Cincinnati Bengals: Three biggest takeaways from an unforgettable offseason
With or without COVID-19, this offseason has been one to remember for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The last few months have been filled with surprises. From having the number one overall pick, to adding new faces and becoming big time spenders in free agency — the Bengals are a much different team than they were in December.
Here are my biggest takeaways from their busy offseason.
Joe Burrow
‘With the number one pick in the 2020 Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select… Joe Burrow, quarterback, LSU.’
The Southeast Ohio native is coming home as the Bengals tabbed their new franchise quarterback.
Burrow was at the top of Cincinnati’s draft board after compiling one of the most prolific seasons in college football history.
Accuracy, poise, and athleticism are a few of his greatest strengths. From Peyton Manning, to Joe Montana and Tom Brady — he’s been compared to some of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Despite all of his physical attributes, his leadership continues to be the trait that people are most impressed with.
“All the pieces fit together. Not only the stuff you saw on film and the field, but the leadership and work ethic he brought to the program,” head coach Zac Taylor said in April. “Talking to those close to him, he brought a lot of intangibles to the table. Then you turn on the tape it verifies everything you’ve heard. He’s worthy of the first pick, and we’re excited to get him into the building.”
The 23-year-old’s maturity stands out too.
“I want to be the best player I can be," Burrow said. "I’ll have to get mental reps in from missing these minicamps and OTAs. I’ll have to get into the playbook really hard and go through the process of calling plays in the huddle. The thing about being in the huddle is you have to be stern in your voice. If you’re wavering and fumbling over your words, players will look and think, ‘What is this guy doing? Get him out.’ So that’s something I want to be focused on.
“I just work really, really hard every day, and I think that probably rubs off on people. I’m just unapologetically myself, and I think that’s a good thing and people respect that.”
Burrow has already shown his leadership by reaching out to A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, and other members of the team about working out before training camp, despite the COVID-19 limitations.
It’s ‘Burrow Time’ in Cincinnati. He has all of the intangibles on and off the field to be a franchise quarterback for years to come. The Bengals’ new QB1 is ready to prove his potential and shine on the game's biggest stage.
Zac Taylor’s First Full Offseason as Head Coach
Year two of the Taylor era has officially started. This is the first full offseason for him and the rest of his staff.
Taylor was officially introduced as the 10th head coach of the Bengals just two days after the Rams lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.
He had to patch together a staff of coaches and catch up on draft prep that most teams had started a month earlier.
After a short lived, rushed offseason and a 2-14 record, Taylor and the Bengals needed to make some changes.
The organization was more aggressive than they’ve ever been in free agency. They made calculated, smart decisions and spent big money on ascending players.
When the dust settled, the Bengals had signed eight players in free agency, including six projected starters.
“When the season ended the plan that we had in place to attack the offseason to make our team better everyone was on board with,” Taylor said earlier this offseason. “We added a lot of quality players who are excited to be Bengals and we're excited to have them. It's just great energy talking to those guys once the process was over. They've all got some unique connections to each other and some guys on our team, which is really exciting."
The same mentality carried over to the NFL Draft. The Bengals planned on taking the best player available in each round.
"Best case scenario," Taylor said after the first two days of the draft. "We’re just thrilled to add Joe (Burrow), Tee, and Logan. To us, this is as good as it could have gone up to this point.”
The Bengals look like an improved team, but that means nothing to Taylor. He shot down the idea that the organization was satisfied with its’ offseason moves. They feel like they’re better than they were in 2019, but they know that it's going to take a lot to bounce back from a disappointing 2-14 season.
“A better team on paper doesn’t mean jack right now,” Taylor said. “We have to go to work, and make sure that just because we feel like we added some good players in free agency and the draft, we can’t feel like our work is done.
“We just finished a 2-14 season. To think that things are gonna be easy for us, we’d be sadly mistaken. We all understand that, and we are willing to put in the work.”
Taylor and company have been hard at work implementing the playbook and film in their virtual meetings this offseason.
The veterans wrapped up their virtual offseason on Thursday. The rookies will finish up next week. The players are off until they (hopefully) report to Paul Brown Stadium for training camp. Their first practice is scheduled for July 28.
Defensive Overhaul
Cincinnati committed $129 million to eight free agents this offseason.
The Bengals are known for taking a conservative approach in free agency. Cincinnati believes in building through the draft, but even they realized how aggressive they needed to be if they were going to make a quick turnaround.
The team added five projected starters on defense in free agency.
D.J. Reader sits atop of that list after signing a four-year, $53 million contract. One of the NFL’s rising stars in the trenches, Reader was not brought in to complement Geno Atkins on the interior. The Bengals signed him to co-star on a line that desperately needed to get better at defending the run.
Trae Waynes inked a 3-year, $42 million deal with the Bengals. The former first-round pick brings grit and toughness with him to Cincinnati. He will be asked to be more of a ball hawk for the Bengals. He only has seven career interceptions in five seasons, but is a much better tackler than his predecessor Dre Kirkpatrick. Waynes will start alongside William Jackson III this season.
Mackenzie Alexander, Vonn Bell, and LeShaun Sims are also new faces in the secondary. Alexander is projected to be the starting nickel cornerback and Bell will start at safety.
Josh Bynes signed with the team to upgrade their linebacking corps. The position was one of the greatest needs for the team coming into this offseason. The 30-year old brings veteran experience to the group that plenty of young players, including Logan Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither and Germaine Pratt.
Most of the players that the Bengals signed in free agency have playoff experience. It’s something the coaching staff was happy to add this offseason.
"One of the ways you change your culture to winning is to add guys that have demonstrated winning in this league,” defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo told Bengals.com. “And we got younger at each position with guys that played in playoff games.”
It’s a new year with many new faces on the team. The Bengals hope their investment pays off in their quest to build a winner in Cincinnati.
