As NFL training camps approach, the Cincinnati Bengals have received a wave of encouraging news about their prospects for the 2025 season. While the Bengals themselves have made steady improvements, it’s the reaction of their rivals, particularly in the AFC North, that signals just how formidable this Cincinnati squad has become.
The biggest news impacting the Bengals didn’t even come from their own front office. Instead, it was a blockbuster trade between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins that sent shockwaves through the division. According to Spotrac, the Steelers, in a clear win-now move, acquired superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith, while the Dolphins received All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
This trade, combined with Pittsburgh’s earlier additions of veteran corner Darius Slay and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, underscores a single reality: the Steelers are absolutely terrified of what Cincinnati will be in 2025. Pittsburgh’s moves are a direct response to the Bengals’ high-powered offense led by Joe Burrow and his elite receiving corps.
The numbers back up the fear. Since 2021, the Bengals have posted three seasons with a Pro Football Focus (PFF) passing grade over 90.0. The rest of the NFL combined for only 4 such seasons over that same time horizon. And the only year Cincinnati failed to reach that mark was when Burrow was sidelined by injury. From an analytics perspective, the Bengals passing game is lapping the rest of the NFL.
To put this in perspective, in the past decade, only two teams with a passing grade over 90 have missed the playoffs (including the Bengals last year). The 2024 Bengals were clearly a statistical anomaly that’s unlikely to repeat. With Burrow healthy and reunited with stars like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Cincinnati’s offense is expected to once again be among the league’s most explosive.
It’s not just Pittsburgh that’s scrambling. The Baltimore Ravens have also made major moves to bolster their secondary, adding veteran cornerback Jaire Alexander and drafting safety Malaki Starks in the first round. These investments are clear attempts to come up with a way to contain this Bengals team as AFC North defenses are being rebuilt specifically to try to contain Cincinnati’s aerial assault.
While the focus is often on Burrow and the receivers, the Bengals have quietly addressed other areas as well. The team drafted Dylan Fairchild to strengthen the offensive line, and young receiver Andrei Iosivas has been turning heads in offseason workouts. On defense, the addition of linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. is seen as a promising boost to the unit’s speed and versatility.
The true sign of Cincinnati’s ascendance may be the desperation of their rivals. It can be easy to fall for a team’s internal hope and hype this time of year. The decisions from a team’s competition paints a much clearer picture of reality.The Steelers’ aggressive trades and the Ravens’ secondary overhaul mirror the kind of moves teams once made to try to dethrone the New England Patriots during the Tom Brady era.
Despite missing the playoffs last season, the data and context suggest it was a fluke. The Bengals lost several close games, including heartbreakers against the Chiefs, Ravens, and Chargers. Despite all there woes, Cincinnati was just a few favorable bounces away from a postseason berth. With improvements on both sides of the ball and a healthy Burrow, the consensus is that Cincinnati is primed for a major rebound.
As the 2025 season approaches, the Bengals find themselves in an enviable position: not only are they loaded with talent, but their rivals are reshaping their rosters out of fear and respect for Cincinnati’s firepower. With a championship window wide open and the rest of the division on high alert, Bengals fans have every reason to believe that this could be the year their team returns to the NFL’s elite.
Disclaimer: The content of this article was originally published as a YouTube video on the Saturday Morning Inspection YouTube channel. With AI assistance, the publisher of the video created this article based on the content of that video.
