Bengals officially learn a major part of yet another important offseason for Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Bengals now know where in the 2026 NFL Draft order they land.
The Cincinnati Bengals are officially onto the offseason, and that includes the 2026 NFL Draft.
Cincinnati’s 20-18 loss to the Cleveland Browns locks them in with the No. 10 pick in the draft. It’s the first time the Bengals will own a top-10 pick since the 2021 draft, when Ja’Marr Chase was selected No. 5 overall.
There were only a few spots in the order the Bengals could’ve wound up at, and the loss confirmed the No. 10 pick would be the lowest they could land. Two games outside of Cincinnati locked in which pick the club will own in the first round of the draft.
How the Bengals secured a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
The Bengals were already positioned with the No. 10 pick at the start of the week. They were one of three teams that entered Week 18 with a 6-10 record. The New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs were the other two 6-10 clubs, and both teams lost their Week 18 games. New Orleans lost, 19-17, to the Atlanta Falcons, and Kansas City lost, 11-9, to the Las Vegas Raiders, the official owners of the No. 1 pick.
All three teams finished the season 6-11, but Cincinnati has the better strength of schedule (.522) of the trio, which ensured the Saints and Chiefs would remain ahead of the Bengals in the first round.
Cincinnati could’ve ended up No. 11 in the order had its game gone differently. A win over the Browns would’ve moved the Bengals below the Miami Dolphins since the Dolphins fell to the New England Patriots, 38-10.
There were many permutations with those three games and Cincinnati’s own contest against Cleveland. All of it kept the Bengals right where they started entering the week.
The full NFL Draft order will be revealed later in the offseason following the announcement of the 32 compensatory picks. For now, Cincinnati can start preparing to pick No. 10 overall on April 24, as well as retooling the roster following another disappointing season.
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