Over the years, the Cincinnati Bengals have had an unfortunate reputation for bringing players in with legal issues. While that certainly is a broad generalization, we all have heard plenty of jokes regarding the orange-and-black stripes that go on the jerseys being there for another reason. Even after a long and somewhat painful history of bringing in players like that, Cincinnati may have no choice but to do it again in 2024.
Cincinnati Bengals Second-Round Target Makes Major Legal Blunder
Late last week, University of Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat was arrested after an accident in which his blood alcohol content (BAC) was well over the legal limit. Driving while under the influence of alcohol (DWI) charges are typically one of those major red flags that a player may not be particularly focused on the important things in life. After all, who would risk throwing away multi-million dollar contracts over a $10 Uber fare? At the very least, it shows a dramatic lapse in judgment.
While the arrest has been discussed (rightfully so) as a major red flag towards drafting the 6’4″ 362-pound product out of Texas, he may find himself lucky when it comes to the draft this season. Normally, an OWI would drop a player at least a round or two as teams struggle with whether or not a player can recover from a major criminal act at such an impressionable moment in their lives. But this season isn’t like any other year when it comes to interior defensive linemen.
In a typical year, there would be around five to ten available nose tackles where a red flag like this would drive Sweat’s name to the bottom of the pile. The bizarre thing is that Sweat is the only legitimate nose tackle in this entire draft after every single other tackle weighs in at under 315 pounds. That means that for a team that may be desperate to find a 1-technique to plug up the middle, they may still pull the trigger in the second round to be sure to land the goliath on their roster.
The perfect example of that would be Cincinnati: after letting elite nose tackle D.J. Reader walk during free agency, the organization has found themselves with significant pass-rushing ability on the interior of their defensive line but not much in terms of stopping the run. That doesn’t bode well for a team that finished 31st in the NFL last season against the rushing attack.
For Cincinnati to have any chance defensively next season, they’ll have to take the gamble on Sweat and hope that he doesn’t make any additional legal blunders down the road.
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