CINCINNATI — The slowest offseason the Cincinnati Bengals have had in recent memory is about to become busy again.

With no coaching changes and no major contract moves over the previous seven weeks, the Bengals have had time to assess the state of the franchise heading into next week’s NFL combine in Indianapolis.

There are major questions that must be answered for the only team in the AFC North that retained its head coach and is coming off another disappointing year without a playoff appearance.

The Bengals currently have the rights to the 10th pick in April’s draft. At the combine, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin will evaluate the prospects who could give the roster a much-needed boost. But there are also some major storylines facing Tobin and head coach Zac Taylor.

Here are the three biggest ones ahead of one of the most significant weeks of the offseason.

1. Will the Bengals make a final decision on Trey Hendrickson?

The tag window is officially open and will close March 3. That gives Cincinnati plenty of time to make a final decision on Hendrickson and his future with the Bengals. The last time Tobin met with reporters he noted that Cincinnati needs to improve its pass rush, and previous negotiations with Hendrickson haven’t been the smoothest, to say the least.

Hendrickson is a four-time Pro Bowler but battled injuries last season and will be 31 when the season begins. Since 2015, there have been 15 players who have registered 10 or more sacks who were that age entering a season, per ESPN Research. If Hendrickson is healthy, there’s ample reason to believe he could regain his form from 2024, when he led the NFL in sacks and was an All-Pro selection.

But Cincinnati needs more than one defensive player this offseason. Edge rusher, defensive tackle, linebacker and safety are all among the significant needs that must be addressed in free agency.

Hendrickson will be due $30.2 million in fully guaranteed money if he accepts the franchise tag and does not receive a new contract. If a trade doesn’t materialize before the tag window closes, letting him test the open market could enable the Bengals the financial flexibility to focus on other needs across the defense.

2. Is Dalton Risner the long-term answer at right guard?

When Risner finally settled into his new digs at right guard, he solidified the best iteration of Cincinnati’s offensive line during the entire Taylor/Joe Burrow era.

Last season, Cincinnati finished with a pass block win rate of 57.6%. While it ranked 28th in the league in 2025, it was by far the best percentage the team has posted since Taylor was hired in 2019 and Burrow was drafted with the first pick in 2020. The previous best was 51.7% in 2023.

“I think it’s the best that they’ve been,” Burrow said at the end of last season. “I think it’s the best we’ve run it as well, and that has opened up certain aspects of our offense.”

And a lot of that can be attributed to Risner’s success. At 92.6%, he was charted with the best pass block win rate as a guard during the Taylor era, besting the 91.5% rate Mike Jordan posted in 2019.

Risner has expressed his desire to return to Cincinnati. After signing with the Bengals late in 2025, Risner wants to get something done much, much earlier. That scenario gives Risner and the rest of Cincinnati’s offensive line plenty of time to work together this offseason and build upon last year’s results.

3. Can the Bengals be aggressive this offseason to make the needed moves to improve the roster?

Cincinnati can no longer rest on the accomplishments of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, when the Bengals won the AFC North and made deep playoff runs, including a Super Bowl appearance at the start of that two-year spell.

Instead, this is a team that has missed the playoffs in each of the past three seasons and is coming off a woeful 2025 season. The Bengals won only six games and ranked 26th in point differential (-78).

There will be significant pressure on Tobin, Taylor and the rest of Cincinnati’s executives to bring in the right players to get the Bengals back into the postseason. As Burrow said in his final words before entering the offseason, getting it right in free agency is of “paramount importance.”

“You have to identify where you’re weak and figure out a way to be strong in that area,” Burrow said. “That’s the NFL year in and year out.

“Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. You have to attack that period with intent to get better.”