Cincinnati Bengals Roster 2018 Bengals Roster

Joe Mixon is finally going to be a featured guy, and while Giovani Bernard is still on the team, it should not affect Mixon’s touches in anyway. Bernard still has a passing game role on this team, and there is little competition to both these players. Andy Dalton does not have A.J. McCarron backing him up anymore, and Cincinnati will likely look ahead for a quarterback of the future soon. Dalton turns 31 this season, and the red-headed shine has worn off already. This receiving core outside of A.J. Green is gross. Brandon LeFell continues to be a WR2 in Cincinnati, which says a lot. John Ross has yet to make an impact, and health derailed his rookie year. It is not a lock for him to be a featured player. Tyler Eifert and Tyler Kroft make up the tight end duo, and with Eifert’s injury history, Kroft should get plenty of snaps.

Looking to Solve Offensive Woes

The Cincinnati Bengals missed the playoffs with a 7-9 record in 2017. This occurrence marked a shortcoming that the team is not used to. Although the team faced multiple first-round playoff defeats in the past few seasons, the sheer nature of achieving a birth is better than nothing. The team inked head coach Marvin Lewis to a 2-year contract extension this off-season. Despite the buzz around folks calling for his job, Lewis will continue to strive to get the playoff monkey off his shoulders.

The team's biggest concerning was tying some knots at the offensive line position this off-season. Inconsistent play and slotting players within incorrect roles led to protection concerns for Andy Dalton. They were weak off both sides, amassing to high levels of impact placed on Dalton throughout the season. To help bailout the outside, the team traded for Cordy Glenn from the Buffalo Bills. Glenn has height, quick feet, and presents a manageable size-to-speed ratio. He can help relieve some of the pressure from the outside at the left tackle position, protecting Dalton's blindside. The team also went O-line heavy in the draft, using their first-round pick to draft Billy Price. Price will fill big shoes once occupied by Russell Bodine. The center position is not an easy fill, but the Price addition presents a younger talent platform to mold. The team also added Bobby Hart from the Giants. Hart's role is currently undecided, leaving his efforts in camp as the main factors to his usage on the team this coming season.

Despite gaining big names in the off-season, the team centered around replacement players and re-signings. The team re-signed Tyler Eifert to a player-friendly contract. If Eifert can remain healthy, there are seeded bonuses up for grabs for the former Notre Dame standout. The team really needs a year-long performance out of Eifert. He presents a back-up plan to A.J. Green, affording the team many different red zone sets. The team also lost a few role players, to which they subdued with the signing of plug-and-play guys. The health of the team is the main selling point at the offensive categories. Keeping guys slotted within their roles and not having to go off-script will keep this experienced core within contention.

The defense is where this team continues to thrive. Each year, their top playmakers out-do a previous performance, reaching his levels of consistency and fortitude. The team returns a stellar defensive line with the likes of Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap. The knowledge for the game that these two possess is second to none. When they are on, it is tough to knock them from their podium. Vontaze Burfict continues to center the linebacking core, helping his guys feed off the energy and performance of others. The mentality of this defense is the next-man-up ideals, ensuring that all players get their chance to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. The secondary remains consistent across the board, leaving this defense amongst the top ranks of the league. This defense continues to keep this team in contests, begging for offensive production to follow suit.

The offensive woes will need to subside. Andy Dalton has had the same core of players to work with for the past 5 seasons, building a repertoire of chemistry. This trend will have to carry to in-game situations for the team to compete with the likes of the Ravens and the Steelers. This season looks to be a promising fight for the playoffs, ending a two-year drought.