The Cincinnati Bengals are a tough team to project in 2020.
Few franchises typically sit in such a unique position. A coaching staff that just went 2-14 gets a second year with a No. 1 overall pick under center, returning players from injury and an overhauled roster after big spending.
So when it comes to projections — let’s get bold.
A.J. Green gets in 10-plus games
This one is a cross-the-fingers sort of affair.
Green, after all, hasn’t played in more than 10 games in a season since 2017. But last year had the feel of a freak accident at Welcome Stadium in Dayton, the sort of circumstances that just won’t happen again. And if we’re being honest, it’s no surprise Green didn’t end up coming back last year.
But now? This feels like Green’s last big chance at another contract. He’s got a promising rookie under center and he’s had a full season and offseason to get right.
Two 1,000-yard WRs
Never say never.
Fans would have to look back to the Chad Johnson-T.J. Houshmandzadeh days to find another 1,000-yard wideout duo.
But it’s hard to hate the chances with A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd on the same roster. If they’re both fully healthy for double-digit games, the ball won’t exactly be getting spread around with Joe Burrow under center — it’ll be fired off at Green down the field or at the reliable Boyd underneath.
A lot has to go right for this to happen, of course. But if they’re both sitting on 100-plus targets, it happens, especially if the next point works in tandem…
Lowest sack mark since 2015 (32)
Anyone with even a fleeting understanding of the Bengals knows things went fully off the rails when Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler got away.
Cincinnati hopes Jonah Williams is the answer at left tackle. And if he’s even passable as a “rookie” this year it’ll be an upgrade. Better health for the entire offense will ease the burden on the line too — and so will the presence of better quarterback play.
If Burrow is firing the ball off fast in a smartly-designed offense to a healthy cast of wideouts and otherwise smoothly evading pressure like he has in the past, the sacks count is going to take a nosedive from last year’s 48.
Jessie Bates enters DPoY territory
Bates has the feel of a breakout star.
We’ve seen flashes of elite ball-hawking potential from the young safety, though things got a little sidetracked last year during a down season for the entire unit during a coaching change.
Even so, we’re talking about a safety with 211 tackles, six interceptions, 16 passes defensed and no more than a 63.3 completion percentage permitted during a single season over just two years. He’s a stat monster still developing and learning a new system and an improved unit around him could lead to something really special in 2020.
Logan Wilson fights for DRoY
The Bengals are going to have a hard time keeping Wilson off the field as a rookie.
While we can talk about the addition of Josh Bynes and even other rookies playing into a rotation, Wilson was just too productive and with clear upside to ignore.
Wilson put up 400-plus tackles with 34.5 for a loss, seven sacks and 10 interceptions over four seasons in college. If his athleticism and instinctive play translates quickly, he’ll be one of the more notable rookie defenders putting up numbers provided the snap counts are there.
8-8
This one is tricky because teams don’t generally experience a major upswing in the win column after a 2-14 season.
And yet…the Bengals could be a rare exception. The injury sheet was gigantic last year and a new coaching staff got assembled so slowly that staff didn’t have time to blow up the roster the way it wanted to — that happened this offseason.
That stumble to 2-14 led the Bengals to one of the best college quarterbacks of all time and he gets one of the most talented surrounding group of weapons a No. 1 has ever had in recent history.
A bad record last year means a softer schedule this year. AFC North games are usually close and winnables against the Chargers, Jaguars, Redskins, Giants, Dolphins and even Colts are on the schedule — breaking .500 is a real possibility as Burrow learns the ropes.
