What Essential Offseason Needs Do the Bengals Have for the 2024 Season?.
With no significant gaps in their roster, the Cincinnati Bengals were an odd club during the 2023 season, finishing fourth in their division. There have been significant gaps in the secondary and offensive line in prior seasons, but this year there aren’t many positions that the team has to address in the summer. This squad plans to enter the NFL Draft precisely where they want to in order to take advantage of any elite players that fall to them with the 18th overall choice while still having a lot of flexibility during the free agency period.
Cincinnati Bengals 2024 Offseason Needs.
I must confess that, despite my intense passion for the game, I am a tremendous nerd who enjoys crunching numbers to see how teams are using the wage cap and what they are doing in free agency to improve. Any team that approaches the offseason with that mindset should focus on three types of players: bargain picks, long-term replacements, and players with immediate needs. We’ll examine the locations over the offseason where the team needs to search for each.
These are the positions where the team lacks a true apparent successor and is losing a starter to free agency. In short, I would be very uncomfortable with the player we are starting right now if the squad were to start the new season right away. Fortunately, Cincinnati just has the following needs right now rather than many more pressing ones:
Right Tackle
Cincinnati seems to be ready to let go of Jonah Williams, their 11th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, after he played poorly for the previous two years. He was the team’s finest offensive lineman during the 2021 Super Bowl run, but as the group has concentrated on strengthening in the offensive trenches, he has drastically declined. There is very little possibility he returns to Cincinnati the following season given his unwavering declaration that he wants to play left tackle.
Jackson Carman or Cody Ford would be the only logical choices to take over at right tackle if Williams left. While both of them were second round picks and were previously thought to be starting caliber offensive tackles, neither of them have played well when given opportunity to start. Since there is a ton of first-round potential at offensive lineman in the 2024 NFL Draft class, this is the position that the team has to fill the most this offseason. It’s also conceivable that they choose to retain their draft flexibility and sign a tackle in free agency, but the team must find a solution by the upcoming fall.
Defensive Tackle
If the organization allows great nose tackle D.J. Reader to walk this offseason, the defensive tackle position would be the only other crucial position to replace. While Reader has proven to be an excellent offensive lineman in Cincinnati over the past few seasons, it would be dangerous to give him a large contract extension right before his 30th birthday because he had a hamstring injury that ended the season.
The only other nose tackles on the roster, if the organization chooses to move on from him, are Josh Tupou and Jay Tufele. Tupou and Tufele have been reliable intermediate rotational roadblocks, but it would be disastrous to use them as the team’s primary read-option in the long run after they had already placed 31st in the NFL against the run.
The only other critical position that needs to be filled in the summer is defensive tackle, assuming the team lets outstanding nose tackle D.J. Reader depart. Despite the fact that Reader suffered a hamstring injury that terminated the season, he has shown himself to be a superb offensive lineman for the Bengals over the past several seasons. Nevertheless, it would be risky to provide him a big contract extension just before he turns 30.
If the team decides to cut him, the only other nose tackles on the roster are Jay Tufele and Josh Tupou. After placing 31st in the previous round, Tupou and Tufele have proven to be dependable intermediate rotational obstacles, but it would be terrible to employ them as the team’s main read-option in the long run.
Nickel Corner
Without a doubt, nickel cornerback Mike Hilton has been among the Cincinnati defense’s finest players in recent seasons, but given his caliber of play, he probably deserves a sizable increase. Paying a cornerback who is probably your team’s third best player that kind of money is difficult to justify when you can select another cornerback this offseason with the goal of developing him for that position.
Since I have experience with the draft, I can nearly assure you that picking a cornerback in the second round means Hilton will be playing his final season with Cincinnati. Although he is approaching his 30th birthday, he has been a great asset, therefore the squad will need to make plans for the future.
Interior Offensive Lineman
Ted Karras and Alex Cappa were sufficient after Cincinnati acquired inside offensive lineman Cordell Volson in 2022, as they were part of the initial wave of offensive linemen brought in to bolster the defense. That being said, when it comes to safeguarding your elite quarterback, sufficient isn’t always the goal. The team may select a player they like in the draft or free agency with the goal of either releasing one of their interior linemen to avoid going over the cap or keeping one of their interior linemen.
Bargain Picks
It is inherently hard to foresee what the best deals will be in advance. For instance, it would be a terrific deal to select premier tight end Brock Bowers with the 18th pick if he were to somehow slip in the draft owing to a poor combine or another issue. The reported signing of star running back Derrick Henry in free agency is another prime example. Henry is an aging running back who would probably cost a fortune, but it would make sense to bring in a quality player if he were willing to play for a contender for less than $5 million a season.
Enhancing the caliber of their group as a whole ought to be Cincinnati’s top priority for the upcoming campaign. Although there aren’t many gaps, the squad must exercise caution to prevent issues on the offensive and defensive lines in the upcoming campaign. Given the likelihood of their All-Pro quarterback’s health, Cincinnati will probably improve this offseason and have another strong postseason run the following one.
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