Offseason Outlook: The Bengals Top 5 Needs/Wants
Offseason Outlook: The Bengals Top 5 Needs/Wants
In the offseason, every NFL team has things they want to change, from the bottom of the league, to the playoff players and even the Super Bowl winner. Every year is different and so is every team. So, in the offseason, you have multiple changes such as retired players, free agency and the NFL draft. All those changes mean that before the offseason every team makes a list of needs to help the team and wants for certain coaches/players on their team. Sometimes the needs and wants are the same but often they differ. So, for the next two months, I will be covering all the needs and wants of every NFL team in their draft order for this year. Some will surprise you, while others everyone can see clearly need to happen. Overall, this is a list that will help every team gets a little bit of what they want and need to make a legitimate run to be Super Bowl winners next year.
Cincinnati Bengals
Wants
Improved linebacker play
Stability on the offensive line
More production from Tight end position
More constant defensive line pressure
More creativity from the coaching staff
Needs
Quarterback
Tight End
Linebacker
Offensive line
Wide receiver
Quarterback
The number one item on the Bengals wish list is a new quarterback. Zac Taylor is a young offensive-minded Head coach, and, in this league, you do the copycat of what works. A young offensive-minded coach is paired with a young quarterback he can groom to his liking. Then if you are the team with a number one overall draft pick, you secure the chance to grab possibly the best player available to draft. This year, that player happens to be a young quarterback who just set the college landscape ablaze with one of the best performances in a year. Joe Burrow is the odds-on favorite for the Bengals to pick and for anyone looking for a quarterback, you probably can’t get any better than this guy. Over 50 touchdowns, over 4,000 yards, a Heisman trophy, and a National Champion winner, this guy is something that every team dreams of having. Luck for the Bengals, they have the chance to get him and can at least give him a good running back, and some pretty fine weapons at receivers. The future with Burrow looks bright for the Bengals.
Linebacker
If there is one bad thing that plagued the Bengals this past season was the play of the linebacker core. From poor angles in run defense and pass coverage, to way too many missed tackles and whiffs at the ball. The overall linebacker core was a mess from top to bottom. Whether its free agency the draft or one of the current rookies on the team stepping up, this group needs to improve drastically for the defense to improve overall. My best bet is for the Bengals to do a little of all three. They need to sign a reliable veteran, grab a rookie with a lot of potential and have third-round rookie from last Germaine Pratt step up and make some impact on the team. Some great options for a veteran free agent signee include Blake Martinez and Danny Trevathan. Adding these guys will allow them to have a quarterback for the defense and then give them the ability to get speed on the outside. If Germaine Pratt is on the weakside linebacker spot he can use his speed to blitz and play good coverage against tight ends and running backs. The other spot can be manned by one of the rookie linebacker they select. My pick for that would be Patrick Queen. He has shown to be good against the run and has a good instinct for blitzing. His coverage is adequate for now but can improve. You start next year with these guys or a similar lineup and the linebacker core will be very well improved.
Offensive Line stability
Their second biggest team weakness was the offensive line. They were one of the worst units in the league when it came to run blocking and pass blocking. They only helped averaged 94.8 yards on the ground and didn’t find a real rhyme for run blocking until Week 10. Luckily by that time, the team started rookie Ryan Lindley and wanted to focus more on making sure the rookie wasn’t in a bad spot, which led to a renewed focus on the ground game. Unfortunately, that didn’t help with the fact of the matter when it came to pass blocking. They gave up 48 sacks on the year and that doesn’t include the number of times, Dalton and Lindley were under duress. When you mix those together, you get a remedy for bad things happening. Luckily, this upcoming year they get back first-round pick Jonah Williams back form injury. Having a good starting left tackle is key and when you add in Michael Jordan and an improved Billy Price, then you have a strong left side to build on. The goal is to finally build upon the right side which was a walk turnstile. If the Bengals can land a talent like Brandon Schereff or Trent Williams, that will go a long way to help to solidify that unit. Add in a guy like Andrew Thomas from this year, and you have the makings of stability. You can stick him at either right guard or right tackle. He would be best suited for guard due to some worries about foot speed, but he can help in the pass and run blocking. You add up a growing left side and some additions to the right side and you have a bright future for the Bengals and possibly starting rookie Joe Burrow and the new offense.
-By: Darren Braxton
Writer/Interviewer