Cincinnati

Bengals

Pitcher, 39, has garnered some head coaching interest in previous hiring cycles but has never been considered a leading candidate for any job. He would be a long shot to land the Browns head coaching job, though the team could fall back on Pitcher if other, more experienced candidates turn down one of the most thankless jobs in football. Pitcher is known for his work with quarterbacks — a key qualification for anyone who gets the head coaching gig in Cleveland. Pitcher once worked for the Colts scouting department alongside Browns general manager Andrew Berry.

In other words, embattled DC Al Golden has survived. This seemed impossible in November, when the Bengals were putting up numbers that generated WOAT discussion in the field of defensive performance. Things did turn around a bit towards the end of the season. We can’t say we’re surprised that the Bengals retained Golden, because they are reluctant to make major changes to a fault, but it is definitely a bold move by Taylor to attach his coaching future to what happened to this defense in 2025.

Taylor-Britt, who in late November was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury, pleaded guilty to reckless driving and an unclassified no-license charge stemming from an incident in September, according to media reports. His sentence is expected to start immediately. Taylor-Britt, 26, selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, has seven interceptions over 47 games in the NFL. It’s unclear if the team or the league will take action against him for the 2026 season.

He was an exclusive rights free agent. Tinsley pushed former third-rounder Jermaine Burton out of Joe Burrow’s circle of trust in the preseason and managed an 8/116/2 seasonal receiving line, with 15 of those targets coming against the Ravens and Patriots as Tee Higgins was out. Tinsley isn’t exactly a fantasy football sleeper, but Burrow’s rapport with him does make him interesting as a contingency plan. The Bengals also signed these 18 other players to ERFA one-year deals or futures contracts: LB Liam Anderson, C Jacob Bayer, HB Gary Brightwell, QB Sean Clifford, OT Andrew Coker, DT Howard Cross, OT Javon Foster, WR Xavier Johnson, CB Jalen Kimber, CB Bralyn Lux, WR Jordan Moore, LB Antwaun Powell-Ryland, S Russ Yeast, DE Isaiah Foskey, LB Joe Giles-Harris, LB Shaka Heyward, TE Cam Grandy, and S PJ Jules.

Flacco finished out the season as Cincinnati’s backup quarterback after Joe Burrow returned from injury in Week 13. The soon-to-be 41-year-old told reporters he’s open to staying on as Burrow’s backup, but also open to fielding calls from a team that needed a quarterback next season. It sounds like Flacco has yet another One Last Job season loading for 2026.

Following an emphatic report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport over the weekend that Taylor was going nowhere, the Bengals announced that they’re sticking with the 42-year-old coach Monday morning. Taylor, who took the franchise to its third Super Bowl appearance in 2021 and first since 1988, has also overseen the team nosedive in the last three seasons. Cincinnati hasn’t made the playoffs in three years, with significant injuries to quarterback Joe Burrow impacting two of those seasons. The Bengals defense allowed 492 points this year, the most in franchise history, after moving on from defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo last offseason. Taylor’s contract reportedly runs through the 2027 season, giving him job security that it is difficult to say he’s earned.

Hot off a rebound 2024 season, Gesicki inked a three-year, $25.5 million contract to stay in Cincinnati in the offseason. It became apparent early in the year that Gesicki would not be giving Bengals fans an encore in 2025. He was held under 20 receiving yards in each of his first six games before a pec injury sent him to injured reserve. Gesicki started to turn things around after coming off IR, totaling 35 yards on four grabs in Week 12. At the time, it was his best game of the year. He eventually popped for a few other meaningful games, though he ultimately topped 50 yards just once on the year. He posted a 28/307/2 receiving line in total. The Bengals could save $3.3 million in cap space with a $4.3 million dead cap hit if they move on from him after the year. Either way, we don’t expect him to be on the fantasy radar in 2026.

He managed a fumble-six — somehow his third of the season — in a game that the Browns won on a last-second field goal. Fant was heavily involved in Cincinnati’s offense while Mike Gesicki was on injured reserve, but still finished with his lowest yardage output in seven NFL seasons at 33/283/3. A surprise July release by Seattle, Fant latched on with the Bengals quickly on a one-year deal. He’ll likely find a new spot as a veteran placeholder in this same sort of role in 2026.

Iosivas proved to be a capable depth option in 2024, but there wasn’t much room for his role to grow this year. He appeared in all 17 games and totaled 34 grabs for 435 yards. His 2025 stat line was nearly identical to 2024’s, except for a notable drop in touchdowns. He scored six times last year compared to two touchdowns this time around. For fantasy purposes, Iosivas only cracks the weekly FLEX ranks when one of Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins is sidelined. He won’t be on the redraft radar for his fourth NFL season.

Perine returned to Cincinnati on a two-year deal in the offseason. He easily took the RB2 gig over rookie Tahj Brooks and eventually parlayed that into a committee role. Perine didn’t log a single carry over the first two weeks but was stacking 10-touch games by November. He finished the year with 84 carries for 382 yards and three scores while adding 17 grabs for 87 yards. Perine was a staple of the RB4 ranks over the final two months of the year. He will likely keep his No. 2 role with the Bengals into the 2026 season.