The Bengals enter the offseason off a very disappointing 9-8 year for a team who had Super Bowl aspirations, but also a lot of optimism given Burrow was only fully healthy for five games and the coaching staff took a big step forward making Jake Browning a serviceable option. While they lost OC Brian Callahan, I'm excited to see QB coach Dan Pitcher fill that role and they brought in two outside voices (which were needed in my opinion) in pass game coordinator Justin Rascati and consultant Jordan Salkin. That being said, there are still a number of things they need to shore up to be playing deep into January and February again. Most importantly, Burrow expects to be full-go by May which should eliminate any concern despite what doctors on Twitter looking to sell things said. Hopefully, he can finally have a normal offseason and camp as he's dealt with something every year (2020 rookie QB during virtual offseason, 2021 ACL rehab, 2022 appendicitis in camp, 2023 severe calf strain in camp).
As expected, Tee Higgins was franchised. While a trade is probably best for the long term, I don't expect it to happen given the very deep receiver class and the Bengals' traditionally lofty return expectations. An extension is possible, but they don't have the best relationship with his agent David Mulugheta and it will require more guarantees than they've been willing to shell out for players of his caliber. I'd say the most likely option is him playing out the year and the team reassessing at that point. Even though Ja'Marr Chase is now eligible for an extension, I don't think it'll happen this offseason given Jefferson/Lamb/Aiyuk are still up from the class before - the only first-round WR since the 2011 CBA to sign an extension before their fourth year was Tavon Austin, and he wasn't particularly good. The only possible extension is Evan McPherson, as the rest of the 2021 class has not been worthy.
The big offensive decisions are at RB, TE and RT. Joe Mixon still has something left, but he lacks explosion and is due a higher cash and cap number than they may be willing to pay. We'll find out soon as he has a $3 million roster bonus due a week into the new league year. Regardless, fifth-rounder Chase Brown needs around 50% of the touches as he brings a dimension not seen in this offense since early Giovani Bernard. I would expect them to bring back Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson at TE, as Sample is an excellent blocker who found a role in the backfield as a pass protector and Hudson gave them a receiving dimension where Irv Smith sorely failed. Neither are full-time starters though, meaning they have to spend resources there after going bargain basement shopping the last two years. Brock Bowers is probably a pipe dream at 18, so they're going to need a legitimate vet (Noah Fant?) combined with a mid-round pick to turn this into an area of strength. Jonah Williams looks to have priced himself out of their range and I'd say OT is where they likely go at 18 at this point given the depth of the class there.
The biggest reason for the fall-off last year was the DL went from a strength to a giant weakness. Trey Hendrickson is an elite pass rusher, but they had no one to complement him and the lack of depth was really exposed against the run. The hope is first-rounder Myles Murphy takes a second-year leap while Joseph Ossai rebounds from rehabbing and dealing with injuries last year. Sam Hubbard is a good player and a great edge-setter when he's healthy (which he wasn't last year), but he just doesn't have the bend of the good pass rushers and needs to either kick inside or be off the field in passing situations. I would expect them to sign at least two legitimate DTs, as they badly need bodies there and haven't been able to replicate the pass rush they lost from Larry Ogunjobi a couple years ago. I'd also like to see them bring back DJ Reader, who was a top nose tackle before suffering a second severe quad injury in December - he may need to start on PUP, but they could certainly use him when he gets healthy. A first-round DT could also very well be in play if Jer'Zhan Newton and/or Byron Murphy are available.
Another huge reason for the defensive collapse was the repeated breakdowns in the secondary. Free agent Nick Scott was a bust and 2022 first-rounder Dax Hill really struggled in the deep safety role vacated by Jessie Bates. I wouldn't be surprised if they signed a more traditional FS in a deep market which would allow Hill to better use his talents covering tight ends and around the line of scrimmage. They're also thin at outside CB - Cam Taylor-Britt is certainly a starter but beyond that second-rounder DJ Turner struggled after a hot start and Chidobe Awuzie heads to free agency. I'd expect them to sign one (Buffalo's Dane Jackson and Carolina's Donte Jackson are possible fits) while Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold may be possibilities at 18.
