Chris Roling
June 30, 2021 8:33 pm ET
Cincinnati Bengals right tackle Riley Reiff has
managed to fly under the radar so far.
Reiff projects to be a big
upgrade on the right side of the offensive line after coming over via free
agency to replace the now-cut Bobby Hart.
But that big upgrade has been a bit swept aside in the hype
department as the broad outlook focuses on Joe Burrow’s rehab and fifth-overall
pick Ja’Marr Chase, if not the big money spent on someone like Trey
Hendrickson, too.
But NFL.com’s Adam Rank isn’t overlooking it — he’s projecting Reiff to be the team MVP
in 2021:
“Signing
Reiff this offseason was a huge move for the Bengals. He’s a big upgrade
over his predecessor, Bobby Hart. Some of the Bengals’ moves this offseason
were kind of like the equivalent of replacing an older couch with a newer one
that is basically the same as the old one. But adding Reiff was like getting a
TV for the bathroom. The sort of thing you didn’t know you needed until you
actually did it. Readers who are also parents know what I mean.”
Maybe Reiff won’t be as great as a TV in the bathroom, but if he
plays a big part in making sure Burrow never gets hurt again, it’ll go down as
one of the low-key best signings of free agency.
That said, the Bengals have plenty of possible MVPs to list,
highlighted by Burrow and Chase. Maybe it even turns out to be Jonah Williams
at the left tackle spot.
Either way, it sure doesn’t hurt to see some national optimism for
the Bengals and a spotlight on an upgrade that deserves more attention.
State of the 2021
Cincinnati Bengals: Is turnaround led by Joe Burrow imminent?
Published: Jun 30, 2021 at 07:02 AM
Adam Rank
NFL.com Writer
Where does your franchise stand
heading into 2021? Adam Rank sets the table by providing a State of the
Franchise look at all 32 teams, zeroing in on the key figures to watch and
setting the stakes for the season to come.
Members of the Bengals organization, Bengals fans around the
world and those who had kind of hoped they were going to roll out those
cool "BENGALS" script helmets again:
This
is a pivotal year for the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincy made the playoffs in five
straight seasons during the Marvin Lewis regime, but the team was looking for a
new direction after the 2018 campaign. Unfortunately, that new direction has
not been a fortuitous one. But don't despair, Bengals fans. Sometimes it's
darkest before the dawn -- and this organization could be building something
special.
How the Bengals got here
Let's take a quick look back at the
highs and lows of the 2020 season.
The highs:
o Handling the Titans pretty well in a 31-20 Week 8 victory. Tennessee went on to win the AFC South, but really, this
game wasn't all that close.
o Beating the Steelers in Week 15 on Monday Night Football. Hey, look: You weren't
going to make the playoffs or anything. But beating a division rival in a
prime-time game is always a good thing. And you followed it up with a win over
the Texans the following week.
o Joe Burrow's performance through Week 10. He
looked like the quarterback Bengals fans wanted him to be, throwing for 2,485
yards to go along with 12 touchdowns and five picks. And then …
The
lows:
o Burrow's season-ending knee injury in Week 11. Just
as the Bengals were becoming a fun team that people enjoyed watching (even
streaming the rookie in fantasy football), he suffered a horrific
end to his rookie campaign.
o Losing the season opener to the Chargers. The
Bengals had L.A. on the ropes in Week 1. A.J. Green caught the
would-be go-ahead touchdown with seven seconds left in the game, but he was
called for offensive pass interference and the play was nullified.
Then Randy Bullock missed a 31-yard field goal try that would
have tied the game.
o Getting blown out by the Ravens in Week 17. After
back-to-back wins in the previous two weeks, the Bengals had a chance to close
out the season on an upswing. But they were beaten by Baltimore, 38-3. The
Bengals were outscored 65-6 in their two games against the Ravens in 2020.
2021 VIPs
Head coach: Zac Taylor. The
Bengals are starting Year 3 of the Zac Taylor Experiment. I don't know where
the time has gone. And I really don't have much more of a read on the
38-year-old coach now than I did a year ago, when I lamented not having
more of a read on him. He did improve the Bengals' offense last season, taking
the unit from 30th in points per game in 2019 all the way up to (checks notes)
29th in 2020.
