Bengals

The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. notes that the Bengals have five projected starters in 2026 from the 2023 draft class and a few would be strong extension candidates this offseason, including DE Myles Murphy who’s progressed into a solid No. 2 starter this season.

Dehner adds Bengals CB DJ Turner is a borderline Pro Bowl-caliber player this year and another strong extension candidate.

After a rocky start to the season, Bengals S Jordan Battle has settled in and figures into the team’s plans on defense in 2026.

While Bengals RB Chase Brown has had a great follow-up to his breakout 2024 season and is a compelling extension candidate, Dehner admits running back extensions are always complicated.

The Browns have now lost four games in a row and are 1-4 with QB Shedeur Sanders as their starter. When asked if he thinks about how things could look in 2026, Sanders responded that he’s staying focused on the present, and it’s not guaranteed that he’ll be the starter next year.

“No, I live in the present. I live in the present,” Sanders said, via the team’s YouTube. “I’m focused on this week and this game — and nothing’s promised. Nothing’s promised going into next year or anything, so I stay in the moment, stay focused on what I have to do now to even be able to be here next year, you know? I just enjoy life.”

As for whether he needs a sense of commitment from the coaching staff and front office, Sanders said he can only control what he can control.

“I don’t think it’s about anything of that,” Sanders said. “ It’s about controlling what you can control — as a person, as a player. I think I have to do my part. I think I have to do my part and get some wins, do my part and play clean football. The rest isn’t in my hands. So, that’s really all it is. I don’t own the organization, you know? So I can’t promise anything will happen. I’m not God, I can’t dictate what’s going to happen each and every day, each and every minute. You’ve just got to enjoy what you do have. You’ve got to enjoy the present. You can’t look too deep into the future because then you’ll miss the blessings and the lessons you learn from the now.”

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