INDIANAPOLIS – After the offensive line, the next position the Cincinnati Bengals must address is cornerback.
Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is a defensive backs coach at heart and understands the value of the position. The Bengals benefited greatly from the acquisition of Chidobe Awuzie in free agency ahead of the 2021 season and one year later, they find themselves in a similar position.
Awuzie signed a three-year deal with the Bengals and will be Cincinnati’s No. 1 cornerback in the upcoming season. The questions now surround who the No. 2 and 3 cornerbacks will be.
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“That’s something we’re obviously going to address coming up,” Anarumo said from the NFL combine. “We got some guys under contract, lose some guys, you just don’t know how it’s going to go. You can never have enough cornerbacks and rushers, we’ll always be looking for that.”
Cornerback Trae Waynes -- who was expected to start opposite of Awuzie -- suffered a hamstring injury during training camp and he never earned his starting role back.
Eli Apple started in place of Waynes and held his own for the most part but also struggled in coverage at times. Apple signed a one-year deal with the Bengals in free agency last year and it’s unclear if director of personnel Duke Tobin and head coach Zac Taylor will try to re-sign him or let him hit the market.
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The Bengals are likely to move on from Waynes this offseason after a disappointing career in Cincinnati. Waynes signed a three-year deal worth $42 million in March of 2020 and played in only five games in two seasons. The 29-year-old suffered a pectoral injury that forced him to miss the entire 2020 season.
When asked if injuries are the main reason Waynes has yet to take on the role the Bengals hoped, Anarumo cited it as a reason why.
“I think injuries played a big part for sure,” Anarumo said.
In addition to not being able to stay healthy, Waynes also has the largest salary cap number of any Bengals player on the roster at $15,858,823.
Slot cornerback Mike Hilton proved to be worth the investment the Bengals made in him, signing him in free agency ahead of the 2021 season. Hilton started every game and recorded 66 tackles, five pass deflections, two interceptions and one forced fumble in the regular season.
If the Bengals can secure a top cornerback in free agency to start with Hilton and Awuzie, Cincinnati’s secondary has the makings to be a top unit in the upcoming season.
Safety Vonn Bell will return and the Bengals want to ensure Jessie Bates is also back as they are currently working through contract negotiations with the 25-year-old. Bates is scheduled to become a free agent when the new league year begins on March 16 but all signs point to the Bengals placing the franchise tag on him if they can’t get a long-term extension done in the next few days.
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The Bengals ranked No. 18 against the pass, giving up 350.8 yards per game.
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