The start of the new NFL league year is just a few weeks away and head coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel Duke Tobin are hard at work making several decisions. Who the Bengals decide to keep on the roster and who they add will set the tone for what the upcoming season could look like.
First up on the offseason calendar is the NFL combine that takes place in Indianapolis where scouts and coaches from all 32 teams gather to start the draft evaluation period. Teams are allowed 40 in-person interviews with draft prospects, the first time Taylor and Tobin could get face time with players they are potentially interested in adding to their roster.
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But before the draft talk begins, Tobin, Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan addressed several topics including who the staff hopes to re-sign, where Joe Burrow can improve and why Cincinnati retaining all three coordinators is an even bigger deal than you might think.
Here are three main takeaways from the NFL combine:
Jessie Bates, C.J. Uzomah among high priority players Bengals hope to re-sign
The Bengals have several players they hope to re-sign in free agency. Among the top players Tobin hopes to retain are safety Jessie Bates and tight end C.J. Uzomah.
Defensive tackles Larry Ogunjobi and B.J. Hill, cornerback Eli Apple and right tackle Riley Reiff are some other players who saw significant playing time that are scheduled to become free agents.
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Bates, 25, could be franchise tagged in the next few days if the Bengals don’t think they can get a long-term extension done by the tag deadline on March 8. This would ensure Bates is in Cincinnati next season while allowing more time to work through negotiations with Bates’ camp.
As one of the best players on defense and a homegrown talent, the Bengals view Bates as an essential part of the foundation Taylor and Tobin have built over the last three years.
The Bengals drafted Bates in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Wake Forest. In addition to his stellar play on the field, he’s also become team captain and well-respected voice in Cincinnati’s locker room.
“As far as Jessie Bates, he’s an important part of our team,” Tobin said. “We drafted him, he’s a guy that developed and that has played well that has a real role on our team in a lot of different areas, particularly in leadership and play-making skill, he’s a guy we want going forward. We want him to be a part of our group so we’ll see what we can do to get that done.”
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Uzomah is another high-priority player for the Bengals to ensure they retain. In seven seasons with the Bengals, Uzomah has caught 163 passes for 1,591 yards and 13 touchdowns. The 29-year-old is coming off his best professional campaign and was a key component of Cincinnati’s offensive success in the 2021 season.
“C.J. has been an important guy for us since he walked in the door,” Tobin said. “The personality, the leadership and charisma he brings to the locker room, to the practice field is very, very valuable. People look up to him, they respect him as a player, they love him as a person and he’s the guy you want on your football team and he’s been that since he walked in the door.
"He’s made steady improvements over the course of his career. And here he is with another chance at free agency and it’s the second chance at that and he deserves it. We want him back, but you know the offseason is the time players get rewarded for their play. We’ll see if we can get him back.”
What are the next steps for Joe Burrow in his progression?
The Bengals’ franchise quarterback vastly improved in his second season in the NFL. Burrow completed 366 passes for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns in the 2021 regular season. His completion percentage was 70.4, up five percent from his rookie season.
While breaking several franchise records, Burrow lifted the Bengals to new heights in the postseason.
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So, what’s next for Burrow in his progression as an NFL quarterback?
Callahan spoke with the local media at the NFL combine and offered his thoughts on what they are looking for next from Burrow.
“The next step is for Joe to take total command of the whole thing and he's well on his way to doing that," Callahan said. "You want your quarterback to be an extension of the staff and to be able to go out there and call the plays and feel great about what he's doing. Not that he calls every play, but that's part of the process. I think he's excited about having that kind of ownership and that kind of responsibility. You grow and build from there. The consistency over time is what you're really looking for and he's up to the challenge."
Bengals believe ‘it’s a big deal’ to retain all three coordinators
Despite both his offensive and defensive coordinators earning head coaching interviews this year, Taylor returns for his fourth season as Bengals’ head coach with all of his coordinators in hand.
The New York Giants interviewed Lou Anarumo for their vacant job and the Denver Broncos interviewed Callahan. Both teams opted to choose other coaches for the job and so Callahan and Anarumo return for a fourth season in their respective roles.
The only downside of a deep playoff run and a trip to a Super Bowl for NFL coaches is a shortened offseason that follows. With a big chunk of the offseason self-scout period taking place at the end of January and early February often, the Bengals will now have to make up for the time they missed as they were still practicing and game planning until mid-February.
If Taylor needed to replace one of his coordinators, it likely would have been more work to find a replacement, ensure he gets up to speed and make tweaks to the system.
With Callahan, Anarumo and special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons back for another year, the Bengals feel their staff cohesion will be an important piece of how the 2022 season unfolds.
“It’s exciting we have all the coordinators coming back for a fourth season, I think that means a lot and I think a big deal, especially when you’re coming off a season when we might end up in a short, condensed offseason,” Callahan said. “There’s not a whole lot of things we have to do that are new.”
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