Bengals defensive line ranked among NFL's best

CINCINNATI — The Bengals signed D.J. Reader this offseason in an effort to boost the interior of their defensive line.

Adding the 26-year-old to a group that already had Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap and Sam Hubbard was an important step toward remaking one of the NFL's worst defenses.

Pro Football Focus likes the moves the Bengals have made this offseason. They ranked Cincinnati's defensive line as the 10th best in the NFL.

Analyst Sam Monson explained why the Bengals were ranked so high:

The Bengals’ defensive line remains anchored by the best players it has featured over the past decade — Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap — but the team does have some more interesting pieces in 2020. Atkins had his least effective season in 2019 since tearing his ACL back in 2014 and may be on the downswing in his great career. His 53 total pressures in 2019 were the fewest he has totaled in a season since 2014.

Dunlap quietly put together a career year in 2019, leading the team’s defensive linemen in PFF grade (89.7) and grading well in all facets of play. He had his most defensive stops in a season since 2014 and ended the year on fire with 30 pressures in his final five games. That pairing is joined by free agent acquisition D.J. Reader, who showed in Houston last season he can be more than just a run-stuffing nose tackle.

Reader was asked to play more snaps and rush the passer more than in any previous year of his career (due to injuries), and he responded with a career-best PFF grade and a dozen more total pressures than he had in any previous season. Reader should provide the team with the impact alongside Atkins that Andrew Billings never quite could. On the edge, Carl Lawson’s play regressed last season, and he earned a career-low PFF grade (55.5) while notching just 35 total pressures on 268 pass-rushing snaps.

Sam Hubbard was more effective but had a massive 412 opportunities to rush the passer en route to 49 pressures. The depth on the defensive line has been an issue, and the Bengals would dearly love for one of their young players to take a big step forward and provide a consistent impact alongside the proven commodities they expect to be difference makers in 2020. Lawson and Hubbard have the clearest path to doing that, but players such as Renell Wren or rookie Khalid Kareem could force their way into contributing roles.

The Bengals are hoping that they'll be much better against the run this season. They were gashed by teams like the Ravens last year.

This defensive line is the key to unleashing a young linebacker unit that is as athletic as they've ever been.

It's up to Atkins, Reader, Dunlap and the rest of the unit to set the tone in the trenches. PFF believes they can be one of the best units in the NFL.

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