The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to improve this year after a below-par 2023 season and are still on the hunt for their first-ever Lombardi Trophy.
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Previous Season
The Bengals got off to a rocky start last season, with two losses from their first two games, both against AFC North rivals, the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens.
A run of a few wins with star Joe Burrow at the helm made the Bengals look promising, until a loss against the Houston Texans and the Ravens back-to-back led things to go downhill.
The game against the Ravens saw Burrow come off with a wrist injury, something he had been battling with all season, and QB2 Jake Browning replacing him.
With a star player injured, the Bengals looked very shakey for the rest of the season, with only three wins in the last seven games.
With not a single win against another AFC North team, many questions were being asked about coach Zac Taylor and whether he is the right man for the job. Ultimately, the Bengals stuck with him and will continue to do so.
The obvious weakness in the side was the loss of their star QB in Burrow, with Burrow out the style of play had to change, meaning a lot less of the ball for WR1 Ja'Marr Chase.
A player that stood out for Cincinnati last season was DE Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson managed 17.5 sacks last year which was over double the amount he accumulated in 2022, and the second most sacks in the league.
Their expectation was to at least reach the AFC Championship, and some were even saying to win the Super Bowl finally.
Overall though they did not live up to expectations, especially after their 2021 and 2022 season where they reached the AFC Championship both years, winning it in the 2021 season.
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Staff and Structural moves
During the offseason, there were not many structural changes within the camp. However, there were a few notable ones.
The main staff change was the loss of offensive coordinator, Brian Callahan, who earned himself a move to the Tennessee Titans as their head coach with an impressive CV with the Bengals.
In his absence, Cincinnati promoted quarterback coach Dan Pitcher to the offensive coordinator after his impressive showings over the years making Burrow into the player he is now.
A few more changes came in February to the backroom staff including Justin Rascati as the new pass game coordinator, Brad Kragthorpe replacing Pitcher as the quarterback coach, and Jordan Kovacs as the new secondary/safeties coach.
The last of the staff changes came at the end of February with Jordan Salkin as the new offensive assistant, Ronnie Regula as the defensive assistant, and Ben Jacobs as the special teams assistant.
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Off-Season Losses
The Bengals lost a few key first-team players, due to contracts expiring, that had all been major parts of their reason success.
The first big loss came with DT DJ Reader. Reader had been with the Bengals since 2020 and had put up impressive tackle numbers each year, being a consistent starter for the team. Reader has now signed with the Detroit Lions.
The next big loss came with someone who had just arguably had his best season with the team, that player being RB Joe Mixon.
Mixon had been with the Who Dey Nation since 2017 and every year putting up consistently high numbers with the team. In the 2023 season Mixon amassed a total of 1,034 rushing yards with nine touchdowns, being a key part to the team in Burrow's absence.
Mixon was picked up by the Texans in the offseason, with a trade for their seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft, adding to their already strong offence.
Another key loss in the team was WR Tyler Boyd who joined his offensive coach Callahan at the Titans.
Boyd had an up-and-down career being WR3 at the Bengals, but 2023 was his worst year with only two touchdowns and 667 yards the whole year. These numbers most likely contributed to his inevitable free agency.
Some other notable key loss include TE Irv Smith Jr, CB Chidobe Awuzie and OT Jonah Williams.
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Off-Season Incomings
Several free-agent signings were made to strengthen the side and amend the losses of some key players.
TE Mike Gesicki was the first signing made to replace the losses the Bengals suffered in the TE room.
Gesicki played just one season with the New England Patriots, previously playing at the Miami Dolphins for five years, being consistent throughout the year with his many receptions.
To replace Mixon at RB, the Bengals opted to sign Zack Moss from the Indianapolis Colts.
Moss had just had his best year so far of his NFL career, putting up 794 rushing yards with five touchdowns in the season. His impressive bout led to Cincinnati snatching him up.
Cincinnati also strengthed by signing from their division rival the Baltimore Ravens, by signing free agent safety Geno Stone.
In his four years in Baltimore, 2023 was Stone's best year with seven interceptions, which was a league high for the safety position.
Other notable free agency signings include; signing their former S Vonn Bell from the Atalanta Falcons, DT Sheldon Rankins from the Texans, and OT Trent Brown from the Patriots.
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Draft Picks
Cincinnati had 10 draft picks this year, signing a good mixture of both defensive and offensive players in positions they needed to strengthen.
Their first-round pick was OT Amarius Mims from Georgia. At 6ft8 and 340lbs, Mims will provide that strong support Cincinnati need at OT after having a year of that position being arguably their weakest.
Mims played at RT seven times throughout the year for Georgia, putting up impressive numbers and helping Georgia get ranked the fifth-best team in the nation in total offence.
The second night of the draft saw the Bengals select; DT Kris Jenkins Jr of Michigan, WR Jermaine Burton of Alabama, and DT McKinnley Jackson of Texas A&M.
The last night of the 2024 NFL Draft saw Cincinnati be on the clock six times drafting a multitude of positions that they lost in off season or needed to strengthen from the previous season.
Cincinnati drafted; TE Erick All Jr of Iowa, CB Josh Newton of Texas Christian, TE Tanner McLaughlin of Arizona, DE Cedric Johnson and S Daijahn Anthony of Mississippi, and C Matt Lee of Miami.
Overall the Bengals had a very solid draft, strengthening pefectly where they need. Overall the Bengals draft was rated around B to A, ranking higher than many of the other 31 teams in the NFL.
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2024 Expectations
The Bengals need to massively improve on how they did last year. As of recent years Cincinnati have been labelled as one of the best sides in the league, but the team need to prove it this year.
The absolute minimum for the team this year is to reach the playoffs, having missed out in 2023, they need to pick up form and best off their division rivals.
Another small expectation would be to actually beat an AFC North side this year, having failed to do so in five out of the six games, with their only win coming against a Cleveland Browns side that was essentially their reserves.
The highest expectation of the Bengals would be to reach the AFC Championship game again.
Cincinnati's first Super Bowl still awaits them, but with how they've done in recent years with a full strength side, they aren't ruled out as contenders this year.
