With plenty of cap space and the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL draft in hand, the Cincinnati Bengals head to the offseason with plenty of ammunition to address the many needs plaguing the roster.
But three stick out more than most.
Here’s a look at three needs the Bengals can’t afford to ignore this offseason.
OL
Jonah Williams will make his debut at left tackle next season if he’s healthy and Trey Hopkins just got an extension at center. That’s about as firm as it gets for the offensive line. Cordy Glenn is likely gone, Billy Price doesn’t have a guaranteed spot after miserable play and John Miller (58.6 at PFF) and Bobby Hart (57.7 at PFF) are replacement-level players so far. There’s some intriguing upside to Fred Johnson, but it’d be malpractice for the Bengals to rely on him without adding anything else. This doesn’t mean use the top overall pick in the draft on the unit. But letting things go as is without a dip into free agency or the draft is doing a disservice to a potential rookie passer.
LB
Yes, linebacker play improved down the stretch once the team cut Preston Brown. But Nick Vigil is a free agent and doubling-down on his play remaining at that improved level isn’t wise, just like banking on Preston Brown after a bad season wasn’t wise. That doesn’t mean don’t bring him back, but don’t only rely on him, either. Rookie Germaine Pratt showed serious promise down the stretch too but the same logic applies. The Bengals have had problems for years finding and developing modern hybrid linebackers who can do it all. Now is the offseason to fix it before the unit collapses again.
QB
The idea of retaining Andy Dalton and using the first overall pick on something else doesn’t seem to have a big groundswell of support amongst fans — for good reason. Dalton got himself benched for his horrendous play before getting back in the starting lineup and doing much of the same. He’s 32, eyeing an extension after next season and finished this year with a 59.5 completion percentage with 16 touchdowns and 14 picks. He suffered 37 sacks while throwing more than one score ina game just four times. One of those was the fluky four-touchdown performance in the overtime loss to Miami. Overall, while he suffered from a 5.4 drop percentage, Dalton had an 18.3 bad-throw percentage with 14 balls batted down and 17 throw-aways. His surroundings weren’t always great, but it’s clear today’s NFL requires a player who can improv on the fly and Dalton remains too consistently rattled in the face of pressure or otherwise to get it done. A rookie at first overall is the best chance at fixing this, which would in turn uplift everything else. Don’t forget potentially fixing the waning fan support, which is a big motivator for the front office, too.
