For nearly two decades, Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh were head coaches in the AFC North.
Really, the division was one of the most stable in football, as there had not been a coaching change since the Browns hired Kevin Stefanski in 2020.
But that changed in a hurry in January, as the Browns fired Stefanski, the Ravens fired Harbaugh, and Tomlin resigned from the Steelers.
That leaves Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor, hired in 2019, as the AFC North’s longest-tenured coach.
“Well, it’s strange,” Taylor said at the scouting combine this week when asked how it feels to be the most senior coach in the division. “You know, I’ve got a lot of respect for those three guys I’ve been competing against the last few years, and obviously great coaches and [they] have had a lot of success. So, it’s a little strange, but I’m sure that I’ll get used to it very quickly.”
How has the landscape of the division changed now?
“Not for me to sit here and say today,” Taylor said. “Maybe those teams will evolve in different ways than they have over the last couple years. Kind of impossible for me to say but exciting for us. We’ve got continuity. We’ve got to capitalize on that and continue to build and move forward.”
The Bengals do have continuity at some of the most important positions, with Taylor, quarterback Joe Burrow, offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, and defensive coordinator Al Golden all returning for 2026. We’ll see if that continuity turns into on-field success after Cincinnati finished 6-11 in 2025.
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson was looking for a long-term deal with the Bengals for the last couple of years, but never got the contract he desired before playing out the final year of his current pact in 2025.
There’s no sign that the Bengals and Hendrickson have made progress toward a multi-year agreement and the team is keeping the door open to extending their hold on Hendrickson via the franchise tag this offseason. Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said at a Tuesday press conference that the prospect of the team using a tag on Hendrickson, who ended the season on injured reserve after core muscle surgery, is “not something I’m gonna talk about.”
“I don’t throw anything on or off the table with Trey, and we’re excited about attacking this offseason,” Tobin said, via Ben Baby of ESPN.com. “We have resources to attack the offseason in a big way, and we want to do that.”
A tag would come with a salary of $30.2 million for the 2026 season and Tobin was asked about the prospect of tagging Hendrickson with the intent to trade him to another club.
“All trades are difficult,” Tobin said. “You got to find a partner and you have to find somebody that you have to have some cooperation with your players that you’re talking about this with. Trades can be complicated and that hypothetical scenario would be very complicated.”
Hendrickson has been with the Bengals since 2021. He posted 57 sacks in his first four seasons before notching four in his seven 2025 appearances.
The following are PFT’s top 100 free agents for the start of the 2026 league year. The rankings include prospective unrestricted free agents and released players. The list will be updated as events warrant, with signings, tags and re-signings denoted when announced and/or reported. Players released after initial publication may be added and all 100 players initially on the list will still be listed after any additions.
1. Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens.
2. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones.
3. Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum.
4. Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd.
5. Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
6. Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts.
7. Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce.
8. Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson.
9. Jets running back Breece Hall.
10. Packers quarterback Malik Willis.
11. Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean.
12. Seahawks WR/KR/PR Rashid Shaheed.
13. Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker.
14. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker.
15. Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith.
16. Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean.
17. Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe.
18. Packers linebacker Quay Walker.
19. Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal.
20. Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans.
21. Seahawks defensive back Coby Bryant.
22. 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings.
23. Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs.
24. Jaguars running back Travis Etienne.
25. Broncos edge rusher John Franklin-Myers.
26. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
27. Eagles edge rusher Jaelen Phillips.
28. Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
29. Bills center Connor McGovern.
30. Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
31. Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen.
32. Chiefs safety Bryan Cook.
33. Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright.
34. Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa.
35. Dolphins edge rusher Bradley Chubb.
36. Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely.
37. Chargers edge rusher Odafe Oweh.
38. Steelers offensive guard Isaac Seumalo.
39. Lions defensive tackle D.J. Reader.
40. Browns linebacker Devin Bush.
41. Bears safety Jaquan Brisker.
42. Rams safety Kamren Curl.
43. Bills offensive guard David Edwards.
44. Patriots edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson.
45. Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
46. Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor.
47. Chargers offensive guard Zion Johnson.
48. Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio.
49. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert.
50. Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone.
51. Panthers center Cade Mays.
52. Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack.
53. Bears safety Kevin Byard.
54. Colts edge rusher Kwity Paye.
55. Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss.
56. Ravens edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones.
57. Browns offensive guard Wyatt Teller.
58. Lions edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad.
59. Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner.
60. Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson.
61. Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins.
62. Cowboys edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
63. Saints linebacker Demario Davis.
64. Panthers running back Rico Dowdle.
65. Falcons edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie.
66. Titans offensive guard Kevin Zeitler.
67. Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins.
68. Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson.
69. Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton.
70. Saints edge rusher Cameron Jordan.
71. Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe.
72. Giants offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor.
73. Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk.
74. Browns tight end David Njoku.
75. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
76. Giants offensive guard Greg Van Roten.
77. Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota.
78. Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown.
79. Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata.
80. Bucs linebacker Lavonte David.
81. Bengals guard Dalton Risner.
82. Vikings safety Harrison Smith.
83. Giants quarterback Russell Wilson.
84. Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
85. Jets safety Andre Cisco.
86. Buccaneers running back Rachaad White.
87. Packers edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare.
88. Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen.
89. Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas.
90. Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins.
91. Titans tight end Chig Okonwko.
92. Eagles safety Reed Blankenship.
93. Raiders offensive guard Dylan Parham.
94. Browns safety Rayshawn Jenkins.
95. Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton.
96. Broncos outside linebacker Justin Strnad.
97. Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco.
98. Colts cornerback Mike Hilton.
99. Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.
100. Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier.
The Cowboys waived linebacker Logan Wilson on Friday, the team announced.
The move will save the team $6.5 million against the salary cap.
The Cowboys traded with the Bengals for Wilson at the trade deadline, giving up a seventh-round pick.
Wilson played 224 snaps in seven games, one of those a start, and totaled 24 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass defensed. He had no snaps in the Week 16 game against the Commanders.
The Bengals benched Wilson for rookie Barrett Carrett, prompting the veteran to ask for a trade. In eight games with Cincinnati, Wilson had 46 tackles and four pass breakups.
The Bengals made Wilson a third-round pick in 2020, and he started 65 of 76 games he played for the team.
The Bengals are bringing back a couple of players for 2026.
Cincinnati announced on Friday that the club has signed cornerback Jalen Davis to a one-year contract extension for the 2026 season. The team has also re-signed running back Kendall Milton to a one-year deal.
Davis has appeared in 59 regular-season games with three starts since joining the Bengals in 2020. He played seven games with three starts last year, recording an interception, a sack, and 20 total tackles.
Milton spent most of the last two seasons on the Bengals’ practice squad. He has appeared in three career games, playing 10 total offensive snaps.
Kendric Pryor will be back with the Bengals for the 2026 offseason program.
Cincinnati announced on Wednesday that the club has re-signed the wide receiver to a one-year contract.
Pryor, 28, has been with the Bengals since 2023 after starting his career with the club as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
He did not appear in a game for the Bengals in 2025, spending the season on the practice squad. Pryor has appeared in two career regular-season contests, catching one pass in 2024.
The 2025 season ended eight days ago. In one day, the first significant moment toward the refinement of rosters for 2026 arrives.
The annual two-week window for applying the franchise tag opens on Tuesday, February 17.
As some have suggested in the past, the only day that really matters is the last day for applying the tag (March 3). But with the Scouting Combine (a/k/a Tampering Central) coming next week, some teams may be inclined to apply the tag before all of them convene in Indianapolis, in order to make it clear that an impending free agent won’t be free.
That’s the most important thing to remember about the franchise tag. It gives each team the ability to block one player per year from earning on the open market a long-term contract from the cash-and-cap-rich teams.
Last year, only two tags were applied — by the Bengals to receiver Tee Higgins and by the Chiefs to guard Trey Smith. It was the fewest total tags since 2006.
This year, there are several intriguing candidates for the franchise tag (or, in theory, the little-used transition tag).
The list starts with Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III. He finished his 2022 second-round contract with a flourish, gaining 376 rushing yards in three playoff games and winning the Super Bowl MVP award. It would cost the Seahawks $14.1 million to extend Walker’s stay by a fifth year and/or to extend until July 15 the ability to sign him to a long-term deal.
The question for the Seahawks becomes projecting whether another team will break the bank for a running back, and whether Walker (with his name and accomplishments removed from the equation) justifies a major investment moving forward, given the supply-demand realities of the running back position. (In 2006, the Seahawks gave running back Shaun Alexander a market-level deal after his MVP season, and they quickly regretted it.)
