At one point, the Cincinnati Bengals appeared to be in the Shaquil Barrett race.
All of three games after landing with a new team, Barrett has eight sacks.
Eight.
While reporting that the eight for Barrett is tied for most through three games since sacks became a stat in 1982, Jenna Laine of ESPN noted the Bengals were the only other team to make an offer on the free agent.
We noted a reported Bengals visit by Barrett back in March. Later, it was revealed Barrett picked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the schematic fit.
In hindsight, this sort of interest was probably yet another signal the coaching staff was looking to implement more multiple base looks this year.
And while the Bengals are more than happy with Sam Hubbard’s breakout season and the abilities of guys like Carl Lawson, it couldn’t have hurt to add Barrett to the mix, even if most wouldn’t have anticipated a breakout quite like this.
