After an aggressive offseason, all eyes will be on the Cincinnati Bengals defense this year.
Despite having a top-10 offense, Cincinnati missed the postseason in 2025 for the third consecutive year, primarily due to the fact they allowed the third-most points in the NFL. As a result, the team's defensive personnel underwent dramatic changes.
The Bengals addressed the defensive line as they traded for three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence , and signed Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe in free agency while also drafting Cashius Howell with their second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Additionally, the team also addressed the secondary as they added veteran starters Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger .
The additions mean that a former Bengals fifth-round pick may struggle to earn playing time in 2026; however, the latest developments have been encouraging for the Cincinnati player.
Cincinnati Bengals' 2024 fifth-round pick, Josh Newton , has appeared at cornerback in 31 games in his first two seasons with the team. Out of those 31 appearances, Newton has started only eight games, and things took a negative turn toward the end of the 2025 season as his playing time decreased.
Entering training camp, that did not appear to change as The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. wrote, "Josh Newton remains in the same doghouse that kept his snaps limited down the stretch last season."
However, after the team's preseason opener, that has apparently changed. Bengals Wire's Chris Roling wrote: "Fast forward to now, Newton's getting some reps with the ones and twos during training camp and is used all over the formations, inside and out.
The result might just be not only a final roster spot, but a role in the rotation. The Bengals have DJ Turner and Dax Hill as starters on the boundary and Jalen Davis on the inside, with DJ Ivey and draft pick Tacario Davis there as key depth.
There's certainly room for Newton, especially if he's running like this and grabbing interceptions like he did on Tuesday when he picked off Joe Flacco."
Prior to this latest development, A to Z Sports' John Sheeran had given Newton a 50% chance to make the team's 53-man roster, as he wrote: "There were plenty of Newton fans two years ago when he was drafted. That support has died down a bit as just hasn't been enough on the field. His roster spot, as a result, is very much up for grabs leading up to Week 1. Newton is not a guarantee to last with this group. His main competition figures to be Ivey as one of the backups on the boundary. If all three nickelback options make the team, it would likely be the end of Newton's time on the roster.
He feels like a true coin-flip to stick around."
Now, it appears Newton's roster spot is no longer in jeopardy. Sheeran wrote after this latest development: "It's not out of the question for Newton to become a Week 1 starter next month. Dax Hill figures to start as the nickelback and Cam Taylor-Britt has an outside gig relatively secured, so Newton and Turner may be in a two-way battle for the last starting spot. Newton can also play in the slot, which gives them options with Hill as well. Whatever the coaches decide for the starting lineup, Newton is firmly positioned as a top-four corner on this defense."
Going from a cut candidate at the start of training camp to a potential starter is definitely a positive sign for the young cornerback.
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