07-10-2023, 03:18 PM
ESPN ranks us with 5th best roster. 1. KC 2. Philly 3. Bills 4. Dolphins
5. Cincinnati Bengals
Strongest unit: Wide receiver. The Bengals' wideouts paced the NFL in receiving touchdowns (25) last season, despite superstar duo Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both missing substantial game action (not to mention that the Bengals played only 16 games).
Chase, 23, and Higgins, 24, are early in their prime and form the league's best WR duo, whereas veteran Tyler Boyd remains one of the NFL's top slot receivers.
-- Clay
Weakest unit: Safety. Cincinnati's safety position is in transition after Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell departed during free agency. The succession plan will include 2022 No. 31 pick Dax Hill (141 snaps), ex-Rams starter Nick Scott and third-round rookie
Jordan Battle. The future might be bright, but some development will be required. -- Clay
X factor for 2023: RT Jonah Williams. According to ESPN Analytics research, his 84% pass block win rate last season ranked 55th out of 64 tackles, and he has never posted an average PBWR for a tackle. Williams is on the right side now, but unless he improves on his past performance, he's still a weakness in quarterback
Joe Burrow's protection. -- Walder
Nonstarter to know: RB Chase Brown. I'm keeping an eye on Brown, a fifth-round pick who forced 73
missed tackles (fourth-most in FBS) last season at
Illinois, because Joe Mixon averaged between minus
-0.2 and 0.2 rush yards over expectation per carry in the past four seasons. Brown is cheaper and could be
Mixon's successor. -- Walder
5. Cincinnati Bengals
Strongest unit: Wide receiver. The Bengals' wideouts paced the NFL in receiving touchdowns (25) last season, despite superstar duo Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both missing substantial game action (not to mention that the Bengals played only 16 games).
Chase, 23, and Higgins, 24, are early in their prime and form the league's best WR duo, whereas veteran Tyler Boyd remains one of the NFL's top slot receivers.
-- Clay
Weakest unit: Safety. Cincinnati's safety position is in transition after Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell departed during free agency. The succession plan will include 2022 No. 31 pick Dax Hill (141 snaps), ex-Rams starter Nick Scott and third-round rookie
Jordan Battle. The future might be bright, but some development will be required. -- Clay
X factor for 2023: RT Jonah Williams. According to ESPN Analytics research, his 84% pass block win rate last season ranked 55th out of 64 tackles, and he has never posted an average PBWR for a tackle. Williams is on the right side now, but unless he improves on his past performance, he's still a weakness in quarterback
Joe Burrow's protection. -- Walder
Nonstarter to know: RB Chase Brown. I'm keeping an eye on Brown, a fifth-round pick who forced 73
missed tackles (fourth-most in FBS) last season at
Illinois, because Joe Mixon averaged between minus
-0.2 and 0.2 rush yards over expectation per carry in the past four seasons. Brown is cheaper and could be
Mixon's successor. -- Walder
Romo “ so impressed with Zac ...1 of the best in the NFL… they are just fundamentally sound. Taylor the best winning % in the Playoffs of current coaches. Joe Burrow” Zac is the best head coach in the NFL & that gives me a lot of confidence." Taylor led the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990, ending the longest active drought in the four major North American sports, en and appeared in Super Bowl LVI, the first since 1988.
