PHOENIX — A steady stream of men and women in business attire strolled through the swanky Arizona Biltmore hotel and resort over the last three days as the NFL came together to conduct its most notable three days of business in the calendar year.
For the Cincinnati Bengals’ contingent, however, a cloud of unfinished business followed the team’s representatives around the hallways and poolside chats during the NFL league meetings.
In discussions about the state of the Bengals — after folks around the league finished exhaling about Joe Burrow’s decision to risk injury at a March flag football event — the focus of conversation often turned to what the Bengals didn’t do this offseason, rather than any moves the organization made.
The Bengals’ month of March raised questions regarding the lack of restructured contracts for Burrow or Ja’Marr Chase, which, if completed, could have allowed Cincinnati to sign more players in free agency and approach the draft with more of a best-player-available strategy.
On Cincinnati’s side, the idea appears to be that the work of supplementing the roster isn’t done. There’s an expectation of waiting for the draft to unfold later this month before returning to the free-agent market to address remaining deficiencies. Last year, the Bengals added Dalton Risner and Noah Fant in the month before the season started. In past years, they have traded for B.J. Hill and Reggie Nelson in the weeks before the season. Those are the types of moves that could close the roster gaps after the team mostly backed off of free agency following the first wave.
Putting together the puzzle, the two main draft priorities look to be adding another pass rusher on the defensive line and a cornerback to fill out the room around Dax Hill and DJ Turner. Who those players would be will be determined as the draft unfolds, but those spots are drawing notable attention, along with the need for a swing tackle.
All of this sets the stage for the Bengals to make a late charge at addressing depth issues, considering the pressure on the team to win now or face a significant cloud of new problems at next year’s league meetings.
The Allen fit
There are reasons to criticize the Bengals’ decision to sign defensive tackle Jonathan Allen to a two-year, $25 million contract. He’s 31 years old and coming off a regression year after totaling 26 pressures and 3.5 sacks for the Minnesota Vikings. It’s fair to wonder if the last two seasons were true indicators of decline.
The thought around the Bengals was that Allen wasn’t used in ways that maximized his skill set, and when you watch video of him in one-on-one situations, he still has pass-rush juice.
Minnesota ate $17 million in dead money off the three-year, $51 million contract Allen signed last offseason by letting him go. But Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell wasn’t necessarily buying the premise that he didn’t mesh in their system.
“I wouldn’t say it didn’t quite mesh,” O’Connell said. “He was incredibly impactful in some division games, helping us win a couple games against the Lions where we were able to get Jared Goff off the spot and get him uncomfortable a couple times. That interior push was, obviously, a big part of that. I think the one unique thing about our defensive system is we can really morph and change as the season ebbs and flows and you are trying to take away the fastball of the offenses that you play. Sometimes, the scheme may call for guys to do different things than just some of the traditional ways of going forward that they’ve maybe done in their past. There’s always an adjustment period.”
Allen, along with veteran Javon Hargrave, endured that period in Minnesota and both signed elsewhere this offseason. By playing in a rotation with B.J. Hill, there’s a chance the two veteran defensive tackles can boost one another’s performance. O’Connell also pointed out that Allen and Hargrave made important contributions as mentors in the Vikings’ locker room.
“He brought so much to our team, leadership-wise,” O’Connell said. “You think about a guy like Jalen Redmond. Does he have the ascension and the year that he had without having guys like Jonathan Allen and Hargrave in that room, kind of showing him the way? We’ve got young players that are going to take those next steps, but super appreciative of a guy like Jonathan Allen.”
The Bengals took a calculated risk on Allen and hope he not only contributes improved production, but also helps Kris Jenkins and other young Bengals players develop.
Mafe’s early wins
While meeting with the media Monday at the NFC coaches’ breakfast, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was careful not to sound overconfident coming off of his team’s Super Bowl victory.
He didn’t want to use the word “defend” or give the impression that 2026 will be a continuation of last year. They have to start over in many ways and solve new problems. One question facing the Seahawks will be how to replace Boye Mafe, whom the Bengals signed on a three-year, $60 million contract.
