The Cincinnati Bengals currently have some talented pieces in place. However, there are quite a few holes as well. Even at positions where the starters are solid, depth is an issue. We saw how much of a drop off there was when injuries started hitting last season. The Bengals need to make an honest assessment on where they stand at each position. Let’s run through the level of need on both sides of the ball and identify a few prospects to keep an eye on during the combine.
Position: Quarterback
Need Level: Somewhere between medium and high
Andy Dalton is a solid NFL quarterback. He’s done some nice things throughout his career in Cincinnati and he does incredible things within the community. I do believe the Bengals need to consider a future without him, though. Dalton has two years left on his contract and I don’t think the Bengals should pay him beyond that. In order to prepare for the end of Dalton’s tenure in Cincinnati, the Bengals should take a serious look at QB prospects in either this year’s draft or the 2020 draft.
Potential Prospects: Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock, Daniel Jones, Will Grier, and Brett Rypien
Position: Running Back
Need Level: Low
Joe Mixon and Gio Bernard are as good of a running back tandem as you’ll find in the NFL. The only question mark with the position comes because of the Mark Walton arrest. Walton was slated to be the third running back on the roster, but now his future with the team is up in the air. If the Bengals decide to draft a running back to replace Walton, it shouldn’t be until the later rounds.
Potential Prospects: Myles Gaskin, Devin Singletary, Benny Snell Jr, David Montgomery, and Rodney Anderson
Position: Wide Receiver
Need Level: Medium
On the surface, it seems like the Bengals are set at the wide receiver position. However, if you dig deeper you realize they need to address the position more than most think. A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd are corner pieces that any team would be happy to have, but after that there are a lot of questions. John Ross has the potential to be a serious threat, but we haven’t seen it come to fruition yet. Alex Erickson is solid, but he’s not going to scare any defenses. Josh Malone, Auden Tate, and Cody Core haven’t proven anything. I’m not saying the Bengals should draft a wide receiver in the first round, but if there is a guy who they feel strongly about on day two they should consider taking him.
Potential Prospects: AJ Brown, Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin, Demarkus Lodge, Greg Dortch, and Andy Isabella
Position: Tight End
Need Level: Medium
The level of need at the tight end position depends on what the Bengals do in free agency. Tyler Eifert, CJ Uzomah, and Tyler Kroft are all up for new contracts. I believe the Bengals try to re-sign at least one of those three. In that scenario, they would need to add a tight end at some point in the draft. With this being a deep tight end class, it’s a good year to need one.
Potential Prospects: TJ Hockensen, Noah Fant, Irv Smith Jr, Isaac Nauta, Jace Sternberger, CJ Conrad
Position: Offensive Line
Need Level: High
Offensive line is obviously one of the major weak spots of the roster. Cordy Glenn is okay at left tackle, but Bobby Hart was a disaster at right tackle. The interior of the offensive line is in better shape, but not by much. Billy Price struggled at center during his rookie season and Alex Redmond was even worse at the right guard spot. I do anticipate Billy Price showing improvement in his second year and I doubt the Bengals are looking to replace him just yet. There’s also some potential with Christian Westerman to take over as the starting right guard. That being said, the tackle and guard positions need to be addressed in the draft. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bengals use their first-round pick on one of the top offensive tackles.
Potential Prospects: Jawaan Taylor OT, Jonah Williams OT, Andre Dillard OT, Greg Little OT, Rodney Cajuste OT, Garrett Bradbury IOL, Chris Lindstrom IOL, Dalton Risner IOL, Erik McCoy IOL
Position: Defensive Line
Need Level: Medium
The defensive line was supposed to carry this defense last season. It didn’t really pan out that way, though. The Bengals struggled to stop the run and get pressure on the quarterback. It didn’t help that rising star, Carl Lawson went out with a torn ACL early in the season. It also didn’t help that the linebackers were getting exposed in the middle of the field, allowing opposing quarterbacks to get the ball out quick. Regardless, the Bengals could use another body or two next to Geno Atkins to get that unit playing at the level they should be.
Potential Prospects: Ed Oliver, Jeffery Simmons, Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Daylon Mack, Kingsley Keke, Rashan Gary
Position: Linebacker
Need Level: High
The Bengals linebacker core has been a disaster for a few years. Vontaze Burfict hasn’t been able to stay on the field, and his play when he’s been on the field leaves much to be desired in recent years. Nick Vigil is solid, but outside of that there isn’t much to lean on. Malik Jefferson didn’t play at all his rookie season. Jordan Evans and Hardy Nickerson played, but they didn’t play well. The Bengals need to hit the linebacker position hard in this draft.
Potential Prospects: Devin White, Devin Bush, David Long Jr, Mack Wilson, T.J. Edwards, Te’Von Coney, Terrill Hanks, Dakotah Allen, Khalil Hodge
Position: Cornerback
Need Level: Medium
The cornerback position is kind of like the wide receiver position in that it’s a bigger need than people realize. William Jackson is a corner piece and I expect him to get back to his level of play from two seasons ago. Dre Kirkpatrick is a solid number two cornerback. The question is whether or not the Bengals decide to re-sign Darqueze Dennard. Dennard is a good and experienced slot corner, but he has had some injury issues throughout his career. The Bengals need to decide if he’s worth investing in long term. If they decide to move on, then cornerback all of a sudden becomes a fairly high need. Darius Phillips showed flashes as a rookie, but not enough to go all in on him yet. Devontae Harris was injured so they don’t know what they have there. The Bengals need to consider drafting a couple cornerbacks in this year’s draft.
Potential Prospects: Greedy Williams, Byron Murphy, Lonnie Johnson Jr, Rock Ya-Sin, Julian Love, Derrick Baity, Deandre Baker, Amani Oruwariye
Position: Saftey
Need Level: Low
Jessie Bates is a future house-hold name in the NFL. He was the second-best rookie safety in the NFL behind Derwin James. Shawn Williams is also solid. He was ranked 31st among safeties in the NFL, according to PFF. He’s not a star, but he’s a good starting safety and he’s a lot better player than he gets credit for. The Bengals are in a pretty good spot depth wise too. Clayton Fejedelem is a more than serviceable backup. He could start on a lot of teams across the league. If the Bengals add safeties in the draft, it shouldn’t be until the later rounds.
Potential Prospects: Nasir Adderly, Mike Edwards, Chauncey Garder-Johnson, Taylor Rapp, Mike Bell, Amani Hooker
Position: Kicker
Need Level: Medium
Randy Bullock gets a lot of unwarranted hate. People get upset that he can’t hit 70-yard field goals. What he does is valuable though. He’s consistent and reliable. I prefer a kicker who is going to make the 40 yarders consistently as opposed to a guy who can hit the long ball, but is erratic within 50-yards. That being said, if there’s a kicker the Bengals like in the draft than it can’t hurt to bring him in.
Potential Prospects: Cole Tracy, Matt Gay, Corey Fatony, Stone Wilson
I previously stated the Bengals have talented pieces currently on the roster. However, they can’t afford to ignore any position groups outside of running back and safety during the draft. Offensive line and linebacker are the two position groups with the most glaring holes, but the Bengals need to add pieces across their roster. Good thing they have 11 picks to do so.
