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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/chainer9999 on 2024-03-07 14:18:19.

Hub Post

Contributors: u/chainer9999

Division: AFC North

Record: 9-8, 4th in division, missed playoffs

Season Summary

Following the fairy-tale run to the Super Bowl in the 21-22 season, the Bengals ripped off another stellar season in 22-23, racking up 12 wins and returning to the AFC Title Game, where they lost by the slimmest of margins to the eventual champs Kansas City. Having established that they were a force to be reckoned with in the AFC, expectations were high on the Bengals even as they finally suffered significant losses in free agency.

Unfortunately, the season was primarily marked by two separate injuries to Joe Burrow that derailed the Bengals train. Burrow was clearly hobbled for at least five games to start the season, and then was lost for the year with a wrist injury in Week 11. While Jake Browning played above everyone’s expectations in relief of Burrow, the combination of injuries (Burrow, Higgins, Reader) and an absolutely MASSIVE regression by the defense meant that the Bengals’ lofty pre-season hopes were doomed. The Bengals now face an offseason where several key players will definitely be moving on, with the money factor beginning to impact how the Bengals can form a team.

1. 2023 Offseason Recap

A. Free Agency Signings

  • OT Orlando Brown Jr.(4 years, $64m): The biggest O-Line free agency splash in Bengal history, the fans were mostly hopeful that a tried-and-true left tackle, even if he may not be as good as his Pro Bowl selections might indicate, would finally give Burrow a stellar blindside blocker.
  • S Nick Scott(3 years, $12m): This signing was seen from the beginning as a stopgap measure after the loss of Bates (expected) and Vonn Bell (rather unexpected). While there was some optimism that Scott’s athleticism and experience with a Super Bowl-winning team would prove us wrong, this signing was shrouded in doubt.
  • CB Sidney Jones(1 year, $300k): With Eli Apple gone and Chidobe Awuzie on the mend after a torn ACL, it was no surprise the Bengals went for a backup veteran corner.
  • OG/T Cody Ford(1 year, $1m): Signed as a depth piece for the o-line which had suffered massive injury bugs late in the season. After Jonah Williams requested a trade once he was bumped from left to right tackle, there were rumors that Ford would be the starting right tackle, which was not what the fanbase wanted to hear.
  • TE Irv Smith(1 year, $1.75m): The Bengals had worked wonders to help get middling tight ends get paid for two straight years (CJ Uzomah, Hayden Hurst) and Smith was young and athletic enough that this felt like a good cheap one-year rental. Yeah, about that…

B. Notable Re-signed players

  • LB Germaine Pratt(3 years, $21m, $7m gtd): There were rumblings throughout the season that Pratt was unhappy coming off the field on passing downs (and his play against the pass in 2022 was excellent, so he did have a point) and his emotional blow-up after the costly Joseph Ossai penalty in the AFC Championship Game led many to believe Pratt was gone. However, to much surprise, Pratt returned on a very reasonable deal; after how he had played in 2022, the fans were welcoming this news.
  • LB Logan Wilson (extension, 4 years, $36m, $14m gtd): The LB that the fans thought all along that they’d keep. With the Higgins situation in limbo, the Bengals front office decided to lock down the other pieces of the team who were willing to negotiate, and Wilson, who had been outstanding throughout his career, was locked down. At a surprisingly low rate, as well!
  • DE Trey Hendrickson (extension, 1 year, $21m): Extension candidate coming into the offseason, Hendrickson got a miniature version of it, with his salary remaining steady around $15m. Hendrickson had been one of, if not, the best defensive free agency signing in Bengals history, and as he was oftentimes the only source of a pass rush, this extension was met with great cheer.
  • QB Joe Burrow (EXTENSION, 5 YEARS, $275M, $219M GTD): Burrow played the patience game by waiting until Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert had signed their extensions, and then getting a little extra. While the contract is incredibly hefty, Mike Brown and Duke Tobin might have been assassinated on the streets of Cincinnati if an extension hadn’t gotten done. The realists knew that the talk of Burrow taking a “team-friendly” contract was mostly talk, and as such, it came to be.
  • Other re-signed players: LS Cal Adomitis, LB Joe Bachie, CB Jalen Davis, TE Drew Sample, G Max Scharping, WR Trent Taylor, S Michael “Not Slant Boy” Thomas, HB Trayveon Williams