Mafe was part of a diabolical rotation on the defensive line that powered Seattle’s championship run. Some critics might point to Mafe’s two sacks in 2025 as evidence that he underperformed last season, but Macdonald dismissed that line of argument.
“Actual pass-rush stats, pass-rush sacks, are a little overrated,” he said. “Probably the best thing that Boye does is (he) wins early, which (is) something you need. You need to affect the quarterback fast. Can he finish a little bit better? Yeah, absolutely. But to get the quarterback off the spot, somebody else is probably making that play, too. Another guy we were really excited about. We are going to miss him.”
Why Blackburn didn’t talk
One of the notable changes to the league meetings from a Bengals perspective this year was the lack of availability from Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn.
This has traditionally been the lone opportunity for reporters to hear from Blackburn. That followed decades where owner Mike Brown would speak with the media at the meetings. These sessions typically allowed members of the media to not only discuss the team with top Bengals executives, but also to learn more about why the organization voted certain ways about league issues and the franchise’s overall view on the league and the Bengals’ place in it.
Brown, 90, hasn’t made the trip in recent years to avoid unnecessary travel at his age. The Bengals informed members of the press that Blackburn wouldn’t be speaking at this year’s league meetings on March 8.
Bengals owner Mike Brown and his daughter Katie Blackburn, the team’s executive vice president, talk during OTAs last June. Blackburn did not meet with reporters in Phoenix this week, but she plans to talk to some members of the press this summer. (Sam Greene / Imagn Images)
The Bengals say the move was part of a broader decision to recalibrate their schedule of media availability for front-office employees and the team’s ownership group. Blackburn is expected to speak to the group of Bengals media who made the trip to Phoenix in June, when the team feels she will be in a better position to address the full offseason, following free agency, the draft and schedule release.
An owner, front office member or general manager was made available by 30 other teams at the league meetings. Only the hometown Arizona Cardinals joined the Bengals by not participating.
International games
The league added international marketing rights in Italy this week, which lays the groundwork for a future game being played there. The Bengals added marketing rights in Canada last year.
The league doesn’t view games in Canada as “imminent,” according to Gerrit Meier, the NFL executive in charge of the league’s international efforts, but he admitted the league maintains a great relationship with Canada and sees the game growing there. Just because a game isn’t planned where the Bengals have marketing rights doesn’t mean the team won’t be involved in international games, though.
The Bengals are locked into giving up a 2027 home game for international play, and they’re on a short list of teams that could play as an international road team this year. They already have scheduled away games against the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons, each of which is slated to host an international game. Atlanta will play one home game in Madrid and Washington will play a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
While those games are far from finalized, the Bengals with Burrow at quarterback are an enticing match for the league.
Flacco being back-o
Coach Zac Taylor admitted being “surprised” that Joe Flacco opted to return to the Bengals so soon. Flacco, who was hoping to land a job to compete as a starter elsewhere, signed a one-year deal last week to back up Burrow.
“I think you talk after the season and go through free agency, and he probably assessed his options and determined we were the best fit for him,” Taylor said. “So, let’s rip the Band-Aid off and go back to work. I was happy with that, certainly. Had you asked me immediately after the season, I would have said this is probably an August thing for him. But I am really happy that it worked out the way it did.”
The details of Flacco’s contract emerged this week, and while the deal is essentially a one-year contract for $6 million with $3 million in available incentives, it includes two void years in 2027 and 2028 to spread out the cap hit. He will count for $3.3 million against the cap this season.
Zac Taylor talks with media members on Tuesday at the NFL league meetings. (Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
Joint practices (probably) returning
Last year’s offseason approach revolved around starting faster and featured a pointed plan to change how training camp operated. The team switched practices from the afternoon to the morning, added a basketball competition to the start of the day, played starters in the preseason and passed on adding a joint practice.
Most of the changes look to be staying in 2026, with a general view of success from the coaching staff about how the team began last season (they started 2-0 before Burrow’s injury).
“I felt like our team had the right mentality as we started,” Taylor said. “We didn’t continue on, but I thought we started the right way.”
The one change coming back, however, looks to be a return to joint practices.
“We’ll see,” Taylor said. “I’ve talked to a team about a joint practice. I’m not ready to announce it yet. But leaning that direction.”