A New Era Begins for the Cincinnati Bengals.

2019 Record: 2-14

Saying year one under Zac Taylor was a disaster for the Cincinnati Bengals would be an understatement. Star WR A.J. Green suffered an injury on the very first day of training camp and was eventually shut down midway through the season. Prior to this, first-round left tackle Jonah Williams tore his labrum and was out for the season. These factors, coupled with a shaky defense, porous O-line, and poor play from QB Andy Dalton, doomed the Bengals from the start, earning them the first overall pick. But hey, that might not have been a bad thing

Cincinnati Bengals Returning Starters

Offense: Six (not counting A.J. Green)

Defense: Six (signed lots of free agents and switched things up on defense a bit.)

Key Additions

• QB Joe Burrow (1st overall pick)
• WR Tee Higgins (2nd round)
• LB Logan Wilson (3rd round)
• LB Akeem Davis-Gaither (4th round)
• DT D.J. Reader (4 years, $53 million)
• S Von Bell (3 years, $18 million)
• CB Mackenzie Alexander (1 year, $4 million)
• LB Josh Bynes ( 1 year)

Cincinnati Bengals Season Outlook

Joe Burrow. That name is all Bengals fans can think about heading into this season. All reports say that he has had an amazing camp thus far, and that the whole team is buying into his confidence. Zac Taylor still has to prove a lot as a head coach, but the fact that the team kept fighting for him all last season when they could have quit says a lot.

Offense

If the receiving corp can stay healthy, Burrow will have one of the better supporting casts in the NFL, featuring Green, Tyler Boyd, John Ross, and Tee Higgins, in addition to RB Joe Mixon. The main question on offense will be how well the offensive line holds up. The line had (legitimately) one good starter last year, in center Trey Hopkins. With Jonah Williams making his debut and Michael Jordan lining up next to him at left guard, the Bengals hope at least one side of the line will be solidified. The right side, however, could cause some problems. Free agent RG Xavier Su’a-filo has not really impressed in the past, and RT Bobby Hart has been a long time punching bag/revolving door (in addition to just being a sucky person).

Joe Burrow is naturally going to take some lumps this season, and Zac Taylor knows this. But he trusts the rookie enough to have basically already named him the week 1 starter. If Burrow is even half as good as he was his senior year in college, Bengals fans will build him a statue.

Defense

Defensively, the team completely remade itself, with only five players who started all season retaining their spots. The D-line returns the old guard in stars Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap, who have been with the team over a decade now. They also signed Mike Daniels (of Packers fame) and D.J. Reader, considered by many to be a top-20 free agent, to the team’s largest free agent deal ever and making him the highest paid nose tackle in the NFL. The potential star of group, however, is DE Sam Hubbard, who has become a vocal leader, and leads the 2018 draft class in sacks.

The team is also excited about the new linebacker corps (which sucked for, like, years) and the young players they added. Josh Bynes is there to hold the fort down alongside 2nd-year pro Germaine Pratt. However, the team loves their three rookies: Logan Wilson from Wyoming, Akeem Davis-Gaither from App. State, and Markus Bailey from Purdue. All three have the potential to see early playing time, especially in coverage, where Bynes can struggle.

Lastly, the secondary is nearly completely rebuilt as well, with only S Jessie Bates III and CB William Jackson III returning. Paired up with Bates is one of the defense’s new vocal leaders Von Bell, formerly of the Saints, who coaches have raved about. Lining up with Jackson was going to be Mackensie Alexander and Trae Waynes, until Waynes tore a pectoral muscle. Now it seems as though third year pro Darius Phillips will take Waynes spot. Phillips showed potential last season, while also showing flaws. None of this showed better than the season finale against the Browns, in which he gave up two huge passes, but also picked off Baker twice.

Win Total (Over/Under)

The Bengals were subjected to some absolutely horrible luck last season, and not just with injuries. They finished an astounding 0-8 in one score games in 2019, when the average NFL team should split that. Vegas has the Bengals sitting at 5.5 wins right now. If they split the 0-8 last year they would have had 6 wins, plus they get Green and Jonah Williams back. Adding in the confidence in Joe Burrow that I have, I would tell you to take the over. Bengals at 6-10 or maybe 7-9 to round at Burrow’s rookie year.

Fantasy Player to Watch

Most people may think to go Green or Mixon here. Mixon was fantastic two years ago, and came on strong at the end last year when people (me) needed him. Green, on the other hand, has been a prime player in fantasy for years, but players shouldn’t trust his injury history. The player to watch is another receiver: Tyler Boyd. Coming off back to back 1,000 yard seasons, Boyd is criminally underrated. Reports out of camp paint him as one of Burrow’s favorite targets. He is a slot guy by trade, and we all saw Justin Jefferson and Burrow out of the slot last year. Factor in healthy receivers around him, and the man is an absolute threat.

Unsolicited second player to watch: Auden Tate. Tate is a guy who made some insane plays last year, but only one TD grab. However, Burrow has been finding him all camp, especially in the red zone. He is a waiver guy to watch after a couple weeks.

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