Cincinnati
Bengals
2018 Record: (6-10) 4th AFC North
2018 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 23.0 (17th)
Yards: 310.8 (26th)
Pass Yards: 205.6 (24th)
Rush Yards: 105.1 (21st)
Defense
Points: 28.4 (30th)
Yards: 413.6 (32nd)
Pass Yards: 275.9 (32nd)
Rush Yards: 137.8 (29th)
Entering the 2018 regular season, our outlook for this
edition of the Bengals was far higher than most in our circle. Though we have
never been great supporters of Marvin Lewis, we felt this club could do some
damage and compete for the division crown.
With Andy Dalton still behind center, we expected
better showings with Joe Mixon relieving pressure, now given the responsibility
of being the team’s number one back. We have never been shy in our support and
praise for superstar AJ Green, and with Mixon adding to the offensive prowess,
sky was the limit in our eyes.
As we preached a favorable outlook for the Bengals,
they returned the favor early on proving our points in winning their first two
contests of the season in rather convincing fashion. Seeing a sidestep in week
3 losing to Carolina (but having that game in their grasp), the Bengals
returned to winning ways in weeks four & five. Housing a record of 4-1
after the first five weeks of the season, the Bengals appeared to be the team
we believed they could become. Dropping two of their next three contests, the
Bengals still had a positive outlook for the second half of the season while
entering their bye, (week 9).
Unfortunately for all Bengals faithful, and to our
dismay, those first five weeks would be the highlight of Cincinnati’s 2018
campaign, as the wheels completely fell off after the teams bye week.
Dealing with injuries is part of process in the NFL,
but losing time to your top players is a recipe for disaster. AJ Green never
managed to recover from a toe injury forcing him to the medical room after week
eight. Making matters worse, starting quarterback Andy Dalton also was lost for
the season in week twelve to a thumb injury. Suffice it to say, all who watched
this team crumble to these unfortunate circumstances knew - the 2018 season
would be lost in the abyss.
Over the course of the final eight games of the
season, the Bengals could only muster one victory during that time crushing
their hopes like the injuries that devastated this bunch.
2019
Offseason WorkBook:
The
Coaching Staff
With the conclusion of the horrific 2018 campaign, the
writing was on the wall for long tenured head coach Marvin Lewis to finally see
his walking papers, never having won a single playoff game in his 16 year
Bengal career.
That speculation became a reality and Marvin Lewis was
officially fired by the club at the end of the season.
Moving forward in a completely new direction,
Cincinnati chose to follow the masses and secure a bright young offensive mind
in Zac Taylor. Taylor spent last season as the quarterbacks coach with the
Super Bowl losing Los Angeles Rams, given tutelage under offensive genius Sean
McVay.
Wasting no time, Taylor formed his coaching staff to
completely overhaul a group that hasn’t seen great change in many years. Along
with a slew of specialty coaches, the main cast of characters who will help
Taylor run this ship include; offensive coordinator Brain Callahan (formally of
the Raiders), and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo (formally of the Giants).
With any great turnover will come growing pains, but
this could be extremely positive for a team that was desperate to think outside
the box. We really like the potential Taylor could bring to the city of
Cincinnati.
The
Offense
Offensively, the Bengals are a group that receive
negative reviews season after season, and it all begins with quarterback Andy
Dalton. While we agree that Dalton will never find his way to being one of the
elitist in the league, he surly doesn’t deserve the scrutiny he receives.
In our eyes, Dalton is more than an above average
passer that has proven to put up solid numbers on a yearly basis, but collapses
in crunch time or in the postseason. Coming off his thumb injury, a new
coaching staff employed, and the Bengals having the opportunity to evaluate Jeff
Driskel in a hand full of contests, the future of Dalton is truly up in the
air. While rational thought would suggest seeing Dalton back in the black and
orange, we’ve seen many occasions where a new coaching staff finds their own players
to hook their ship to.
The running back situation for the Bengals is
something that we truly appreciate and believe in moving forward. We have been
huge supporters of Joe Mixon back from his college days, and would love to
witness the prospects of his ability appropriately exploited under a fresh
offensive mind. With Gio Bernard likely to remain as his change of pace back,
the potential for production again should be sound. Staying within the running
back room, Mark Walton is another player that we have a great affinity for and
would like to see him garner more touches. However, off field concerns have
Walton in hot water at the moment with a potential suspension looming.