Cowboys receiver George Pickens could be headed for the tag, even if he may not be thrilled about it. One year and $28 million falls far short of the market-level, multi-year deal ($40 million per year or more) he may desire.
Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. will be hitting the market, barring the tag. He had a career high in catches (88) and touchdowns (five), but Pitts has still yet to live up to the potential that made him the fourth overall pick in 2021, one spot above receiver Ja’Marr Chase. It remains to be seen whether the new regime in Atlanta (led by the quarterback who threw passes to Pitts as a rookie) will choose to apply the $16 million tag.
The Eagles sent a third-round pick during the 2025 season to the Dolphins for linebacker Jaelan Phillips. He performed well in Philly, and the Eagles have to decide whether to try to keep him or to let him go, and to collect a potential compensatory draft pick in 2027.
The Bengals may decide to use the tag to keep defensive end Trey Hendrickson around for another year. The price tag ($30.1992 million, based on his 2025 cap number) is high. And there’s lingering acrimony between player and team.
Whatever the final number, the number will likely be far closer to last year’s two than the 2012 record high of 21. That year, the shift in calculation from the 2011 CBA combined with a small bump in the cap due to the lockout made it cheaper to use the tag.
Cheap continues to be the operative word. Teams want to keep their best players without having to pay market rates. And while, in theory, that only impacts the players who don’t get to become free agents, it also holds down the rest of the market by not letting the best free agents get every penny they deserve.
So, yes, the franchise tag stinks for players. But it’s never going away, given that it gives teams the annual ability to keep a highly-talented player around without giving him the contract he has otherwise earned.
The Bengals missed the playoffs for the third straight season and it wasn’t hard to diagnose what kept the team from advancing beyond Week 18.
Quarterback Joe Burrow’s toe injury kept him off the field for half the season, the team finished 29th in rushing yards and they struggled to stop opposing teams even when the offense was getting the job done. All three playoff-less seasons have seen the defense finish near the back of the pack in points and yards allowed, which is likely what wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is referenced when he was asked about how the team needs to approach the offseason.
“Yeah. I mean, everybody pretty much knows what we need,” Chase said, via Russell Heltman of SI.com. “I’ve said it out in the media. All I gotta do is sit back and watch. I can’t control that, so all I gotta do is control my production. I mean, at the end of the day, I’m just stating my opinion on what I think we need. So, you know, I sit back, let the organization do what they do, and I just gotta let my play do the rest.”
Chase’s play has made him one of the most productive wideouts in the league since he entered the NFL, but that won’t be enough to lift the Bengals back into the upper ranks of the AFC if the defense remains little more than a speed bump to opposing offenses.
The NFL filed a grievance over the NFL Players Association’s annual report cards in order to keep the NFLPA from publicizing criticisms of teams and owners. The NFL won a ruling preventing the NFLPA from doing so.
Still, the 26-page ruling from arbitrator Scott E. Buchheit, a copy of which PFT has obtained, makes it clear that the next wave of report cards may be disseminated to all players.
The opinion also includes a full list of the criticisms about which the NFL complained from the 2025 report cards.
Here’s the full content of relevant portions of Buchheit’s written decision.
“As to the individual comments contained within the Report Cards that lead to the letter grades, the NFLMC has richly detailed that they do contain numerous criticisms. These include, but are not limited to, the following examples from the 2025 Report Card that are contained in its brief:
“New York Jets: The Union said Players complained that ‘management responded to feedback [from prior Team Report Cards] by making conditions worse,’ including cutting the food budget and not retaining a long-time dietician after poor food grades the prior year. The Union also graded owner Woody Johnson an F — the lowest owner rating in the league, 5.58 out of 10 — which, according to Players, resulted from his perceived unwillingness to invest in facilities. . . . Players cited ‘perceived top leadership issues, with some describing issues as “top-down problems”'—reflecting ownership concerns.
“Cincinnati Bengals: The Union again criticized treatment of families, stating that Players called it a ‘major concern’ and saying there is ‘little to no effort’ to support families. ‘One player describes the treatment of families as “‘almost disrespectful,”’ resulting in a grade of F-minus.
“Buffalo Bills: The Union dropped the Club in the overall rankings from prior years because ‘issues . . . previously raised [by Players] . . . have not been addressed and thus have become greater concerns[.]’ The Union claimed Players were concerned that ‘current [training] staffing is inadequate to help them recover,’ and ‘travel continues to be the worst part of their experience’ because they ‘do not have a comfortable amount of space when traveling and the travel schedule itself is a source of significant dissatisfaction.’
