Bengals Roster Ranked Near the Bottom of the NFL

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(07-06-2021, 01:28 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: ESPN has released their rankings for all 32 NFL teams and instead of just some guy giving his take, they went with PFF grades.

With the 2021 draft and free agency behind us, we're breaking down each team's roster using the PFF database, with an eye toward the projected starters. We looked at both the PFF grades from the 2020 season -- a number included for every projected starter -- and a more comprehensive look at each player's career using both PFF grades and statistics.

Pro Football Focus grades of 90-plus categorize as elite, 80-89.9 are good/high quality, 70-79.9 fall under average and 69.9 or lower are considered below average.

For rookies and players not active (or barely active) in 2020, we used college grades or NFL grades from earlier seasons. NFL grades from 2019 or earlier are marked with (*), college grades from 2020 are marked with (**), and college grades from 2019 or earlier are marked with (***).

Here's how the 32 rosters stack up heading into this season, complete with each lineup's biggest strengths, weaknesses and X factors.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/31700971/nfl-roster-rankings-all-32-teams-2021-strengths-weaknesses-x-factors-every-team-starting-lineup


For those of you without ESPN+

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/bengals-roster-near-the-bottom-of-the-nfl-in-latest-rankings


24. Cincinnati Bengals

Biggest strength: Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase's connection in 2019 at LSU, particularly on deep balls, was special. Chase caught 24 of 36 passes in which Burrow targeted him 20 or more yards downfield that year. Fourteen of those receptions were touchdowns. As a rookie last season, Burrow completed just nine of 48 passes 20 or more yards downfield overall. Cincinnati will be hoping that an NFL reunion between Burrow and Chase will help solve some of those deep passing woes. Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are one of the league's better wide receiver trios on paper.

Biggest weakness: The Bengals' offensive line should be better in 2021 than it was last season. But that isn't a high bar to clear. There are still legitimate reasons for concern on the interior offensive line in Cincinnati. Second-round rookie Jackson Carman, Quinton Spain, Xavier Su'a-Filo and Michael Jordan are among the team's top options at guard. The last three combined for a 55.7 PFF grade last season with the Bengals, while Carman will be transitioning from left tackle at Clemson to right guard in the NFL.

X factor for 2021: Cincinnati handed out sizable offseason contracts to both D.J. Reader and Trae Waynes last offseason. The two combined for 259 defensive snaps (all by Reader) due to injury. Reader took a clear step forward in his career with Houston in 2019 (85.4 PFF grade), and Waynes earned overall grades of at least 66.0 in each of his final three seasons with the Vikings -- a solid mark at the cornerback position. Healthy returns for those two veterans should bring a steadying presence to this defense.


OFFENSE                                              DEFENSE
QB Joe Burrow (75.1)                            DI D.J. Reader (69.6)
RB Joe Mixon (65.3)                              DI Larry Ogunjobi (51.4)
RB Samaje Perine (76.7)                        ED Trey Hendrickson (70.9)
WR Ja'Marr Chase (91.1***)                  ED Sam Hubbard (68.0)
WR Tee Higgins (75.9)                          LB Germaine Pratt (41.5)
WR Tyler Boyd (75.8)                            LB Logan Wilson (54.7)
TE Drew Sample (61.4)                          LB Akeem Davis-Gaither (40.7)
LT Jonah Williams (70.1)                        CB Trae Waynes (67.0*)
LG Quinton Spain (56.7)                         CB Chidobe Awuzie (51.9)
C Trey Hopkins (63.8)                            CB Mike Hilton (63.7)
RG Jackson Carman (79.2**)                  S Vonn Bell (71.5)
RT Riley Reiff (71.4)                              S Jessie Bates III (90.1)

Good stuff, thanks for sharing.

A couple things jumped out at me:  Ogunjobi (Who for some reason I want to call:  Obi-wan Gunjobi) was asked to play NT by the Browns last year, and not his natural position.  Just three years ago, he graded out at a 78.  I think with the talent next to him now, he will be at least average here, if not a bit above average (since he is playing for a contract, too).  

Mixon graded out in the high 70s before last season, and I think the line was putrid the short stint he was able to play last year.  

The LB scores jump off the page for their ineptitude, but I will credit a great deal of that to the extremely porous line in front of them.  There were street guys starting at DT in front of them for a large portion of the season.  Even Ray Lewis complained when they didn't have a house in the middle of the line to keep him clean.  Improvements on the defensive line should go a long way to allowing the LBs to flow and utilize their athleticism.  

Outside of those minor points, I don't see any glaring weaknesses, but we also know the depth (especially at positions like OT and S) is paper thin.

I will say right now that Burrow is elite, as is Jessie Bates.  I believe Joe Mixon surely could be and Ja'Marr Chase breaks records wherever he goes.  I think for the Bengals to have a playoff-type season (oh please...can you imagine the excitement behind a Burrow-led team going to the playoffs?) they will need a couple other guys to have a big step up in their game.  Hoping it is guys like Hubbard, Wilson, Jonah Williams, and a couple young rookies showing like Carman and Ossai.  If that happens, they will be able to compete with anyone.  Roster rankings be damned.