I'm
sure you could give him the benefit of the doubt, considering he was without
Burrow after Week 11. The Bengals were kind of a fun team during the first half
of the season, losing some heartbreakers and letting Carson
Wentz rally the Eagles to a tie in Week 3. But still, every time we
saw Zac Taylor on those video pressers, I always thought that he was one of the
PR staffers waiting for the coach to arrive before I finally went, Oh
yeah, that's Taylor.
And
it's not going to be easy for him. The Bengals are tied for the sixth-toughest
strength of schedule based on their 2021 opponents' record from 2020. The
division-rival Steelers aren't as good as their record from last year might
lead you to believe, so that should help. But this is a huge season for Taylor,
which shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone.
Quarterback: Joe Burrow. You
know what's funny? The Bengals have never had a really
bad starting quarterback. OK, at least not for long stretches
of time. From Ken Anderson to Boomer Esiason to Carson
Palmer to Andy Dalton, the Bengals have fared pretty well at the
position. There was even a year of Ryan Fitzpatrick sprinkled in
there (2008). I know the Akili Smith and David
Klingler eras were rough, but for the most part, the Bengals have been
pretty good at quarterback since the 1980s. It figures you'd get another gem in
Burrow.
The
first overall pick of the 2020 draft broke the rookie record for pass attempts
per game (40.4). His 268.6 passing yards per game were the third-most by a
rookie in NFL history. The biggest question now is how quickly he'll recover
from the injury. Burrow told Sports Illustrated last month that he
used the rehab time to refine his throwing motion and focus on the fundamentals.
He also told the Bengals' official website that he was going to add
some more weight before the season. His offseason work appears to have served
him well, as the reviews from the spring have been fantastic for Burrow. Some
of his receivers have reported that he has more zip on the
football now, too. I can't wait to see what he's going to be able to do in
2021.
Projected 2021 MVP: Riley Reiff, right tackle. Signing Reiff this offseason was
a huge move for the Bengals. He's a big upgrade over his predecessor, Bobby
Hart. Some of the Bengals' moves this offseason were kind of like the
equivalent of replacing an older couch with a newer one that is basically the
same as the old one. But adding Reiff was like getting a TV for the bathroom.
The sort of thing you didn't know you needed until you actually did it. Readers
who are also parents know what I mean.
2021 breakout star: Logan Wilson, linebacker. Wilson,
a third-round pick in 2020, is one of the Bengals defenders generating
some buzz this offseason. He played in 12 games as a rookie and made some
impressive plays. Wilson missed the last three games of the season with an
ankle injury, but he appears to be healthy and ready to go. He's going to get a
chance to start for a Bengals linebacker corps that could use a little bit of
help. Don't be surprised if you hear his name a bunch this season.
New face to know: Ja'Marr Chase, wide receiver. A
lot of NFL observers felt like the Bengals should have selected an offensive
lineman with the fifth overall pick in the draft instead of a receiver. I'm not
one of those people. I mean, Penei Sewell (the first O-lineman
selected this year at No. 7 overall) is a fantastic prospect who could be great
for the Lions, but I believe Chase can be really special. Especially given the
familiarity between Chase and Burrow, who won a national championship together
at LSU. By now, you're familiar with how dominant Burrow was during that run
with the Tigers. You might not be aware that Chase led the
FBS in receiving yards (1,780) and receiving touchdowns (20) in 2019. That's
right. Chase had more yards and touchdowns than LSU teammate
(and 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up) Justin Jefferson in
'19. And when you listen to Burrow and Chase talk about their bromance, it's
like listening to Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt talk about each other during
the press tour of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And
you can bet the Bengals are looking for that Hollywood ending with these two
reunited.
2021 roadmap
The competitive urgency index is:
HIGH, actually. I mean, they don't have to go to the Super Bowl or
anything. But the Bengals need to be competitive for the sake of Zac Taylor's
job security.
Three key dates:
o Week 1 vs. Minnesota Vikings. The
Bengals lost a spirited battle against the Chargers in Week 1 last
year, creating a "Here we go again ..." vibe early in the season.
This is a winnable game for Cincinnati.
o Week 6 at Detroit Lions. Not
only are the Bengals going up against a team that was in a similar draft
position, but this matchup also kicks off three consecutive road games for
Cincy. The Bengals are one of three teams with three consecutive roadies on
their 2021 schedule.
o Week 12 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. The
Bengals get three consecutive home games this season, too, beginning with the
matchup against Pittsburgh (followed by meetings with the Chargers and 49ers).
This seems like the kind of stretch that could determine the fate of Zac
Taylor.
