Fullback Pete Johnson powered his way to 15 touchdowns, but the Bengals struggled to their second straight 4–12 record.
After the season, former Cleveland coach Forrest Gregg was named to replace Homer Rice as Bengals head coach.
1979 marked the end of an era, as the last remaining original Bengal, longtime center Bob Johnson, retired after 12 seasons, 2 in the AFL, and 10 in the NFL, all with the Bengals.
Running backs (RB) Wide receivers (WR) Tight ends (TE) Defensive linemen (DL) Defensive backs (DB) Special teams Reserve
Rookies in italics [2] This article relating to an American football season is a stub.