The arrival of summer means the onset of power rankings season.
Most NFL power rankings figure to slot the Cincinnati Bengals near dead last, which isn’t totally unfair given the 2-14 season last year before a major roster overhaul.
But surprisingly, NBC Sports’ Peter King puts the Bengals higher up the list than most might be brave enough to do at No. 27:
“Burrow needs to form early bonds with A.J. Green, the underrated Tyler Boyd and rookie Tee Higgins (6-4, 6-1 and 6-4), and the burner John Ross, for whom 2020 is Last Chance Saloon; the former ninth pick in the draft will be a free agent after the season. But at least Burrow should get Ross’ best. That is potentially a heck of a receiver group if Green, who has missed 6, 0, 7, and 16 games the last four seasons, can stay on the field for any length of time.”
King also noted he’s probably higher on Burrow than most and likes the defensive overhaul the Bengals performed this offseason.
Details aside, this is a much more reasonable landing spot for the Bengals right now. It’s not too out of line to rank them above fellow rebuilding teams like the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Redskins.
At this stage, power rankings have to loop in projections, not just recaps from the prior season. This offering does that well, as the Bengals should have improved play up front, under center and potentially on defense once the unit forms some chemistry.
