A short span of time stands between the Cincinnati Bengals and a new era.
Holding the first pick in every round of the 2020 NFL draft, the Bengals figure to pull off a dramatic makeover starting right up top at the quarterback position.
Before they do, let’s look at the biggest questions the Bengals can answer on draft day.
What’s the plan at wideout?
The Bengals don’t have a ton of talent wrapped up at wideout beyond next season. They’d like to get A.J. Green a new deal for obvious reasons, but otherwise, it’s Tyler Boyd and maybe little else.
It could speak volumes about how the Bengals view the position over the long-term if they use a second or even third-round pick on the position. This year’s class is incredibly deep at wideout, but picking one over say, a linebacker or offensive lineman, could give us an idea of what they think.
Will the line stay the same?
The Bengals are happier with the current offensive line than most would think.
They have Jonah William coming back to play left tackle. And they appear ready to put a ton of hope into younger developmental players like Michael Jordan and Fred Johnson.
But banking on guys just up and developing is part of the reason the team has had a few down years. The second round will decide much here — can the front office just ignore it if a top lineman falls?
Who boosts the pass rush?
The Bengals want to upgrade the pass rush. Ideally, they’d like to get more versatile up front in a Sam Hubbard sense with guys who can drop back in coverage from time to time.
But does this take priority over the offensive line? The future at wideout? A hybrid linebacker who can play all over the scheme would provide some insurance against another Carl Lawson injury or otherwise — but the question is when this happens.
Is Dalton going or not?
Dalton has been one of the biggest question marks around the team for months now.
Benched and not too happy about it during the regular season, speculation has since surfaced that the Bengals could actually keep Dalton as a backup. But that might require a restructure — which is another hurdle.
On paper, it would make sense if the Bengals shipped Dalton away during the draft itself for an immediate return while clearing his contract from the books. But other teams have to have an interest.
The future is now?
The answer is undoubtedly “yes” to this one.
Cincinnati clearly intends to make Joe Burrow the No. 1 pick or the team wouldn’t have maxed its pre-draft time with him going over things like…the offense.
The odds the Bengals pull a stunner on an offer they can’t refuse or end up with another quarterback are extremely slim at this point. But until the team up and confirms Burrow is the guy it’s a question it has yet to answer publicly.
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