Here are Four Bengals to Track in the Final Three Weeks of the Season
The 2-10-1 Cincinnati Bengals uphill challenge in 2020 has turned into a vertical wall. Whether it was injuries or timely mistakes, the Bengals missed their shot at a competitive December.
The last three games are a chance for a few of the fringe veterans that could earn a spot on the Bengals' roster next season.
Here are four players with plenty to prove over the next three weeks.
Quinton Spain—Guard
Quinton Spain signed a one-year deal with Cincinnati after being released by the Bills in late-October. Spain has played in some rough scenarios this season. From subbing in for Shaq Calhoun two days after signing, to playing every offensive snap since their bye week. Spain has been a left guard for much of his career, but he's flipped spots in the Bengals' starting five.
Spain played all of his snaps at right guard this past Sunday opposite Xavier Su'a Filo. The undrafted free agent has done just enough in his half-season with the Bengals to warrant sticking around. Spain's earned a middling 54.7 grade from Pro Football Focus this season with two penalties in stripes and one sack allowed. Arguably the team's best pass blocker—Spain has blown just seven blocks all season according to Sports Info Solutions. That ranks second on the offense behind Trey Hopkins (3).
Spain has a golden opportunity to prove himself worthy of a roster spot next season. He'll face some gnarly defensive fronts over the final three weeks.
Pittsburgh and Baltimore have been at the top of defensive standings all season, while J.J. Watt still ranks among the top-25 in pressures this season. He is bound to bounce around the formation in Houston and land in front of Spain. The Bengals gave him a shot; now it's time for Spain to earn a new contract over these last few weeks.
Mike Daniels—Defensive Tackle
A similar story to Spain, Daniels is another veteran on a one-year deal fighting to keep hold of a starting role in the league.
Daniels has 13 tackles this season, but he doesn't have any tackles for loss or sacks in nine games.
He battled the injury bug last season, and missed four games this year due to groin and elbow injuries. Even when he's been on the field he hasn't produced like the Bengals hoped.
His 13 tackles have been more to stop the bleeding than heal anything. The Iowa-product's average tackle depth this season is 4.5 yards past the line of scrimmage according to Sports Info Solutions. That is 2.2 yards worse than his previous career-high. Daniels has to rediscover the burst he unlocked in Green Bay.
With Geno Atkins' season over due to a shoulder injury, Daniels has three games to show the Bengals that they should re-sign him to be DJ Reader's tag team partner next season.
Offensive personnel has to be the main focus in free agency, so a lively Daniels should be welcomed back by the front office. Sunday's performance of three tackles and one pressure was his best in a Bengals uniform, so there's a chance he gains some momentum and finishes the year strong.
Brandon Allen—Quarterback
Improvement has been the name of the game for Brandon Allen, who curiously wasn't the Bengals backup all season despite clearly outplaying Ryan Finley.
Allen has completed 65.5% of his passes for 506 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in three games.
He's played better and gotten more comfortable each week, posting successive QBR's of 11.9, 23.7, and 77.9, respectively. He will never be a starter in this league, but when given the time to run a system, he can move the ball against middling opponents. Outside of 3-4 players, that's the ceiling for a backup quarterback. Allen has shown he can reach that bar, and over the past month, he's been as efficient as the Bengals' opposing quarterback on Monday.
Ben Roethlisberger has cratered to backup-level play at times this season. Allen is coming off the most efficient game of his career. The problem is Cincinnati still can't score points. The team is 2-of-8 converting red-zone trips to touchdowns under Allen, largely because he can't make tight throws near the goal line. The ground game hasn't helped him either, boasting the worst yards per carry in the NFL among running backs this season (3.55 YPC).
Allen has shown he can be a baseline backup option in the NFL and the next three weeks are a chance to earn another chance in Cincinnati or elsewhere. Assuming he's healthy following a knee injury, he'll go up against one of the best defenses in the league on Monday night.
Austin Seibert—Kicker
The Bengals' red zone inefficiencies should spell good signs for Austin Seibert's field goal chances over the final few weeks. Seibert was claimed off waivers in Week 2 after being released by the Browns. He started his first game for the Bengals last week.
Randy Bullock has shown signs of decline down the stretch. He missed three of his last five field goals and is 21-of-26 on the season. A conversion rate of 80.8% is Bullock's worst since his rookie season, which opened the door for Seibert.
The Browns had a quick hook for their 2019 fifth-round pick, cutting him after he missed his only field goal attempt in 2020. Seibert finished 12th in field goal percentage last season (86.2%), one spot behind Bullock. The real issue is PATs, which Seibert only converted 85.7% of the time. That was second-worst in the NFL behind Adam Vinatieri.
Seibert kept that trend going with a shaky PAT that deflected in off an upright against Dallas. Making sure those easy points get tacked on will go a long way towards Seibert's goal of holding this job for the rest of 2020 and beyond.
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