The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to bounce back in 2024 from a disappointing 2023 campaign. After advancing to the AFC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons, the Bengals missed the postseason in the 2023 campaign.
A big reason for that was the absence of quarterback Joe Burrow. Injured early in training camp, Burrow entered the regular season without his normal reps and ramp-up process into the regular season. Something looked off for the team, and right as they were finding their bearings, a season-ending wrist injury occurred.
The team was able to stay afloat with Jake Browning taking over as the starting quarterback, finishing 9-8. That put them in last place in the AFC North, but Cincinnati isn’t far off from being contenders again.
Alas, as we head into offseason workout programs around the league, the Cincinnati Bengals do have some weaknesses to address. The biggest, in the opinion of ESPN NFL writer Aaron Schatz, is at wide receiver.
“Wide receiver is only a “hole” for the Bengals because we still don’t know what will happen with franchise-tagged Tee Higgins and his trade request. If Higgins stays in Cincinnati, the Bengals should have a reasonable group to fill out the wide receiver depth chart: third-round pick Jermaine Burton, the always underrated Trenton Irwin (110 and 83 receiving DYAR in the past two seasons) and promising second-year receiver Andrei Iosivas. However, any of these players would be stretched as a full-time starter opposite Ja’Marr Chase.
If the Bengals bring Higgins back into the fold, the biggest hole might be cornerback depth, although a positional change for Dax Hill helps with that problem,” Schatz wrote.
In addition to the uncertainty surrounding Tee Higgins, the Cincinnati Bengals also lost veteran Tyler Boyd in free agency. He signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans, further diminishing the established, experienced depth at the position.
Ja’Marr Chase is an all-world wide receiver, but he cannot get the job done alone. If Higgins does not return for at least the 2024 season, Schatz is correct in his assessment that Cincinnati would be extending one of their other receivers to be the starter opposite of Chase.
Should the Bengals look for some help outside the organization, a few veterans remain available that could help them. Michael Thomas, Hunter Renfrow, Zay Jones and Marquez Valdes-Scantling could all be serviceable additions to help replace Boyd and potentially Higgins.
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