When reviewing the Bengals receiving core and tight
ends groups, there is much that can improved as a talent infusion should be a
driving factor this offseason. Aside from AJ Green and the breakout of Tyler
Boyd, recent reports have risen suggesting the Bengals are shopping John Ross.
While we aren’t surprised by this, they will struggle to get a return on
investment from the first round pick they used to get the speedy off-injured
receiver.
The tight end group should see a massive overhaul this
offseason as the top three members of this group will become free agents on
March 13. We can’t envision any situation where more than one will return, so
we should see new players at this position.
One grave concern that played admirably better than
expected this past year was the offensive line. With Cordy Glenn and Billy
Price remaking this unit, Dalton hit the turf a mere 21 times before he was
lost to injury. Witnessing this group open up lanes for their runners to gallop
through, Cincinnati also managed a healthy 1682 rushing yards this past season.
While adding more talent to this unit would definitely be advised, they are
heading in the right direction.
The
Defense
It difficult to sing the praises of a unit that saw
some of the worst statistical achievements in the entire league from last
season. Obviously, injuries hit this group hard as well in 2018; the depth
sorely lacked showing inadequacy all over the field.
The defensive front which held much promise in years
past showed disinterest and perhaps warning signs of aging, as the group could
only muster a meek 34 takedowns of opposing quarterbacks. Not only finding
struggles in rushing the passer, the Bengals line seemed like Swiss cheese at
times ranking out as one of the worst in that department. Still led by Carlos
Dunlap & Geno Atkins, adding solid depth would be on the menu to help these
two get back on track.
The line backing core isn’t a group that poses a great
deal of fear for the opposition either, as Preston Brown showed his lack of
speed while also being injured for most of the campaign. Vontaze Burfict also
played half the season and showed signs of declining play, enough to warrant
rumors that the club would be finished with his services also. Adding star
talent to this group should be a top priority in both free agency and the
draft.
Even though the Bengals finished the year near dead
last in pass defense, we must highlight the potential of the safety tandem in
Shawn Williams and Jessie Bates III. Both these players led the team in tackles
last season racking up a whopping 221 between the two, very impressive. Bates
was turning into a solid addition that should be able to control the middle of
the field for many years to come. These two should be the staple to which all
is built around in the secondary.
Team
Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
When a club struggles and finishes last in their
division, seeing a healthy financial situation can provide encouragement at
this point of the year. Cincinnati currently holds a good level of funds with a
small list of team free agents to contend with, win-win situation.
As of today, the Bengals hold just over 51 million
(+$51,298,221) against the cap while having only 21 free agents to review.
Defensive lineman Michael Johnson must hold top priority to return, as losing
him would only add to the issues they faced a season prior. Locking him up
should happen, but will be dependent on price given his age.
Moving forward, free agent Tyler Eifert has likely run
out of time to prove he can stay on the field, and he shouldn’t see any
renewals coming his way. Other possible players that could generate another
deal to return include; Preston Brown, Vincent Rey, and Jake Fisher. Outside of
that, it may be difficult to envision others convincing the club to dish out
more money for their services.
Finding ways to save funds on the books is a primary
objective for any general manager, and this team certainly has opportunity.
First, starting quarterback Andy Dalton enters the phase of his contract which
would allow the Bengals to cut bait removing his 16 million dollar cap hit with
no dead money attached. While this decision surely won’t be easy, it is determent
on if new coach Zac Taylor looks to draft a new signal caller.
Adding to that, Vontaze Burfict, Cordy Glenn, Clint
Boling, and Gio Bernard all view as potential cut casualties, as the four could
bring in an additional 27 million to the cap while only sacrificing a mere 3
million in dead funds. Though most of these moves won’t transpire due to the
holes they would create on the roster, rebuilding this club comes with tough
choices and these make a great deal of sense.
The
NFL Draft
While some
may scoff at our opinions of whom to release off this current roster, those
transactions can be made with little pain as the Bengals house a whopping 11 picks
in this year’s draft.
Having all their
original selections with the addition of four extra 6th round picks (totaling
5 in the round); Cincinnati has plenty of ammunition to either re-stack, or move
up and down the board as they please. It’s not out of the question to witness
the Bengals jump up in hopes to draft a new quarterback as well.
If Andy
Dalton is in the Bengals plans for the future, Cincinnati would be able to find
a multitude of players to help progress this roster just from this class.
Currently holding the 11th overall selection in the first round, the
Bengals could literally move in any direction to start this draft.
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