Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart 2026 — Starters & Backups

Joe Burrow is the Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback for 2026, with Joe Flacco as the backup — he played 100% of the offensive snaps in 2026.

The starting receivers are Ja'Marr Chase (WR1), Tee Higgins (WR2) and Colbie Young (WR3), with Mike Gesicki at tight end.

The 2026 depth chart lists 11 starting jobs on offense (primary personnel: 11) and 12 on defense. The defense lines up in a 4-3 base with a nickel sub-package.

Cincinnati Bengals 2026 depth chart: offense
Position	Starter	Second	Third
QB	Joe Burrow	Joe Flacco	Josh Johnson
RB	Chase Brown	Samaje Perine	Tahj Brooks
WR1	Ja'Marr Chase	Dohnte Meyers	Jordan Moore
WR2	Tee Higgins	Mitchell Tinsley	Noah Thomas
WR3	Colbie Young (Q)	Ke'Shawn Williams
TE	Mike Gesicki	Drew Sample	Erick All Jr.
LT	Orlando Brown Jr.	Javon Foster	Myles Hinton
LG	Dylan Fairchild	Jalen Rivers	Dalton Risner
C	Ted Karras	Jacob Bayer	Connor Lew
RG	Dalton Risner	Jacob Bayer	Jalen Rivers
RT	Amarius Mims	Myles Hinton

Cincinnati Bengals 2026 depth chart: defense
Position	Starter	Second	Third
LDE	Boye Mafe	Cashius Howell	Shemar Stewart
LDT	Dexter Lawrence II	T.J. Slaton Jr.	Landon Robinson
RDT	Jonathan Allen	B.J. Hill	Kris Jenkins Jr.
RDE	Myles Murphy	Cashius Howell	Shemar Stewart
WLB	Demetrius Knight Jr.	Swayze Bozeman (IR)
MLB	Barrett Carter	Joe Giles-Harris
SLB	Oren Burks	Jack Kiser	Swayze Bozeman (IR)
LCB	Dax Hill	Tacario Davis	DJ Ivey
RCB	DJ Turner II	DJ Ivey	Josh Newton
Nickel	Dax Hill	Josh Newton	Bralyn Lux
FS	Bryan Cook	PJ Jules	Russ Yeast
SS	Jordan Battle	Kyle Dugger (Q)	Russ Yeast

Cincinnati Bengals 2026 depth chart: special teams
Position	Starter	Second	Third
K	Evan McPherson
P	Ryan Rehkow
LS	William Wagner
H	Ryan Rehkow
KR	Dohnte Meyers	Samaje Perine	Ke'Shawn Williams
PR	Dohnte Meyers	Ke'Shawn Williams
K	Evan McPherson

Frequently asked questions

Who is the Bengals' RB1?

Chase Brown starts at RB for Cincinnati — 70.2% of snaps in 2026 so far. Samaje Perine is second and Tahj Brooks third.

Who starts at QB for the Bengals?

Joe Burrow (year 7) starts at QB for Cincinnati in 2026. Joe Flacco is QB2.

Who are the Bengals' starting WRs?

The Bengals' starting wide receivers in 2026 are Ja'Marr Chase (WR1), Tee Higgins (WR2) and Colbie Young (WR3).

Who starts on the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line?

The Cincinnati Bengals starting offensive line: Orlando Brown Jr. (LT), Dylan Fairchild (LG), Ted Karras (C), Dalton Risner (RG) and Amarius Mims (RT).

Who are the Cincinnati Bengals kicker, punter and long snapper?

Cincinnati Bengals specialists: Evan McPherson (kicker), Ryan Rehkow (punter) and William Wagner (long snapper).

Which Cincinnati Bengals starters are injured or unavailable?

Injured or unavailable on the Cincinnati Bengals depth chart: Colbie Young (Q), Tanner Hudson (O), Andrei Iosivas (IR), Brian Parker II (IR), Jalen Davis (IR), Ja'Sir Taylor (IR) and Swayze Bozeman (IR).