The Cincinnati Bengals have faced some significant changes on offense, but one thing remains constant: they still have QB Joe Burrow. As long as they have him and he remains healthy, they are going to be in the mix every year. At least, things tend to work that way with a franchise quarterback. And he is that, he has demonstrated.
And the Bengals have left him with WR Ja’Marr Chase, though Tee Higgins has requested a trade. Cincinnati has no intentions, it seems, of granting that request, however, after franchise tagging him. Gone is WR Tyler Boyd, as well as RB Joe Mixon. RT Jonah Williams is also gone, as they bring in pieces to replace them, including TE Mike Gesicki. With all that’s changed, Burrow remains confident in the core.
“We know we have the right people in place to reach our goals”, he told the team’s website, which means winning some Super Bowls. The Bengals nearly won it all in 2021, and reached the conference finals in 2022. Burrow’s health sabotaged their 2023 season, though they still managed a winning record while missing the playoffs.
The Bengals have invested in their offensive line over the past three years, most recently adding T Trent Brown. Last year, they signed Orlando Brown Jr. to take over at left tackle. They have some questions to answer at running back, however, now with Joe Mixon gone.
Still, the heart of that offense is the trio of Burrow, Chase, and Higgins. The duo combined for over 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns during the 2022 season with Chase missing four games. The Bengals also lost an entire game that season due to the Damar Hamlin situation. A year earlier, they combined for over 2,500 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Chances are good that Cincinnati invests in the running back position in the 2024 NFL Draft. This class is reported to be pretty deep at that particular position, perhaps one of the reasons they felt comfortable parting with Mixon in the first place.
They do have some defensive matters to figure out, as well. They had one of the worst deep passing defenses in the NFL last season. To that end, they’ve begun reshaping their secondary, including signing Geno Stone and bringing back Vonn Bell.
But this is a Bengals team that is basically going to do as much as Burrow and his targets allow them to do. As long as they can keep things moving, they’ll be competitive. Of course, Burrow is coming off a major injury that ended his season prematurely, but he’s progressing well, he says.
“I’m doing the rehab every day. That’s always a part of it”, he said. “As far as my offseason training, it hasn’t really affected it too much. I’ve been able to pretty much do everything I normally do from a lifting and conditioning standpoint. I’m in a great spot body-wise”.
