Who were the biggest contributors this season for the Cincinnati Bengals, and what changed over time?
Joe Burrow (478) managed to edge out Joe Flacco (418) for the most snaps by a quarterback this season, but he still took less than half of the team’s total offensive snaps when you account for the Jake Browning (212) starts.
Ja’Marr Chase led all receivers with 987 snaps, followed by Andrei Iosivas, who played 851. Tee Higgins came in third with 769 snaps. The only other player who took a significant amount of snaps over the course of the season was Mitchell Tinsley, who played 288 total snaps. His highest weekly snap counts came in Week 12 vs the Patriots (48) when Chase was out and Week 13 at the Ravens (56) when Higgins was out.
Ladies and gentlemen, your TE1, Mr. Drew Sample. He comes in at 595 snaps for the season. Followed distantly by Noah Fant (379) and Mike Gesicki (321). Sample’s role as a blocker is often underappreciated by fans. Fant’s position above Gesicki is also a function of blocking ability. Gesicki had the most targets and yards in the group, but Fant had the most receptions and touchdowns.
At defensive tackle, it was no surprise that B.J. Hill and T.J. Slaton led the way with 670 snaps and 582 snaps, respectively. Kris Jenkins also played a large role, taking 497 snaps before missing the final three weeks of the season. Jenkins was a principal contributor to the defense who got a bigger snap share as the season went on.
McKinnley Jackson had 130 after taking over Mike Pennel’s role midseason. Although they tried to keep him out of the role, he did very well once he got a chance. Indeed, both Jenkins and Jackson seem to be on the upswing heading into 2026.
Defensive ends were led by Myles Murphy with 683 snaps, followed by Joseph Ossai, who had 616 before missing the last three games. Next are Trey Hendrickson (285) and Shemar Stewart (280), both of whom missed substantial time this season. As a result, both Cam Sample (234) and Cedric Johnson (207) also played roles.
Despite Barrett Carter playing every meaningful defensive snap from Week 6 on, Day 1 starter Demetrius Knight Jr. still led the linebacker snaps for the season. It was very close in the end, though, with Knight taking 798 and Carter taking 792. Logan Wilson (362) came in third despite the notable handicap of not being on the team for the last half of the season. He was followed relatively closely by Oren Burks, who played 340 snaps over the course of the season.
Dax Hill (1012) and D.J. Turner (974) dominated the cornerback snaps, but the defense improved late in the season when it found a role for Jalen Davis and D.J. Ivy.
Davis was promoted from the practice squad to take over the slot corner duties in Week 12 and played 270 snaps over the rest of the season. Ivey played 115 snaps, more than half of which were in the final three weeks of the season.
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