The Cincinnati Bengals will quickly turn the focus to the offseason with the NFL combine just one week away. In years past when the Bengals had not played in the playoffs, head coach Zac Taylor and his staff have had two months to take vacations and set their plan for the offseason.
This year brings a different situation as there’s just two weeks between Super Bowl 56 and the combine.
Taylor said his first priority is taking a break to recharge after the long season. Then he and his coaches will join director of personnel Duke Tobin and his staff in Indianapolis at the NFL scouting combine.
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“Duke and his staff have gotten things moving behind the scenes,” Taylor said. “They’ve gone to all those All-Star games and already had a lot of meetings. Some I would have been a part of last year, really just taking notes and hearing the information the scouts have. That doesn’t change. There will be catching up we have to do as coaches obviously, but Duke and those guys have not missed a beat. The combine is the first thing coming up.”
Quickly after the combine will be the start of free agency and then the NFL Draft at the end of April. Over the next two months, Taylor and Tobin will have to make several decisions regarding their roster for the upcoming season.
Here’s a look at the biggest questions the Bengals must answer this offseason:
What’s the plan to fix the right side of the offensive line?
Simply put, the Bengals must improve the right side of their offensive line. The Rams’ entire game plan on defense in the second half was to attack the right side of Cincinnati’s offensive line.
Tackle Isaiah Prince and guard Hakeem Adeniji couldn’t hold up when it mattered most. The Bengals gave up seven sacks in the Super Bowl 56 loss to the Rams. On the year, Cincinnati allowed 70 total sacks on quarterback Joe Burrow.
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And while Taylor will downplay the fault being placed solely on the offensive line, the Bengals have to improve at right guard and tackle this offseason.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Bengals worst pass blocking game from a grading standpoint (14.5) occurred against the Rams. Prince was the lowest graded Bengals player in the pass blocking metric against Los Angeles.
Is Eli Apple the answer for the Bengals as their No. 2 cornerback?
The Bengals didn’t plan to start Apple at cornerback this year, it was supposed to be Trae Waynes playing opposite of Chidobe Awuzie.
Waynes couldn’t stay healthy during training camp and Apple won the job and never gave it back.
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Cincinnati signed Apple on a one-year deal and now has to decide if he’s worth bringing back next season. Apple played in 16 games and had 49 tackles and two interceptions during the year.
Will the Bengals get an extension with Jessie Bates done before free agency?
Cincinnati’s front office and Bates were unable to reach an extension before the season. When the deal didn’t get done before Week 1, it meant the Bengals were going to find themselves in a dicey situation.
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Bates, who impressed in the playoffs, is scheduled to become a free agent when the new league year begins on March 16.
If the Bengals aren’t able to reach a long-term agreement with Bates in the next few weeks, they could opt to use the franchise tag on him to ensure he’s in Cincinnati for at least one more season. If they don’t, he’ll hit the market and would likely have a lot of suitors based off his body of work over the last four seasons.
Which free agents are worth re-signing?
Tight end C.J. Uzomah, defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and right tackle Riley Reiff, in addition to Bates and Apple, are the key players set to become free agents.
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All five played significant snaps for the Bengals this season. Cincinnati will likely look to upgrade its offensive line in free agency with proven players over the draft and there’s only so much money to go around. Who is worth keeping and who will they let walk?
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