Most important battle position: wide receiver. While AJ Green and Tyler Boyd are ready as starters, how will the competition for snapshots between Tee Higgins and John Ross unfold? Ross, a first-round pick in 2017, was supposed to be a great game machine with rare speed that made him the king of 40 yards in the NFL Scouting Combine. He was supposed to remove the defenses and provide the perfect match for Green. Instead, he has spent most of his career on the sidelines, flashing potential when he’s on the field, but too often he’s out of it due to injury or ineffectiveness. Ross seemed to start to figure things out a bit last season in the eight games he played, posting the best yard-receiving mark (18.1) of his career in 28 catches. However, he has 10 total touchdowns in three seasons. And if he loses replays with second-round pick Higgins, he could be a free agent in the spring, as Cincinnati refused to choose his fifth-year option.
That’s what’s at stake in a contract year for Ross, who could make a big difference in a youth-infused Bengals offense that has a shot at becoming a medium unit, if not better. Higgins had some injury issues while at Clemson, including an ankle surgery in 2019 that left him with a reduced range of motion, so perhaps this will turn into a battle of availability. One competitor (Higgins) will attempt to establish his balance at the next level, while the other will fight for his territory before it is taken from him.
Biggest force on the list: wide receiver. Yes, you get a wider conversation from the receiver! This was not the biggest strength on the list during the 2019 season, largely due to Green’s injury-driven absence, but with Green’s expected return and Higgins’ pick, Cincinnati suddenly has an intriguing body. In good health, a quartet of Green, Higgins, Boyd and Ross would be quite dangerous. If Ross ends up being the deep weapon the Bengals thought they were getting when they recruited him ninth overall, maybe he’ll win a second Cincinnati contract. There’s a lot I like here (again, on paper). While a backfield powered by Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard was an attractive option for the biggest strength on the list, let’s go with the widths. Congratulations to the main office for remaking high school, too.
Biggest Weakness: Linebacker. This was an inevitable fact in 2019, and the Bengals have unproven talent at the NFL level to turn it around. Germaine Pratt could make a leap in sophomore year, and the addition of 30-year-old Josh Bynes should help guide the group (especially if he can bring some of Baltimore’s culture to Cincinnati), but this is still a group will depend. from the contributions of his youngest players (including third and fourth round draft picks, Logan Wilson and Akeem Davis-Gaither). They could develop quickly, but in an unusual offseason inexperience stands out.
Newcomer / player returning from injury to watch: Joe Burrow, quarterback. Low fruit, I know, but the No. 1 overall pick received the keys to the offense. Now it’s up to him to show that Andy Dalton was worth pulling out of his slightly higher-than-replacement seat. Burrow’s last college season was spectacular, but the NFL is a different beast. Cincinnati’s hope for success, both now and for years to come, depends on your arm.
