Dave Lapham Names the Bengals' Three Biggest Offseason Needs
CINCINNATI — The Bengals have plenty of needs this offseason, but what are their biggest issues that need to be fixed?
Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham gave his top three position groups that need to be addressed in free agency and the draft.
"Both lines of scrimmage," Lapham told Dan Hoard on the Bengals Booth Podcast. "Even in this era of all kinds of formations, all kinds of personnel groupings, window dressing, motion, all this crap. Who advanced in the playoffs? The teams that won the line of scrimmage. Period. The teams that won the line of scrimmage.
"I would address both lines of scrimmage initially. Whenever guys [skill players] have big games, the guys up front played well and gave him an opportunity. "
There's no doubt that the Bengals have to get better in the trenches. They gave up 48 sacks in 2020, which was sixth-most in the NFL. Cincinnati only had 17 sacks on defense, which was dead last in the league.
Fixing the offensive line should be priority number one. Protecting star quarterback Joe Burrow is more important than anything else.
If the defensive line is second, then what's third? Lapham believes the Bengals' should look to upgrade their secondary.
"If I've got my offensive line addressed and my defensive line addressed, I'm looking at somebody to cover people in the back end," he said. "It's a passing league still, even though teams that are running the football did well in the playoffs. I think having a cover guy back there. In my mind Dan, you can still get away with not having top notch cover people if you have an outstanding pass rush. If you have no pass rush, you have to address the back end."
While cornerback could become a need if William Jackson III leaves in free agency, it doesn't have to be. A secondary that includes star safety Jessie Bates, a healthy Trae Waynes, Vonn Bell, Darius Phillips and Jackson should be above average.
Not retaining Jackson, who the Bengals picked with the 24th overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, would turn a potential position of strength into a weakness.
Listen to Lapham's entire conversation with Hoard below.
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