Since the hiring of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in 2019, the Cincinnati Bengals had enjoyed steady improvement up until the end of the 2022 NFL season. Unfortunately, this team took a major step backwards on the defensive side of the ball last season and it was painfully apparent that something needs to change heading into the 2024 season. While Anarumo was one of the most promising head coaching candidates of the 2023 offseason, he will need to prove that he still has what it takes to retain his job in Cincinnati after a disastrous 2023.
Cincinnati Bengals Defender On Last Leg of His Career Heading into 2024
While some of the blame can be placed on the coaching staff, the players certainly weren’t blameless for a disappointing season on the defensive side of the ball. Arguably the guiltiest of the group was star linebacker Germaine Pratt who suffered a setback after an excellent season in 2022. Pratt has been one of the most notable success stories on this defense but his form simply wasn’t up to snuff last season.
Pratt was a bona fide superstar during the 2022 NFL season as his overall Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 80.6 set him up as one of the best off ball linebackers in the NFL. On top of that, he managed a spectacular coverage score of 90.1 but the biggest improvement for Pratt was his ability to force a turnover in a key situation.
While 2022 was an emergence for Pratt, 2023 was a colossal disappointment. According to PFF, Pratt’s rating dropped substantially across to board to an overall grade of 63.3 including a coverage drop all the way to 65.3. From watching Pratt last season, he was clearly far too interested in attempting to force turnovers and ended up neglecting his responsibilities to make sound plays. Far too often, Pratt was out of position last season and he had a serious problem with missed tackles as his missed tackle rate skyrocketed from 5.9% in 2022 to 10.7% in 2023.
After such a dramatic dip in form after he signed a sizeable three-year contract totaling north of $20 million, Pratt is heading into the season with one foot out the door. If Pratt struggles through the 2024 season, his $2 million dollar salary cap in 2025 may seem like an expendable loss on a franchise that is in desperate need of salary cap space. After all, this team is likely to have one third of the total cap space wrapped up on just Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase after Chase is expected to sign a monster contract extension this offseason.
After a tough 2023 season, Pratt is in desperate need of a quick and effective turnaround. If he doesn’t pull it off, he may be looking for gainful employment upon the close of the 2024 season.
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