It’s been a long offseason. The hiring of Zac Taylor feels like an eternity ago, and there’s been no shortage of drama surrounding the Bengals over the past few months. As the peerless Dan Hoard would say, it’s almost time for the pigskin to fly.
The Bengals have been consistently listed among the worst teams in the league in power rankings, and for good reason. The team has a rookie head coach, one of the worst offensive lines in the league, and has dealt with a slew of devastating injuries and retirements already.
All that being said, this season shouldn’t be considered a failure if the Bengals don’t make the playoffs. In fact, it’s unlikely that they do. However, there’s still a lot to be excited about in 2019 – it’s not all doom and gloom. Here are five things to keep an eye on in 2019 that should excite Bengals fans, regardless of the overall success of the team this year.
1. Joe Mixon being used like Todd Gurley
There’s a reason Joe Mixon has been sparingly used this preseason – he’s the centerpiece of the Bengals offense in 2019.
It’s no secret that Zac Taylor plans on running a Rams-style offense, which means that Mixon could be in for a monstrous statistical season. Todd Gurley had as many receptions in his first season under Sean McVay as he did in his first two seasons in the league combined, with Jeff Fisher as head coach.
Even with plenty of competition behind Mixon on the depth chart, expect him to receive a heavy workload week in, week out. Mixon had the same yards per carry as Gurley in 2018 (4.9), but averaged 2.9 yards less per reception. Taylor will plan on creatively getting the ball into Mixon’s hands for chunk gains as often as possible.
2. Carl Lawson’s return from injury
Lawson is far from being considered a household name among NFL fans, but he may well be by season’s end if he continues on his upward trajectory. Lawson burst onto the scene in his rookie season, shining as a situational pass rusher and racking up 8.5 sacks in 2017.
His sophomore year was cut short when he tore his ACL in October 2018, but he’s bounced back and looks fitter, stronger and faster than ever before. Carlos Dunlap and Sam Hubbard will start at defensive end, but expect Lawson to see the field a great deal in 2019. If it’s a passing down, Lawson will be on the field.
Having registered 8.5 sacks in limited playing time in his rookie season, there’s no reason why Lawson can’t hit double digits in 2019.
3. A new head coach
No matter what happens this season, it’s the beginning of a new journey for the Cincinnati Bengals. After 16 years of repeated messages and stale decision-making from Marvin Lewis, the team finally has the chance to head in an entirely new direction.
There will undoubtedly be rough patches throughout the upcoming season as the 36-year old Zac Taylor adjusts to the unenviable transition from quarterback coach to head coach. However, there is real excitement about the team’s head coach for the first time in years.
4. True competition
The refreshing change of attitude on the part of the Bengals’ new head coach is evidenced by recent decisions on who will start against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1. Under Lewis, numerous ill-fated personnel decisions were made due to a failure to let a true competition play out and award playing time to the most deserving player, regardless of the investment made by the team in acquiring them.
In Seattle, Trey Hopkins will start at center. 2018 first-round pick Billy Price finds himself on the bench for the time being, because he was outperformed by Hopkins. Meanwhile, undrafted rookie wideout Damion Willis is set to replace A.J. Green in the starting lineup, because he’s earned it with impressive performances all offseason and throughout the preseason.
Taylor has made it abundantly clear early on in his tenure that every player will receive a fair shot.
5. Jessie Bates’ breakout season
Like Carl Lawson, Bates is probably not as highly regarded outside of Cincinnati as he should be. He was one of the few bright spots on what was arguably the worst defense in the league in 2018, finishing the year as PFF’s 9th-ranked safety.
With a new defensive coordinator calling the shots and a number of key players returning from injury, the hope is that Bates will lead a much-improved Bengals defense in 2019. His exceptional range, ball skills and tackling ability makes him one of the finest young safeties in the league. The ceiling for Bates is sky-high.
