Win or lose, the Cincinnati Bengals are playing their final game until the 2026 preseason this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. It’s also the final home game at Paycor Stadium this season, which means several Bengals will play one last time in Cincinnati in front of thousands of Bengals fans.

Whether they were fan favorites, blame magnets, or players who were only in town for a year, there will be no shortage of farewells Sunday afternoon. Let’s highlight the players who may be playing in Cincinnati one final time.

Joseph Ossai

Ossai has been with the Bengals since being selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and with Trey Hendrickson missing most of this year, you could make the argument that he’s been their best overall pass-rusher from Week 1 until now.

He signed a one-year deal this past offseason, and while he didn’t quite capitalize on it, he remained a solid player. He’s also been out since Week 15 and may not even play in this game, but head coach Zac Taylor kept that door open earlier in the week.

It’s not out of the question for Ossai to come back, but it would also make sense for him to want a fresh start elsewhere.

Geno Stone

Stone is one of the safer bets to walk in free agency this March. Originally signed to a two-year deal in 2024, Cincinnati forced Stone to accept a pay cut to stay on the roster this season but still made him an uncontested starter once again. His faults as a tackler and in deep zones remained problematic, and he’s been one of the bigger liabilities of a defense that’s struggled for most of the season.

There’s not much else to say. Stone coming back would be one of the most shocking moves in recent Bengals memory.

Dalton Risner

Now we’re getting to a priority re-sign. Risner was added to the roster right before the start of the regular season and was a spot starter for the first half of the year. He officially settled in as the starting right guard in Week 12, and the offensive line has never protected better in the Joe Burrow era since.

It cost relatively pennies to sign Risner in the first place. Extending his contract before free agency should be an absolute slam dunk for the Bengals, but if not, his short stint will be well remembered by Cincinnati fans haunted by bad guard play.

Noah Fant

Another late signing from the offseason, Fant joined at the start of training camp and has played as expected as a rotational tight end. He filled Mike Gesicki’s role well during the middle of the season, but he’s mostly been an afterthought since Gesicki’s return from injury.

Fant came to Cincinnati to increase his value on the open market in the spring. He didn’t exactly accomplish that, but was still useful nonetheless. Maybe there’s a mutual interest in another one-year deal.

Cam Sample

Like Ossai, Sample was a 2021 draftee and came back on a one-year deal earlier in the year. He’s been the same player he’s always been, and while that’s useful to fill out a roster, he’s not exactly a high priority to retain yet again.

This could go either way, but I believe the Bengals will at least look at other options.

Jalen Davis

Davis is simply one of Cincinnati’s best stories. He spent several years biding his time as a reserve on one-year deals or on the practice squad before finally taking ownership of the starting nickelback role since Dax Hill’s successful emergency move to the boundary. Don’t look now, but he may be playing his way to starting next year.

He’ll be 30 in February and has never commanded a high salary before. It shouldn’t be too hard to bring him back.

Tanner Hudson

Hudson has signed one-year deals in each of the last two offseasons. Will there be a third in 2026? He’s still trusted by Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor to play significant snaps when needed. His return could boil down to whether or not Erick All Jr. can come back in the spring. All suffered a torn ACL back in 2024, which required two surgeries and decommissioned him for all of 2025.

There are ways to get younger and more dynamic at the tight end position, which is why Hudson is not a guarantee to come back. His return, however, would not surprise anyone.

Joe Flacco

Maybe the biggest mystery on this list is Flacco. Cincinnati traded for the 40-year-old in October and started him for six games. The production was much better than expected, and even if the wins didn’t match the numbers he was putting up, who’s to say the Bengals wouldn’t be interested in bringing back the veteran for another year? He’s a proven upgrade over Jake Browning as a backup, and with Burrow’s durability concerns still on everyone’s minds, it would be a wise move to keep him in the building.

Why a return won’t happen revolves around the possibility of Flacco getting more money to start, or at least competing to start, somewhere else. If his market doesn’t materialize in that way, Cincinnati should keep in touch.

Also, Flacco may not play in this game. He’s come off the bench in each of the last two weeks in garbage time, but that may not happen Sunday. If he stays on the sideline, he belongs in the next category of names.

Other Bengals who will not play, but are likely saying goodbye as well

Trey Hendrickson

Hendrickson only played seven games this season after spending the entire offseason pushing for a multi-year contract with future guarantees.

He only got a one-year raise and suffered a core muscle injury that eventually required season-ending surgery. It’s really tough to see either the front office or Hendrickson trying to work things out again next year. This feels very much like the end.

Jake Browning

Browning is a tricky case. He’ll be a restricted free agent, which gives the Bengals easy control over retaining him if they desire. That said, would they want to keep him around after he fell apart in the three games he started for Burrow?

His ineptitude is the whole reason why the Flacco trade happened. They may allow him to leave without placing a tender offer on him.

Cam Taylor-Britt

Taylor-Britt played in 11 games before a Linsfranc injury cut his season short. His rookie contract will expire in March, and after two rough seasons going back and forth between the starting lineup and the bench, it’s in both parties’ best interests to move on.

Cordell Volson

Volson suffered a shoulder injury at the end of the preseason and hasn’t played since. He should not be expected to return.