2024 Cincinnati Bengals: Bounce Back?

[WVRed]

New Year New Thread.

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[KoryMac5]

Andy Dickerson interviewed with Bengals, Dickerson is the former Seahawks OL coach and Rams Asst OL Coach per several on twitter.

This interview fulfills the Bengals Rooney rule requirement as Dickerson is a minority and external candidate.

[WVRed]

New mock. Kinda feel like the trenches should be a priority unless they let Tee walk. I think Sweat goes higher than the Bengals second round pick as well.

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[Tony Cloninger]

Just wondering what others think here but what warrants Anarumo returning as a DC? Teams that made the playoffs are letting coordinators leave or firing them. This team is about dead last in everything but only TO saving them. Reliant on Safeties to be a good defense? You can’t adjust and figure something else out? You get your choice to pick defense in the first 2 rounds while you could have had a TE. Murphy pick reminds of starting Those 2 OL in 2015. Prepping for other players leaving instead of getting players ready to go now. The 2 picks at DB the last 2 years. Hill and Turner are not ready much at all. They forget that they are in a window to get to the SB. Sit on 12 million of cap space that could brought in better pass rushing help like what Baltimore or even Cleveland got at DT.

Or You could have just paid Bates 2 years ago and made it work since you would not had to sign that Safety this year. With his money and the extra 12 would have been just fine to keep Bates. Of course that means you would have been at the cap. Can’t have that though. We need that money just in case of injury. Except you didn’t use it did you.


It feels that they just punted on the season and did what happened in 2007 after they missed the playoffs 2006 and sat on their hands. Or like 2016. Always reactive. Hardly pro active.


I would prefer a DC like Wade Phillips or r even Fangio. Guys who can make any defense work no matter the personnel. Lou was pretty bad in 2019-20 too. Some guys are better at coordinating a D with what’s available. The Cleveland D coordinator is that type too.

[KoryMac5]

Just wondering what others think here but what warrants Anarumo returning as a DC? Teams that made the playoffs are letting coordinators leave or firing them. This team is about dead last in everything but only TO saving them. Reliant on Safeties to be a good defense? You can’t adjust and figure something else out? You get your choice to pick defense in the first 2 rounds while you could have had a TE. Murphy pick reminds of starting Those 2 OL in 2015. Prepping for other players leaving instead of getting players ready to go now. The 2 picks at DB the last 2 years. Hill and Turner are not ready much at all. They forget that they are in a window to get to the SB. Sit on 12 million of cap space that could brought in better pass rushing help like what Baltimore or even Cleveland got at DT.

Or You could have just paid Bates 2 years ago and made it work since you would not had to sign that Safety this year. With his money and the extra 12 would have been just fine to keep Bates. Of course that means you would have been at the cap. Can’t have that though. We need that money just in case of injury. Except you didn’t use it did you.


It feels that they just punted on the season and did what happened in 2007 after they missed the playoffs 2006 and sat on their hands. Or like 2016. Always reactive. Hardly pro active.


I would prefer a DC like Wade Phillips or r even Fangio. Guys who can make any defense work no matter the personnel. Lou was pretty bad in 2019-20 too. Some guys are better at coordinating a D with what’s available. The Cleveland D coordinator is that type too.

I think Lou gets another year...

Murphy was never going to be the pick the target was Kincaid the Bills took him before we did and Murphy fell into their laps...that being said he should have gotten more snaps this season but Lou is reluctant to play rookies much.

The Biggest issue I saw on defense was lack of depth on the D line which killed their rotation. Hubbard and Hill are better with fresh legs. Tobin punted on going out and getting a few guys as rotational pieces to help out.

Hill was drafted at safety and ended up learning on the job the last 2 years to me this year is make or break for him. I would expect the D to be better this season.

[Tony Cloninger]

I think Lou gets another year...

Murphy was never going to be the pick the target was Kincaid the Bills took him before we did and Murphy fell into their laps...that being said he should have gotten more snaps this season but Lou is reluctant to play rookies much.

The Biggest issue I saw on defense was lack of depth on the D line which killed their rotation. Hubbard and Hill are better with fresh legs. Tobin punted on going out and getting a few guys as rotational pieces to help out.

Hill was drafted at safety and ended up learning on the job the last 2 years to me this year is make or break for him. I would expect the D to be better this season.

M
Ok. But the DET TE was there too. And you’re telling me that Lou is like Marvin Lewis. Does not trust rookies? I did not know that. Of course Murphy may just not have been ready to play more. Not trying to get Clowney or Van Noy who went to Baltimore was bad. Not rotating more but at DT the position depth is bad. Throw in an offense that isn’t going to run much so you keep the ball longer to help the defense. No sense of urgency really because you have your franchise QB. Same stuff that happened with Palmer.

[KoryMac5]

M
Ok. But the DET TE was there too. And you’re telling me that Lou is like Marvin Lewis. Does not trust rookies? I did not know that. Of course Murphy may just not have been ready to play more. Not trying to get Clowney or Van Noy who went to Baltimore was bad. Not rotating more but at DT the position depth is bad. Throw in an offense that isn’t going to run much so you keep the ball longer to help the defense. No sense of urgency really because you have your franchise QB. Same stuff that happened with Palmer.

Laporta was a tough one to scout due to being at Iowa which is probably why he fell to 34...his peripherals though were really good (YAC and catches of over 15 plus yards) so the talent was there. Hindsight being 20/20 a trade back could have gotten them Sam and another pick, but every team passed on him in the first.

