While the Cincinnati Bengals have established themselves as one of the biggest powers in the AFC, they have a few aspects of their game that could use some serious help . Frankly, that’s one of the greatest aspects of the entire NFL is that the salary cap keeps teams from becoming dominant: even the best team in the NFL is going to have weak links. Cincinnati has invested heavily over the past few seasons on skill positions and defensive backs but there are some major issues that require attention.
Bengals Need to Capitalize on Cap Casualties in 2024
One of the biggest traits of elite franchises like the 2010s New England Patriots or the current Kansas City Chiefs is their ability to scoop up cap casualties. Even though the cap went up by a record $31 million this offseason, there are always teams that decide on moving on from players rather than invest precious resources in them. That’s why even though this is a fairly bland crop of free agents this offseason, there are going to be some exciting additions as overpaid stars get cut from teams to save money over the next couple weeks.
One perfect example is the Miami Dolphins releasing defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah on Sunday morning. While he never quite reached the status of an elite pass rusher, Ogbah has been around the league and is considered one of the better pass rush specialists available in the NFL. Ogbah was under contract in Miami for another season but the AFC East powerhouse is doing a little spring cleaning on their financials and decided to release the veteran rather than pay his $13.7 million cap hit for 2024.
Ogbah has bounced around the league after being drafted with the 32nd overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. Ogbah has been with Miami for the past four seasons but has struggled with injuries since 2022. Even though he managed to salvage a tough season with 5.5 sacks this season, the team decided that they could spend that money wiser somewhere else.
Now enter Cincinnati: other than elite pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati simply has been incapable of generating much of a pass rush the past few seasons and bringing in a specialist might be the perfect strategy for prime time games. On that note, lets face it: Cincinnati is an elite team that needs to constantly be looking ahead for players that can make big players against teams like Kansas City or Baltimore. While he hasn’t been perfect, he is certainly capable for a game changing sack in a big game.
Now if you look at the Cincinnati roster, their current starting defensive end opposite Hendrickson is Sam Hubbard. Hubbard has left much to be desired in the pass rush since he entered the NFL in 2018 out of Ohio State but has been a fan favorite after growing up just down the road in Cincinnati. 2023 1st Round Pick Myles Murphy may be expected to take a big part of that workload in 2024 but it may be excellent for his development to let him learn from a proven pass rusher.
Even though he is a proven commodity, Ogbah would probably not cost too much at this point in his career and would be a valuable asset for the team down the stretch. The pass rush has been a major issue for Cincinnati for a long time but if they team finally invested some capital in an above average player, an improvement may just be enough to push them over the top toward their first Lombardi Trophy.
For More Football News:
Follow me on Twitter at @Super_Squatch76. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and NFL news, click here! If there is a topic you’d like me to cover or a question you’d like to ask, feel free to contact me at my email timothy.mcbride76@gmail.com.