It's obvious to say, but shoring up these weaknesses and a healthy Burrow could have them right back in the AFC Championship game as they face a last-place schedule and six new coaches outside the division. In the division, Baltimore lost a ton of coaches/will lose some key personnel (Zeitler, Queen, Stone) and I just can't see how they replicate the defensive success under a new coordinator they had with street vets while Cleveland and Pittsburgh have QB issues. If narratives are more your thing, there are quite a few connections to Louisiana and the Superdome where the Super Bowl will be next year.
As expected, Tee Higgins was franchised. While a trade is probably best for the long term, I don't expect it to happen given the very deep receiver class and the Bengals' traditionally lofty return expectations. An extension is possible, but they don't have the best relationship with his agent David Mulugheta and it will require more guarantees than they've been willing to shell out for players of his caliber. I'd say the most likely option is him playing out the year and the team reassessing at that point. Even though Ja'Marr Chase is now eligible for an extension, I don't think it'll happen this offseason given Jefferson/Lamb/Aiyuk are still up from the class before - the only first-round WR since the 2011 CBA to sign an extension before their fourth year was Tavon Austin, and he wasn't particularly good. The only possible extension is Evan McPherson, as the rest of the 2021 class has not been worthy.
The big offensive decisions are at RB, TE and RT. Joe Mixon still has something left, but he lacks explosion and is due a higher cash and cap number than they may be willing to pay. We'll find out soon as he has a $3 million roster bonus due a week into the new league year. Regardless, fifth-rounder Chase Brown needs around 50% of the touches as he brings a dimension not seen in this offense since early Giovani Bernard. I would expect them to bring back Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson at TE, as Sample is an excellent blocker who found a role in the backfield as a pass protector and Hudson gave them a receiving dimension where Irv Smith sorely failed. Neither are full-time starters though, meaning they have to spend resources there after going bargain basement shopping the last two years. Brock Bowers is probably a pipe dream at 18, so they're going to need a legitimate vet (Noah Fant?) combined with a mid-round pick to turn this into an area of strength. Jonah Williams looks to have priced himself out of their range and I'd say OT is where they likely go at 18 at this point given the depth of the class there.
The biggest reason for the fall-off last year was the DL went from a strength to a giant weakness. Trey Hendrickson is an elite pass rusher, but they had no one to complement him and the lack of depth was really exposed against the run. The hope is first-rounder Myles Murphy takes a second-year leap while Joseph Ossai rebounds from rehabbing and dealing with injuries last year. Sam Hubbard is a good player and a great edge-setter when he's healthy (which he wasn't last year), but he just doesn't have the bend of the good pass rushers and needs to either kick inside or be off the field in passing situations. I would expect them to sign at least two legitimate DTs, as they badly need bodies there and haven't been able to replicate the pass rush they lost from Larry Ogunjobi a couple years ago. I'd also like to see them bring back DJ Reader, who was a top nose tackle before suffering a second severe quad injury in December - he may need to start on PUP, but they could certainly use him when he gets healthy. A first-round DT could also very well be in play if Jer'Zhan Newton and/or Byron Murphy are available.
Another huge reason for the defensive collapse was the repeated breakdowns in the secondary. Free agent Nick Scott was a bust and 2022 first-rounder Dax Hill really struggled in the deep safety role vacated by Jessie Bates. I wouldn't be surprised if they signed a more traditional FS in a deep market which would allow Hill to better use his talents covering tight ends and around the line of scrimmage. They're also thin at outside CB - Cam Taylor-Britt is certainly a starter but beyond that second-rounder DJ Turner struggled after a hot start and Chidobe Awuzie heads to free agency. I'd expect them to sign one (Buffalo's Dane Jackson and Carolina's Donte Jackson are possible fits) while Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold may be possibilities at 18.
It's obvious to say, but shoring up these weaknesses and a healthy Burrow could have them right back in the AFC Championship game as they face a last-place schedule and six new coaches outside the division. In the division, Baltimore lost a ton of coaches/will lose some key personnel (Zeitler, Queen, Stone) and I just can't see how they replicate the defensive success under a new coordinator they had with street vets while Cleveland and Pittsburgh have QB issues. If narratives are more your thing, there are quite a few connections to Louisiana and the Superdome where the Super Bowl will be next year.
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