“Arizona Cardinals: The Union ranked the Club last overall based on Player feedback, criticizing the treatment of families (lack of family events, limits on pregame sideline access, poor in-game family accommodations), and a so-called deficient locker room, training facilities, and weight room. The Union stated that Players also faulted owner Michael Bidwill, saying he ‘slightly contributes to a positive team culture’ and is only ‘somewhat committed to building a competitive team[.]’
“Philadelphia Eagles: The Union highlighted that Players ‘are frustrated that mealtimes overlap with the organization’s business staff, leading to crowding and limited seats,’ and ‘feel they should get first class seats on team flights instead of the coaching staff.’
“Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Union published that Players criticized the locker room, lodging ‘several complaints about cleanliness, including poor ventilation and a persistent bad smell.’
“Jacksonville Jaguars: The Union gave the Club an F for treatment of families; ‘Players believe that many changes need to be made,’ including more access to sideline passes, a family room during the game, and upgrades to the post-game family area.
“Kansas City Chiefs: The Union said Players ‘continue to express the need for renovation and upgrades to the locker room’ and criticized the home game hotel as the ‘lowest in the league,’ remarking that it is ‘outdated,’ the beds are ‘uncomfortable,’ and the floors are ‘dirty and sticky.’
“Carolina Panthers: The Union continued to cite Player criticisms of owner David Tepper for using ‘turf instead of grass, perhaps because it is cheaper to maintain,’ and complained about travel due to the ‘new coaching staff moving players from first class last season and placing them in smaller, coach seats.’
“New England Patriots: The Union gave the Club a failing travel grade and singled out the ‘team plane’ —'Players specifically responded that “our plane is the worst thing – size, space, [and] safety,”’ and ‘it is not conducive to preparedness for athletic performance,’ because, among other things, ‘it lacks Wi-Fi and still has ashtrays in the seats.’ One player also referred to the carpeting in the locker room as ‘dingy with pieces missing.’
“Indianapolis Colts: The Union stated that Players complained of travel arrangements, noting that they ‘don’t feel like they have enough personal space on flights. They want more access to first-class seating.’
Those are the full complaints from the 2025 report cards that were included in Buchheit’s decision. Eleven teams in all were mentioned, with three owners identified by name — Woody Johnson, Michael Bidwill, and David Tepper.
The complaints listed in the 26-page ruling come from not from the to-be-released report cards but from the report cards prepared and published in 2025. It’s inevitable, however, that one of the many NFLPA members who’ll receive the 2026 report card will disclose them, to someone. Once they’re leaked (to PFT or to another outlet), we’ll post them here in full.
UPDATE 11:46 p.m. ET: An earlier version of this article mistakenly characterized the complaints listed above as coming from the survey conducted in 2025, not from the report cards released in 2025. The 2025 surveys were not included in Buccheit’s opinion. They’ll eventually be released to the players but not published by the NFLPA. In past years, the report cards were released during the Scouting Combine.
The Bengals have announced their complete coaching staff for the 2026 season.
It will include assistant wide receivers coach Davis Koetter. The Bengals announced the hiring Koetter, who is the son of former Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter, along with the complete staff on Friday. Koetter was the assistant quarterbacks coach at South Carolina last season.
Four members of head coach Zac Taylor’s staff will have new titles in 2026. Tight ends coach James Casey will also be the run game coordinator while Jordan Salkin moves to assistant quarterbacks coach. Assistant linebackers coach Ronnie Regula and assistant defensive line coach Mike Moon have been promoted from defensive assistant.
The rest of the staff includes director of player performance/head strength and conditioning coach Joey Boese, secondary/cornerbacks coach Charles Burks, senior defensive assistant Sean Desai, defensive coordinator Al Golden, running backs coach Justin Hill, linebackers coach Mike Hodges, pass game coordinator Justin Rascati, assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons, assistant strength and conditioning coach Diamond Simmons, assistant strength and conditioning coach Garrett Swanson, wide receivers coach Troy Walters, assistant special teams coach Ben Jacobs, quarterbacks coach Brad Kragthorpe, assistant offensive line coach Michael McCarthy, defensive line coach/run game coordinator Jerry Montgomery, offensive line coach Scott Peters, and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher.
