One analyst says the Bengals' biggest weakness is on defense
The Bengals had plenty of weaknesses after the 2019 season. They had one of the worst defenses in the league, a make shift offensive line and an aging quarterback.
Cincinnati has made drastic changes over the past few months. They completely remade their defense, drafted Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick and placed the franchise tag on A.J. Green, who missed all of last season with an ankle injury.
Most believe [including myself] that the Bengals' biggest weakness is their offensive line. They did sign Xavier Su'a-Filo and 2019 first-round pick Jonah Williams is healthy, but there are plenty of question marks up front.
Sports Illustrated columnist Conor Orr didn't look at it that way. He believes the Bengals' biggest weakness is in the secondary:
"CORNERBACK: A lot of options here. The Bengals were one of the worst teams in football at applying pressure on the quarterback last year. That situation did not drastically improve this offseason. The Bengals ran a majority of their defense in nickel and played worse than all but three teams in the NFL when sitting in that formation. That situation did not drastically improve either. So it goes when the cupboard is so bare that you need to stock it one at a time." - Conor Orr
It's an odd take considering the Bengals spent big money on Trae Waynes and also signed Mackensie Alexander this offseason.
William Jackson III has the traits to be an elite corner and Waynes should be an upgrade from Dre Kirkpatrick.
Mix in Darius Phillips, Torry McTyer and LeShaun Sims and the Bengals' corners are solid — at least on paper.
This could be a reaction to what they did as a unit last season, which left plenty to be desired.
The Bengals allowed 7.4 yards-per-pass and 6.1 yards-per-play last season. Both were tied for the most in the NFL.
Time will tell if Orr is right, but the secondary should be much improved this season.
