Author: Timothy McBride

Since when the organization was founded in 1968, the Cincinnati Bengals maintained a tough and gritty identity that continued all the way up until the mid-2010s.  The consistent primary focus on this team resided in the offensive line, particularly since the first player ever drafted by the team was a center (Bob Johnson).  Following a mass exodus that included All-Pro left tackle Andrew Whitworth, right guard Kevin Zeitler and right tackle Andre Smith in 2017, this unit has been a shell of its former self and has consistently ranked near the bottom of the NFL. Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Line…

The Cincinnati Bengals have certainly have one of the most underwhelming histories in the entire NFL.  After all, this is an organization that had only been to two Super Bowls and only had a handful of playoff wins up until 2020.  Luckily for the city, everything changed in one instant in 2020: with the first pick of the NFL Draft that year, Cincinnati completely reversed their poor fortunes when they selected quarterback Joe Burrow out of LSU.  Since then, this team has gone to another Super Bowl and become a perennial contender in the NFL.  No one can argue: Burrow…

Over the past few months, the Cincinnati Bengals have made some brutal salary cap decisions including letting elite talent like defensive tackle D.J. Reader and wide receiver Tyler Boyd leave the organization.  While the whole organization would have loved to keep them, the monster salary extension to quarterback Joe Burrow and the anticipated extension of wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has seriously tightened the coffers in the front office and the organization can’t afford to waste a single dollar of cap space. Cincinnati Bengals Miss Key Deadline to Extend Superstar Playmaker One of the toughest decisions still on…

The Cincinnati Bengals have done an exceptional job over the past few seasons building up a talented roster to push for another AFC title.  While having a solid roster is a huge part of being a competitive NFL team, this is a sport and a league that is reliant upon star power.  This is an organization that has put a ton of effort into acquiring stars on the offensive side of the ball including quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and wide receiver Tee Higgins.  Even with all of that exceptional talent on the offensive side of the ball,…

Over the past few seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals have had to make some difficult choices regarding their limited salary cap resources in order to build the best team for the future.  Obviously, the most important component of that was to sign superstar quarterback Joe Burrow to a record-breaking contract.  Burrow is a game-changing presence who gives this organization a shot at the Super Bowl every year that he remains on the team.  Unfortunately, signing one player to a monster contract makes retaining the rest of the team incredibly difficult as that contract slowly kicks in over time. Cincinnati Bengals…

After the departure of both superstar nose tackle D.J. Reader and backup nose tackle Josh Tupou over the offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals have been desperate to figure out a solution along the defensive line.  Over the offseason, they signed former Houston Texans free agent Sheldon Rankins to provide some help up front but Rankins is certainly a better 3-technique, and this team still doesn’t have a single 1-technique defensive lineman on their roster. Cincinnati Bengals’ New Defensive Tackle Showing Off During Workouts After blundering through free agency, it looked like this organization was going to neglect to…

Over the past few seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals have developed one of the most explosive and exciting offenses in the NFL.  Led by one of the best quarterbacks in the league Joe Burrow, this offense has built a core of talented weapons that makes this unit truly special.  Unfortunately for Cincinnati, that comes with a cost: due to the well-designed salary cap system in the NFL, the next few years are going to be a nightmare to figure out the best way to spread money around and retain this talented group of players. Cincinnati Bengals Receiver Eyes Critical Date…

Since he was drafted with the first overall pick in 2020, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has transcended the meaning of ‘Cult of Personality’ in the Queen City.  Let’s be honest, the man has earned it after bringing this bottom dweller of an organization into a new era where they find themselves a perennial contender for the AFC Championship.  Now, after he signed a contract that makes him the highest paid player in the NFL, his confidence and persona appear that they’ll continue to grow. Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Talks About Bringing Back a Legendary Celebration Since he…

Dating back to the Marvin Lewis era, the Cincinnati Bengals have held a significant focus on their defensive backs.  From a long stretch where it seemed that the team selected a corner with every other first round pick in the late 2000s to early 2010s, this team has placed a serious emphasis on the secondary.  While this team has had unprecedented success during the first few years of head coach Zac Taylor, that appears to be one of the biggest shifts during his tenure. Cincinnati Bengals Season Will Come Down to Defensive Secondary While most of those…

Over a majority of their history and certainly for the better part of the past thirty years, the Cincinnati Bengals have mastered the art of mediocrity.  After all, this is a team that went on a twenty-one-year drought without a playoff victory from 1991 to 2022.  During that span, the team rarely made international or even national news aside from a series of arrests and blunders that were so comical that they went viral.  It certainly wasn’t a fun period to be a fan of the organization and things needed to change. Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow Models on…