ESPN Names Linebacker as Bengals' Weakest Position Following 2023 NFL Draft

CINCINNATI — Most of the team building has wrapped up around the NFL as teams get ready for minicamps.

Football Outsiders founder Aaron Schatz took advantage of the slowdown by looking at each team's biggest weakness.

He landed on linebacker for the Bengals.

"Here's another team with a strong all-around roster," Schatz wrote. "There are many worse problems to have than 'backup off-ball linebackers.' But that's probably the biggest Bengals hole right now. Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt are a fine pair of starters. When they play base defense -- 18% of snaps last year -- the third linebacker is fourth-year veteran Akeem Davis-Gaither.

"Davis-Gaither has tackling issues, missing 24 tackles over the past three years despite starting only three games (according to Sports Info Solutions charting). If any of those players get injured, there will be trouble. Markus Bailey played just 58 defensive snaps last year and Joe Bachie played only 14. The rest of the depth chart here is made up of UDFA rookies."

Backup linebacker is a perfectly fine weakness to have with a salary-capped NFL roster.

It's just more evidence to the case that this is the most talented Bengals roster ever assembled heading into a season.

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