The Cincinnati Bengals accomplished the biggest objectives they set out for themselves this offseason. Largely spurred on by QB Joe Burrow, they locked up their two star wide receivers. Having thrown boatloads of money at Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, they basically guarantee a sustained, successful passing game. Barring injury, that trio should keep the Bengals in the air for years to come.
But what else have they accomplished, and has it been enough? That is at the heart of veteran Bengals beat writer Paul Dehner Jr.’s critique of their offseason for The Athletic. He gave them a D+ so far, which is pretty rough, perhaps putting too many eggs in the draft basket.
“In an offseason where the Bengals needed to ace an extremely complex exam, they fell below average”, the Bengals reporter wrote. “There’s time to cram and get that grade up, but they have made this an extremely daunting climb to check all the necessary boxes”.
The Bengals “getting deals done for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins was great”, he continued, “but they didn’t fill glaring holes with the pass rush, linebacker, safety or guard in free agency, where the lingering receiver deals took away from the free-agent impact”.
The Bengals had a stellar offense last season, but the defense gave up just as many points. It doesn’t matter how much firepower you have if your defense makes every opposing offense look like some juggernaut.
And the wide receivers were not the only players the Bengals needed to tend to this offseason. There is still a big piece of unsettled business with DE Trey Hendrickson. A first-team All-Pro in 2024, he wants a new deal—or a trade. Dehner has previously advocated for trading him and even predicted it this time. That is assuming they select another edge rusher early in this draft.
“The Trey Hendrickson situation went public and needs resolution”, he wrote about the Bengals’ offseason. “Now, they have six picks to get it all figured out before heading into the offseason program. There’s as much pressure on this draft to hit as any in recent memory”.
The Bengals do have some pretty significant holes, which they didn’t fully fill during free agency. Throwing tons of money at wide receivers, that is hardly surprising, of course.
One thing that’s safe to say, though, is that the Bengals underperformed last year, relative to talent. That’s why they made coaching staff changes, too, including bringing in a new defensive coordinator. They are not going to rely purely on the draft, but rather development and scheme to improve upon last season’s lot.