Will the Bengals be able to …
Keep Joe Burrow healthy? I
already mentioned how I feel about the signing of right tackle Riley
Reiff (bathroom TV comp, which is a good thing).
I should also mention that the team drafted offensive lineman Jackson
Carman in Round 2. Obviously, it's important to protect the investment in
Burrow. He was pressured on 134 dropbacks in 10 games in 2020, per Next Gen
Stats. That was the third-most pressures of any QB from Weeks 1-11 and does
include the play in which he suffered the knee injury. The Bengals would also
benefit from a healthy season for left tackle Jonah Williams, the 11th
overall pick in the 2019 draft. Williams missed the entire 2019 season with a
shoulder injury and he sat out six games due to injury in 2020. I don't know,
this seems like an awful lot of wishing. But as a guy who really loves Joe
Burrow, I hope this O-line can get it together.
Get a full season out of Joe
Mixon? I joked that the Bengals let their best running back go
this offseason when they released Giovani Bernard. Although maybe I wasn't
really joking at the time? Mixon played in just six games last season, missing
10 contests with a foot injury. And perhaps this is yet another instance where
the fantasy football dork in me rises to the occasion. Mixon has long been one
of those guys we were promised would be a game-changer, but we haven't seen
that monster year from him yet. He's yet to reach
double-digit touchdowns in a season and he hasn't put up huge numbers in the
passing game. I feel like you're going to be at your fantasy draft six years
from now and one of your league mates is going to be telling people that this is
the year for Mixon. I need to see it. (And one guy you might want to keep an
eye on as training camp unfolds is rookie RB Pooka Williams, who has
turned some heads in the offseason.)
Get to the quarterback? I
know we've talked a lot about Ja'Marr Chase and the moves on the
offensive line in this piece, but the Bengals' best signing of the offseason
might have been Trey Hendrickson. He had 13.5 sacks for the Saints last
season. The Bengals had 17 as a team. That's right, SEVENTEEN. That's the
second-fewest by a team in the last 10 seasons. If Hendrickson can get close to
his number from last season again, Cincinnati can't help but improve in that
area. The Bengals also brought in former Browns DT Larry Ogunjobi. But the
team traded DE Carlos Dunlap to the Seahawks in the middle of last
season; Carl Lawson -- the Bengals' sacks leader last season --
signed with the Jets in March; and longtime Cincinnati staple Geno
Atkins is currently a free agent.
One storyline …
... people are overlooking: The
Bengals did make some moves in the secondary. I'm tempted to
say upgraded in the secondary, even. The Bengals ranked
19th in passing yards allowed, and 26th in passing touchdowns allowed in 2020.
And they lost former first-round pick William Jackson III in free
agency. But they brought in Chidobe Awuzie and former
Steeler Mike Hilton. I kind of liked Awuzie in the past, during his time
with the Cowboys. But he was injured for much of last season. And when he was
playing, he struggled. Hilton is a solid player, though. Never a bad idea to
sign a guy with knowledge of the division. The Bengals also added Eli
Apple and Ricardo Allen. Not exactly inspiring signings,
but two players worth kicking the tires on for a low price.
... people are also overthinking: Spending
a first-round pick on a receiver. I feel like a lot of you
still aren't on board with this move, even though I tried to spell it out
earlier. Reminder: Ja'Marr Chase had 20 touchdowns in 2019. Bengals
wide receivers have 22 receiving touchdowns since 2019,
which is tied for 29th in the league. But I also need to mention Tyler
Boyd and Tee Higgins. I'm a big Tee guy. He had a great
rookie season (67/908/6). Burrow is raving about him. I feel like Chase
and Higgins are going to make a great tandem. Seriously, this could be one of
the best receiving corps in the league.
For 2021 to be a
success, the Bengals MUST:
o Take a big step in the right direction. Expecting
a playoff berth feels a bit aggressive for this team. Especially in a division
that includes the Ravens and the Browns. But at some point, we need to see some
progress from the Bengals. They need to close out some of those tough games.
And if they get to the playoffs, well, that would be wonderful.
In closing
Cincinnati
is one of the most interesting teams in the league. The offense has the makings
of being something special. I'm kind of bummed the Bengals were given only one
prime-time game this season. They might not end up being the best team in NFL
history, but I really do believe they are going to be one of the most enjoyable
teams to watch in 2021.
Follow Adam Rank on Twitter.
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