Team Deficiencies and Options to Address Them

[THE PISTONS]

(10-09-2023, 11:18 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Five weeks in and we have a pretty good pulse on this team. Some good areas, some bad, and some that need addressing...like now. The sense of urgency to make this team better should be pretty high considering this off-season's roster turnover, the position the team is currently in (2-3), and how this was supposed to be our Super Bowl year.  

Where are the dificiencies and how can the Bengals address them? I have these ranked in order from most important to least important (IMO).

1. RB2
This should have been addressed in the off-season and is a major blunder by the front office. At this point, the team basically doesn't have a RB2 on the roster. Mixon has accounted for 93% (84 of 90) of the running back attempts this season. That is just unsustainable. Mixon is going to be beat by game 10. The Bengals don't trust anyone else on their roster to give attemps to, so they will need to dip into the trade or FA market. Preferably a one year rental, a vet, (Chase Brown can spell the load next year) and someone with some speed.

Option: Dontrell Hilliard - 28 years old and rated with a 67 PFF grade in 2022 with the Titans. More speed than Mixon (elite 40 yard dash RAS) and 6.6 yards per attempt last year in VERY limited carries. Currently a FA who can most likely be had for very cheap. He is also a good receiving back posting 21 receptions on 28 targets and 177 yards and 4 TDs.

2. Interior pass rush:
Zach Carter just isn't working out. The pass rush in 2022 wasn't good enough (specifically the interior). It hasn't been the same since Larry O left and they could definitely use a rotational piece to spare Reader/Hill.

Option: Derrick Brown - He'd have to be obtained via trade from the Panthers. He's signed through this year with a 5th year rookie option for next year (11 million). He's having a REALLY good year, grading out at an 80 via PFF and an 84 in 2022. He'd be an awesome option to pair inside with Reader/Hill this year then you also have a Reader replacement stop gap for next year (if letting Reader walk is the route they want to go). I'd give up a 4th round pick for him. Maaaaybe a 3rd.

4. Safety:
Nick Scott isn't it. I hate to give up on him, but he's been pretty bad. Both tackling and in coverage.

Option: Jordan Battle - This is an easy one. Jordan Battle (yes, the rookie) should be getting more playing time. He already got some this past week against Arizona and I wouldn't be shocked if it continued. He played for a couple series while Scott was benched. He did flash at times against the Cards, but he will most likely have some let downs as well. Either way, at this point he can't be much worse than Scott.

Good list.

I'd say our interior offensive line is low-end NFL starters too. Not going to address that now.

I wasn't a fan of the Scott signing either as a starter. Our secondary just seems off in coverage from years past. I think Hilton is having a down year too.