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The Cincinnati Bengals were given a stern warning by ESPN over Joe Burrow and the 2026 season.

There have been a pair of narratives that hung over the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason. The first was that star quarterback Joe Burrow was unhappy after three-straight seasons missing the playoffs. Then, after some major moves, the narrative became that this Bengals team was poised for a deep playoff run.

That leaves open a major question for the Bengals. What if they don’t manage to make that deep run in 2026?

ESPN Insider Thinks Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals are in Now or Never Mode

If there is truth to the narrative that Joe Burrow is unhappy with the Cincinnati Bengals, something needs to change. In particular, Cincinnati needs to start winning. That’s why ESPN insider Dan Graziano recently sent out a major warning that Burrow and this version of the Bengals are officially in now or never mode.

Graziano didn’t focus his concern on Burrow and the offense, though. Instead, his focus was on the defense.

“Last season was the third year in a row that the Bengals missed the playoffs,” Graziano wrote. “It was also their first losing season since 2020, which was Burrow’s injury-shortened rookie year. And over the three-year stretch from 2023 to 2025, Cincinnati ranked 10th in the NFL in offensive EPA and 29th in defensive EPA. The problem seems clear.”

Of course, the Bengals did aggressively pursue rebuilding their defense. That started along the defensive line with additions like Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, and Boye Mafe. In the secondary, they added Kyle Dugger. So, after that investment, it’s time to win, or they’ll once again be facing outside pressure.

“A lot of this is on Burrow, who needs to stay healthy to give the Bengals the best possible chance. But if he does, and if the defense still lets them down, leading to another missed playoffs, Zac Taylor’s eighth season as their head coach could very well turn out to be his last,” Graziano wrote.

“Cincinnati has spent a ton of money to keep the offense together the way Burrow wants it, and the front office has stretched its resources this offseason in uncharacteristic ways to try to fix the defense. With all of the other three teams in the AFC North in transition phases under new head coaches, the opportunity is there for the Bengals to return to the top of the division and compete for an AFC championship. If they do not, you’re going to once again hear people on the outside wonder how long Burrow will want to be there. And next offseason could bring more significant roster and staff changes than we’ve seen in Cincinnati in a while.”

Joe Burrow Compared the Bengals to 2019 LSU

One person who has been bullish about the Bengals is Joe Burrow himself. He would even say, “I think this is the most talented roster that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” back in May.

Burrow recently added to that. Thinking of his days at LSU, when he won a dominant national championship, Burrow compared this year’s Bengals team to the 2019 version of LSU.

“You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 season at LSU,” Burrow said Wednesday. “I feel very similarly about this team. I’m so excited to get started and get moving. I wish we ramped this right into training camp so we can continue to improve. I feel like there’s so much greatness we’ll be able to achieve this year that I’m just excited to get going.”

For many fans, that confidence is going to be exciting to see. However, it also continues to add pressure on the Bengals to win now.