I was shocked when they didn't sign D line depth there was a lot of good veteran players that were out there. Lack of depth killed them this season. They need to take the same steps they did when they got Hilton, Bell, Chido, Hendrickson. Those were great value signings.

[Tony Cloninger]

Laporta was a tough one to scout due to being at Iowa which is probably why he fell to 34...his peripherals though were really good (YAC and catches of over 15 plus yards) so the talent was there. Hindsight being 20/20 a trade back could have gotten them Sam and another pick, but every team passed on him in the first.

I was shocked when they didn't sign D line depth there was a lot of good veteran players that were out there. Lack of depth killed them this season. They need to take the same steps they did when they got Hilton, Bell, Chido, Hendrickson. Those were great value signings.

Not every team needed a TE. The Bengals most certainly did. Yes I agree with the 2nd part. They have 58 available and in no need to extend Chase yet. While the Higgins debate lingers. They have enough to re stock and cut bait with failed players they have drafted. Just seems they don’t have an urgency until the whole thing collapses. Like 2008. 2018. This organization seems to like tanking or complete meltdowns before they start doing something.

[WVRed]

For those who probably don't remember, Sam LaPorta wasn't even in discussion for the Bengals first round pick. Dalton Kincaid who went off the board a couple of picks earlier by Buffalo and Michael Mayer from Notre Dame (Covington native and Bengals fan) were the top two TEs mentioned.

I'm also fine with Lou having another season but I'm not getting my hopes up that he will get a head coaching job in the near future. Not so much because of performance but the league moving towards such an offensive push. Raheem Morris and Jerod Mayo were the only defensive head coach hired in this cycle and two other defensive candidates (Belichick and Vrabel) are still unemployed.

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[KoryMac5]

Not every team needed a TE. The Bengals most certainly did. Yes I agree with the 2nd part. They have 58 available and in no need to extend Chase yet. While the Higgins debate lingers. They have enough to re stock and cut bait with failed players they have drafted. Just seems they don’t have an urgency until the whole thing collapses. Like 2008. 2018. This organization seems to like tanking or complete meltdowns before they start doing something.

I don't necessarily buy the above narrative...they have spent money in the past with Hendrickson, Kappa, Hilton, Chido, Karras, Brown...Their mistake was sitting on their hands when they lost in the AFC Championship game. Other teams are continually looking to being guys in and the Bengals should as well.

I think they are in good position to reload this season between the draft and free agency. 70 million in cap space is not a small amount. Higgins will eat up 21 million of that...which still gives them room to spend wisely.

[Todd Gack]

Laporta was a tough one to scout due to being at Iowa which is probably why he fell to 34...his peripherals though were really good (YAC and catches of over 15 plus yards) so the talent was there. Hindsight being 20/20 a trade back could have gotten them Sam and another pick, but every team passed on him in the first.

I was shocked when they didn't sign D line depth there was a lot of good veteran players that were out there. Lack of depth killed them this season. They need to take the same steps they did when they got Hilton, Bell, Chido, Hendrickson. Those were great value signings.

It's OK. We ended up drafting a backup DL.

[WVRed]

It's OK. We ended up drafting a backup DL.

I'll reserve judgment for this year on Myles Murphy and DJ Turner. Year 2 is typically when we see what we have with defensive players on this team.

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[Tony Cloninger]

I don't necessarily buy the above narrative...they have spent money in the past with Hendrickson, Kappa, Hilton, Chido, Karras, Brown...Their mistake was sitting on their hands when they lost in the AFC Championship game. Other teams are continually looking to being guys in and the Bengals should as well.

I think they are in good position to reload this season between the draft and free agency. 70 million in cap space is not a small amount. Higgins will eat up 21 million of that...which still gives them room to spend wisely.

I’m really not disagreeing with the recent spending of money or sitting on their hands after the last 2 years.

It’s the comfort level they get into with what they have and stop trying to improve with FA. Then they start drafting just to replace a player or 2 that will hit FA the year after they draft the player. Just like the 2015 draft with those 2 busy of an OL. They went 9-8 this year with good work from a backup QB. They might see this team and say we like our guys. All we need is a healthy Burrow. Which is true. But they shouldn’t fall in love with their own guys so much as they did during that 2011-15 run. Quit drafting for the year after like Dax for Bates. Murphy for Trey. At least that was probably the plan until Trey re worked his contract.

With even more cap space then I realized. You’re right. No excuses not to bring outside help. Set the market for Chase if you have to. For once he pro active. Like you should have been with Bates.

[WVRed]

I don't necessarily buy the above narrative...they have spent money in the past with Hendrickson, Kappa, Hilton, Chido, Karras, Brown...Their mistake was sitting on their hands when they lost in the AFC Championship game. Other teams are continually looking to being guys in and the Bengals should as well.

I think they are in good position to reload this season between the draft and free agency. 70 million in cap space is not a small amount. Higgins will eat up 21 million of that...which still gives them room to spend wisely.

They did sign Orlando Brown after losing the AFC Championship, so there's that.

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[Todd Gack]

I'll reserve judgment for this year on Myles Murphy and DJ Turner. Year 2 is typically when we see what we have with defensive players on this team.

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I agree. It's just frustrating when you're in "win now" mode and we're marching Sam Hubbard out there to rush the passer more often than not instead of letting Murphy play more.