The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to have a comeback season in 2024. Cincinnati's playoff hopes were dashed last season after Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury late in the regular season. This injury basically torpedoed any real dreams the Bengals had of competing in 2023. However, you have to give them credit for finishing with a 9-8 record after starting Jake Browning down the stretch.
Now Joe Burrow is on track to start in Week 1 and the Bengals want to get revenge on the entire NFL.
Cincinnati has made a slew of moves during free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft to address the problems they faced during 2023.
Unsurprisingly, they paid a lot of attention to the offense. Keeping Joe Burrow healthy and protected was a huge priority, as was ensuring he will have plenty of weapons to work with now and in the future. In free agency, the Bengals re-signed guard Cody Ford and brought in tackle Trent Brown to beef up the offensive line. They also added and retained a handful of tight ends (Mike Gesicki, Tanner Hudson, Drew Sample) and brought in Zack Moss to replace Joe Mixon. They also gave Sheldon Rankins a lucrative two-year deal to replace outgoing D.J. Reader.
The Bengals doubled down on a few of these moves in the draft. They used their first-round pick on monster tackle prospect Amarius Mims, who projects to start on the bench. However, he should be an incredible Joe Burrow protector for a long time. Cincinnati also added receiver Jermaine Burton and added additional depth on both sides of the ball.
Cincinnati is locked and loaded, but their roster is not yet complete. Their defense is solid, and has many young players with upside, but they could use some veteran depth in the front seven.
The Bengals should consider signing a player like Yannick Ngakoue before training camp. If they do, they will be set up nicely to make noise in the AFC this season.
Yannick Ngakoue would be the perfect insurance policy at defensive end
Yannick Ngakoue is a capable edge rusher who has flashed big potential throughout his NFL career.
Ngakoue was a third-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2016 NFL Draft. He logged eight sacks in his rookie season and followed that up with 30 tackles and 12 sacks in his sophomore year. Ngakoue has been a consistently good pass rusher ever since.
He left Jacksonville after his rookie contract and has since been a mercenary, spending time in Minnesota, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, and most recently Chicago. He is currently a free agent.
The Bengals would be getting a high-end backup defensive tackle in Ngakoue. Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson have been holding down the position and have done wonderful work. Hendrickson reportedly wanted to be traded earlier this offseason, but has since returned to the team and plans to play this season. Still, Cincinnati would be smart to have some sort of insurance policy in case his mood shifts again.
Ngakoue could easily create a three-man rotation with Hubbard and Hendrickson. This would keep all three players fresh throughout games and guarantee a high baseline of play at defensive end.
The depth behind Hubbard and Hendrickson is another reason to consider adding Ngakoue. Myles Murphy, Joseph Ossai, and Cam Sample are the Bengals' best options behind the starters. Murphy is a former first-round pick but he did not have a great rookie season. Ossai is a capable backup, but shouldn't be counted on for much more. Sample is still a question mark. Adding Ngakoue would be a good step towards ensuring that Cincinnati's pass rush has teeth on every down.
Finally, the pass rush in Cincinnati is important because the secondary is young and unproven. DJ Turner II, Dax Hil, Cam Taylor-Britt, and Josh Newton are all individually good young players with upside. However, they have yet to gel as a unit at a high level. A potent pass rush that speeds up the clock for opposing QBs could help mask any decencies in the Bengals' secondary.
The Bengals have plenty of cap space, so signing Ngakoue should be no problem. Cincinnati should seriously consider kicking the tires on Ngakoue before training camp.
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