (17th).
Cappa left the team during free agency, and the Bengals added Lucas Patrick to compete for snaps in his absence.
Karras was the team’s highest-graded lineman last year, but even he was only 23rd among all centers.
Karras is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
The team selected center Matt Lee in the seventh round last season as depth there.
Both tackle spots had their issues.
Orlando Brown missed six games, but he was 68th among tackles in grade even when he was on the field, per Pro Football Focus.
That was one spot higher than Amarius Mims.
Brown was 29th among tackles in pressure rate allowed (4.5%), and Mims was 52nd (5.9%).
Mims was selected 18th overall during last year’s draft, making 13 starts for the team as a rookie.
The Bengals are tied to both of those tackles, however.
Mims will have more runway as a young player attached to premium draft capital.
Brown has cap hits of $15 million and $21.9 million the next two seasons, but he will save the team $14.2 million in cap space if they pivot after this season.
Cordell Volson is scheduled to become a free agent after this season.
Volson led the team in snaps at left guard last season, allowing a 6.5% pressure rate (78th among guards) with 8 penalties (84th).
This line is also one of the older units in the league.
Mims is the only starter signed beyond this season who is younger than 29.
There is plenty of room for the Bengals to add competition and contractual depth to the offensive line.
Cincinnati Bengals Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Cincinnati Bengals, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Defensive Line Depth Chart, Bengals:
- B.J. Hill
- T.J. Slaton Jr.
- Kris Jenkins Jr.
- McKinnley Jackson
The Bengals were okay on a yardage per carry basis against the run last season, allowing 4.3 yards per carry to running backs (14th), but they allowed 16 rushing touchdowns to the position (26th) and 3.13 yards after contact per RB carry (24th).
Sheldon Rankins only played seven games for the Bengals in 2024 before being released this offseason.
B.J. Hill led the line last season, recording 8 run stuffs and 3 sacks.
Neither number stands out, but Hill has been a solid option on the inside for several seasons and should continue in a big role in 2025.
Behind him is a bit murkier.
T.J. Slaton was added in free agency after four seasons with the Packers.
He offers very little as a pass rusher and took a step back in terms of usage last season, but he was disruptive against the run in 2023.
A second-round pick last year, Kris Jenkins should compete with Slaton for snaps after a lackluster rookie season.
Perhaps one of those two guys takes a step forward, but even if they do, the Bengals could use some more depth here.
More than that, it is fair to argue they need a starter along the defensive line.
EDGE Depth Chart, Bengals:
- Trey Hendrickson
- Joseph Ossai
- Myles Murphy
- Cam Sample
- Cedric Johnson
- Isaiah Thomas
- Raymond Johnson III
The Bengals did not bring a ton of pressure in 2024, finishing 24th in pressure rate (31.2%) and 25th in sacks (36).
The primary storyline in this unit is the contact situation with Trey Hendrickson.
He was easily the best pass rusher on the team last season, logging a league-leading 17.5 sacks with a 17.1% pressure rate, which ranked fifth among all qualified pass rushers.
This situation has turned good and bad several times already this offseason, so it is impossible to know how it all shakes out.
Even if Hendrickson stays, though, the Bengals need help getting to the quarterback.
Both Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample are back on one-year deals.
Ossai did manage 5 sacks last season, but his 9.7% pressure rate ranked 76th among qualified pass rushers.
Sample missed all of last season with a torn Achilles and has 5 career sacks.
2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy failed to record a sack last season and has played 658 snaps on defense through two years.
New DC Al Golden might be able to manufacture more pressure in his first season, but either way, edge rusher is a major need for this team.
Linebacker Depth Chart, Bengals:
- Logan Wilson
- Germaine Pratt
- Oren Burks
- Shaka Heyward
- Maema Njongmeta
- Joe Giles-Harris
- Craig Young
Akeem Davis-Gaither played a lot of snaps last season with Logan Wilson appearing in just 11 games, but he left in free agency.
Germaine Pratt is currently on the roster heading into his seventh season with the team, but he requested a trade ahead of free agency – and perhaps notably, shortly after new DC and former Bengals LBs coach Al Golden was hired.
There has not been any real news on that front since, so it remains to be seen where Pratt will be once Week 1 rolls around.
Cincy did add Oren Burks in free agency, but he has been more of a factor on special teams throughout his career.
If Pratt wants to stick around and the Bengals want to keep him, there are the makings of a solid enough linebacking corps here led by Wilson.
That said, Pratt’s trade request could have come because he saw the writing on the wall after a lackluster season.
It would not be surprising if the Bengals spent an early draft pick at linebacker, especially if Golden wants to get three linebackers on the field more in 2025.
Cornerback Depth Chart, Bengals:
- Dax Hill
- Cam Taylor-Britt
- DJ Turner II
- Josh Newton
- Marco Wilson
- DJ Ivey
- Jalen Davis
- Micah Abraham
- Nate Brooks
- Lance Robinson
The Bengals allowed 7.0 yards per pass attempt in 2024 (14th), but they bled touchdowns through the air.
Cincy allowed 30 passing touchdowns (29th) and a 5.2% touchdown rate (26th).
Mike Hilton remains a free agent, and the Bengals did not make any additions at corner in free agency.
They should get Dax Hill back given the early-October timing of his torn ACL, but he is coming back from a major injury.
The team also has a decision to make on his fifth-year option.
If they decline it, Hill will be scheduled to hit free agency after the season, along with Cam Taylor–Britt and Marco Wilson.
Taylor-Britt did manage to stay on the field last season, but he finished 110th among qualified corners in yards allowed per coverage snap.
He was fifth in the league in passes defended, but he was also targeted 91 times in coverage, the 13th-most in the league.
A 2023 second-round pick, DJ Turner has allowed 9.5 yards per target through two seasons and missed the end of the season with a broken collarbone.
Josh Newton got some run as a fifth-round rookie, and perhaps the Bengals will hope he can take a step forward in his second season.
The Bengals have spent a lot of early draft capital on corner, but this still feels like an underwhelming unit and a place they could target again this season.
Then again, they could also believe coaching was the ultimate problem and hope for better under the new defensive staff.
Safety Depth Chart, Bengals:
- Geno Stone
- Jordan Battle
- Daijahn Anthony
- Tycen Anderson
- PJ Jules
- Jaylen Key
Vonn Bell remains a free agent after finishing second in snaps played among this group last season.
Geno Stone led that race, but he took a big step back in his first season with the Bengals, finishing 50th out of 64 qualified safeties in coverage grade at PFF.
A 2023 third-round pick, Jordan Battle started the final six games last season but did not cover himself in glory.
He allowed a 96 quarterback rating in coverage and has now allowed 9 yards per target across two seasons.
There is no experience behind the top two on the depth chart.
There are several veteran safeties still available on the free agent market, but the Bengals might want to spend some early draft capital here to solidify the position, especially with Stone heading into a contract year.
2025 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams
