The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a forgettable season, with superstar quarterback Joe Burrow and company finishing the 2025 NFL season with a disappointing record of 6-11 while missing the playoffs entirely.
Fortunately for Cincinnati, the team has the kind of talent to bounce back quickly, led by Burrow under center.
Bengals OC: ‘We’re Trying to Find Ways to Be Explosive’
GettyJoe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals
In 2026, the Bengals will attempt to bounce back with a vengeance in an always competitive AFC North division. If all goes well, Burrow will be healthy and ready to go for Week 1, with Cincinnati expected to be a force to be reckoned with in the conference.
As if the Bengals were a scary sight for opposing defenses with Burrow leading the charge, the team’s offense is looking to take it to another level in 2026, with an emphasis on being more explosive.
Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher recently sat down with Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic to discuss shaking up the team’s offense to become more explosive.
“If you are looking at, ‘How are we going to be a really explosive offense?’ the data would suggest you got to have a component of your offense that allows you to get under center and attack the defense.” Pitcher said. “Truthfully, yeah, I believe in what those numbers say, and we are going to have to explore that part of our offense.”
Burrow seems clearly on board with the changes Pitchner and head coach Zac Taylor might make to the offense.
“We’re trying to find ways to be explosive in the run game and then try to find some things off of that that can get us a couple of easy explosives,” Burrow said. “We’re committed to that. Our coaching staff has done a great job this offseason of putting a plan together to try to execute that. So I’m excited to see how it works out.”
If the Bengals can take it to another level offensively, they could be in for an interesting season that might pay off with another run to the Super Bowl.
Zac Taylor Always Looking for Ways to ‘Evolve’ Bengals Offense
GettyQuarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals coaching staff will have some work to do to get back on track in 2026, but Taylor seems as open as anyone in Cincinnati to evolving the offense moving forward.
“I think there’s always ways we’re looking to evolve our offense, and a great way to play football is to have a lead with eight minutes left in the game and find ways to milk the clock, and certainly running the football is a big part of that,” coach Zac Taylor said. “If there’s ways you can blend that throughout the game, and we’re always going to look for ways that can effectively elevate our offense, we’re not afraid to do whatever that’s going to take.”
It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out for the Bengals and whether the team can get back to being a perennial Super Bowl title contender in the AFC.
Coach Predicts ‘Explosive’ Change for QB Joe Burrow & Bengals Offense