Free Agency Primer: Bengals Have Opportunity to Reach New Heights

Cincinnati has to address key areas this offseason.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Mar 14, 2022 7:45 AM EDT

CINCINNATI — The Bengals have a chance to do something they've never done since Paul Brown founded the team in 1968.

Cincinnati has only won back-to-back division titles once in their 54 years of existence. They've made it to three Super Bowls, but they've never been a perennial contender.

Insert Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and the rest of a young roster and the Bengals have a chance to do something they've never done.

Of course, it's never that easy. It's going to take some work if they're going to take the organization to new heights.

Cincinnati enters free agency with clear needs. They have plenty of cap space and resources to fix their biggest issues.

It starts with an offensive line that struggled for most of the 2021 season. Burrow was sacked 70 times in 20 games (including postseason) and the offense couldn't function for most of the playoffs.

If the Bengals find a way to fix their offensive line this offseason, then they'll have one of the best young quarterbacks on the planet throwing to some of the top playmakers in the NFL and they'll actually be able to call a 5-step drop without worrying about Burrow getting crushed by an opposing defenders.

The Bengals will have arguably the best offense in the league.

If they find a way to add another starting cornerback and another pass rusher, then they will realistically be in the Super Bowl conversation in 2022 and beyond.

That's the beauty of what they were able to accomplish last season.

From Burrow and Chase to a defense that exceeded expectations, This team has plenty of "win-now" pieces and they need to add to it in free agency.

They've signed key players in each of the past two offseasons. If they do it again over the next few weeks and find a way to protect Burrow, then they're going to put themselves in an unfamiliar position.

They'll enter the season as Super Bowl contenders.

They'll be mentioned with the Chiefs, Bills, Buccaneers and Rams. They'll be the talk of the town, especially with the Reds shedding payroll in hopes of eliminating their "peaks and valleys."

Some might think the Bengals "peaked" when they beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game in January, but that could just be the start of something special in the Queen City.

Cincinnati has a talented core of players ready to go on multiple playoff runs. They need to aggressively address their weaknesses in free agency.

That could mean spending big money on a guard, which is something they don't historically do.

An old quote from Thomas Jefferson comes to mind in this scenario: "If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done."

The Bengals are trying to reach new heights. They're hoping to win not one, but multiple World Championships. Maybe spending big money on guard is something they need to do to put Burrow in a position to consistently succeed.

If they find a way to protect their star signal-caller, then they're going to be Super Bowl contenders in 2022 and beyond.

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