Since the arrival of head coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in 2019, the Cincinnati Bengals have certainly emphasized the passing game on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. After all, this team is designed for the big moment whether that be quarterback Joe Burrow leading this team down the field for a game-winning field goal or holding an elite quarterback from doing the same. Whether for better or worse, this coaching staff wants to see the ball in the air.
Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Line Amongst the Leagues Worst
Unfortunately for this defensive unit, this is also not a coaching staff that particularly thrives on balance. Over the past few seasons, virtually every move made on this defense has been made with the sole intention of improving the performance against the passing attack. That being said, almost nothing has been done to help bolster this run defense. Two years ago, this was the seventh-best rushing defense in the NFL but as time has gone on, this unit has completely deteriorated on the defensive front.
Statistically, this defense ranked as the seventh-best defense against the run in the NFL in 2022. Last season, this team dropped all the way to 26th as the usually stout Cincinnati run defense slacked heavily in favor of talented pass rushers. After that severe dropoff, the front office allowed elite nose tackle D.J. Reader to leave in free agency and failed to bring in an actual replacement to play the nose tackle position. The front office once again decided to go with pass rushers as the team signed three-technique defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins to replace him.
Sure enough, with no player on this defense who is considered primarily a run defender, the defensive line has officially ranked amongst the worst run defense units in the NFL. The table below shows the average PFF run defense grade among a team’s defensive tackles and with a poultry grade of 46.95 against the run, Cincinnati has one of the worst sets of defensive tackles in the league at stopping the run. Without the physicality that Reader brought to the equation, this unit has been physically worn down in just two weeks to a shell of its former selves.
Cincinnati will have some size returning to the defensive tackle position here in the next few weeks as rookie bruisers Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson slowly return to health. In a division with elite running games from Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, this team simply cannot afford to lack physicality at the point of attack. If Cincinnati’s defensive tackles don’t get more physical fast, they simply won’t stand a chance defensively in intradivision contests.
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