The NFLPA report cards can no longer be officially publicized after the NFL won their grievance, but that can’t stop the media from leaking them to the public.

ESPN’s Kayln Kahler published every grade for all 32 teams. Cincinnati’s overall GPA ranks 28th out of 32, featuring letter grades all over the board:

• Treatment of Families: F-
• Home Game Field: D-
• Food/Dining Area: F-
• Nutritionist/Dietician: F
• Locker Room: A-
• Training Room: A-
• Training Staff: A-
• Weight Room: A-
• Strength Coaches: A
• Position Coaches: B-
• Offensive Coordinator: A-
• Defensive Coordinator: B+
• Special Teams Coordinator: B+
• Team Travel: C-
• Head Coach: A-
• General Manager: C
• Team Ownership: D+

The Bengals have consistently received high marks for their training staff, training room, weight room, and strength coaches. Their locker room grade has also been high in the two years since the club renovated it back in 2024.

Players also made it known how they feel about head coach Zac Taylor and his coaching staff, and it speaks to why Cincinnati landed on its first big decision of the offseason.

Bengals players back up decision to retain Zac Taylor, assistant coaches

Three AFC North teams began anew in the coaching department. Cincinnati was the only franchise to stand by their HC, and virtually every other coach on staff. The only change was Jordan Salkin moving from assistant wide receivers coach to assistant quarterbacks coach, and Davis Koetter was hired to fill Salkin’s former position.

Bengals president Mike Brown made it known he still believes in Taylor, defensive coordinator Al Golden, and their leadership of the players. The players themselves seem to believe it as well, grading Taylor as an A-minus, and Golden an B-plus. Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher was also an A-minus. The position coaches as a whole received a B-minus.

Ownership and the locker room support the middle management that exists between them. Cincinnati can hang its hat on that. What the players don’t support, still, is what happens with their loved ones.

Bengals’ treatment of families, team food remain failures

This is the fourth year the NFLPA has ran these report cards. The Bengals have never been higher than an F in the “Treatment of Families” category. An F in 2023 was downgraded to an F-minus in 2024, and stayed an F-minus in 2025. F-minus again in 2026.

It legitimately boggles the mind to think how this grade has stayed at the lowest possible level for three consecutive years. Many players on the roster have only ever played for Cincinnati, but plenty have been at other clubs in their careers. The grade tells us the average player’s family is not treated well in the slightest compared to other spots around the league.

The Bengals have the smallest amount of company here. They have the lowest grade in this category, but the Pittsburgh Steelers also received an F.

Somehow, “Food/Dining Area” is even worse. Cincinnati was graded an F-minus in that regard, and no other franchise is below a D. The Bengals received an F in 2024, and an F-minus in 2025.

Whether or not the NFL was right in its attempt to hide these grades, it paints an interesting picture about what Cincinnati continues to prioritize, and what continues to be neglected.