Every single professional sports franchise in the entire league has problems. After all, there are teams like the Washington Commanders that have far more scandalous pasts than the Cincinnati Bengals but Cincinnati has plenty of issues of their own. Every single fan of the organization likely has their own list of grievances but the Bengals have several that have arguably attributed to the team’s horrendous all-time record.
Cincinnati Bengals Continue Distrust of Rookies During 2024 Offseason
One of the greatest issues that has been noticed about the front office over the past several years has been a remarkably conservative streak when it comes to personnel. The biggest example is certainly the tendency to retain starters even though a younger or newer player shows more promise.
If you look through Cincinnati’s recently released preseason depth chart, several decisions reek of this kind of conservative ideology. The biggest and most painful was the promotion of veteran right tackle Trent Brown to the starting lineup over first-round pick Amarius Mims. Brown hasn’t played all of training camp due to likely work ethic issues and Mims has drawn praise from virtually every member of the offense but unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to unseat the veteran offensive tackle.
Same Story at the Running Back Position
That tendency popped up again at the running back position when the team announced that they would be starting recently acquired veteran Zack Moss over the talented second-year player Chase Brown. Multiple players on the offense have talked about the unique explosiveness that Brown brings to the offense and consider the Illinois product to be a breakout candidate heading into the season. Moss has been a solid role player at the NFL level but doesn’t provide much upside at the running back position at the ripe age (for a tailback) of 26.
And again at Defensive Tackle…
The same trend strikes at the defensive tackle position with rookies Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson. Both were selected early in the 2024 NFL Draft (second and third round respectively) after the position was targetted as a major weakness with the departure of D.J. Reader. Both players have been practicing with the first string and have looked really impressive for young players at a position where most players require some time to bulk up to NFL strength levels.
When the depth chart was released, it was a huge surprise that both players were relegated to third-string behind veteran depth pieces Jay Tufele and Zach Carter. Carter looks like he may be able to make an impact this season as an interior pass rusher but Tufele has been a liability on the defensive interior when he’s been tapped over the past two seasons. It would make more sense to place Jenkins and Jackson above Tufele on the defensive front.
Leadership Over Talent in the Secondary
The fans should have tremendous respect for defensive back Vonn Bell: he was a leader on the Cincinnati defense during their dramatic turnaround over the past few seasons but he was let go over financial negotiations last offseason. In his absence, this defense found a diamond in the rough out of the University of Alabama with second-year strong safety Jordan Battle. Battle ended last season ranked as the eighth-ranked safety in the NFL by Pro Football Focus (PFF) with an overall score of 82.5 and was considered one of the best pieces on this struggling Cincinnati defense.
In a bizarre move that few fans have talked about, Battle was dropped out of the starting lineup in favor of Bell to start the season. The only possible way to rationalize this is that Bell has been dubbed a defensive captain by coordinator Lou Anarumo and the at-risk coach wants to keep his captain on the field as much as possible. While leadership is significant, it would be a wise decision of the coaching staff to focus on creating a new leader on the defense and working to develop Battle into an All-Pro anchor on this defense.
Is there a Counterargument?
After leveling heavy skepticism at the coaching staff, the fans obviously are never privy to the inner gameplan of the coaching staff. It is possible that these decisions are only temporary going into the preseason and that the rookies have the opportunity to earn starting jobs early on. That being said, this organization has a history of dragging out the careers of veterans well after most teams would cut their losses. Hopefully, the conservative approach of the front office won’t be a major hindrance on the field to start the season.
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