C. Departures

  • FS Jessie Bates III: We knew it was coming, after he had been miffed to play on the franchise tag. He got his big payday in ATL, and lived up to the contract and then some. A heck of a player, and it’s good to see that the money hasn’t changed his performance–wish he were here, but oh well.
  • SS Vonn Bell: The loss of Bell was not quite as expected, although with the Bengals hesitant to give extensions into guys near their 30s, maybe we should have seen it coming. Unfortunately, he chose a bad situation to go to, as the Panthers were an absolute tire fire. Speaking of which…
  • TE Hayden Hurst: Hurst got himself a bag from Carolina after a solid season, but unfortunately did not play up to the money and seemed to get usurped by Tommy Tremble.
  • RB Samaje Perine: Played his designated role in Denver, spelling Javontae Williams. He was a solid back, but perhaps his departure was what led the team to draft Chase Brown.
  • CB Eli Apple: The Mad Tweeter wore out his welcome after providing above-average CB play (for the most part) on an absolute steal of a contract (4m), as he seemed to lose focus towards the end of the season. It was time to part ways, especially with the emergence of Cam Taylor-Britt as a very good corner opposite Awuzie.

D. Draft picks

  • Round 1, Pick 28: DE Myles Murphy (Clemson): Pass rush was an absolute need for the Bengals, and thus, they went with a pass rusher who has all the tools in Murphy. Anarumo’s reluctance to rotate his starters meant his role was limited, but the drop in Sam Hubbard’s form down the stretch would lead me to believe that his snap share will be going up in year 2, and he showed flashes that lead you to believe in his ability. Not perfect, but promising at least.
  • Round 2, Pick 60: CB DJ Turner (Michigan): The Bengals really like stocking young cornerbacks, as this has become a league where the more CBs you have, the better. The fleet-footed Turner started like a house afire playing really well, then hit the rookie wall midseason (or, as Anarumo put it, “the rookie wall hit him”) and became a liability. Hopefully the lessons learned this season serve him well–Cam Taylor-Britt had rough stretches as a rookie, but played very well in Year 2.
  • Round 3, Pick 95: S Jordan Battle (Alabama): A somewhat unexpected pick (especially with the Bengals being rather, um, deficient of talent at TE), reports immediately came out that the defensive staff absolutely loved the cerebral nature of Battle’s game, and his all-around toughness. Battle proved those reports true, as he nudged out the struggling Nick Scott midseason and never gave up the starting safety job, earning rave reviews from PFF.
  • Round 4, Pick 131: WR Charlie Jones (Purdue): Chuck Sizzle was another pick made for the future, with the fate of Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins uncertain after 2023. One electric punt return aside, not much for Chuck in his rookie season, as he had to battle through injuries and never could quite nudge past the triplets, Trenton Irwin and fellow rookie Iosivas.
  • Round 5, Pick 163: RB Chase Brown (Illinois): With the departure of Perine and the RBs behind Mixon unconvincing, expectations were that the Bengals would dip for a RB in the later rounds, and they chose Brown. The team really did not use him as much as the fans wanted, but he showed definite glimpses of his talent, and as Mixon gets one year older, Brown will be the next man up to usurp his snap share barring other developments.
  • Round 6, Pick 206: WR Andrei Iosivas (Princeton): A rare low-round pick that seems worth a damn in the Taylor era. An impressive athlete, even with opportunities limited by the logjam in front of him, Iosivas made the most of them with several TD catches and definitely outplayed his rookie counterpart Charlie Jones. With Boyd most likely gone, it seems as though the third WR slot is his to lose, and his body type means Ja’Marr Chase might be used more in the slot.
  • Round 6, Pick 217: P Brad Robbins (Michigan): The decline of Kevin Huber and the line drive punting of Drue Chrisman cost the Bengals in the AFC Title Game, so the selection of a punter was not altogether surprising at this point in the draft. The problem was that his glorious mustache notwithstanding, Robbins did not provide much improvement in this regard, ranking near the bottom in most punting metrics. It remains to be seen whether Robbins will get one more chance.
  • Round 7, Pick 246: CB DJ Ivey (Miami): Played pretty good special teams before tearing his knee up. About what you can expect from a 7th rounder really.

E. Other notable happenings

  • **Joe Burrow calf injury…

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