Let's take a look at the offseason the Cincinnati Bengals have had so far. They’ve drafted their franchise quarterback, but now they need to help surround him with talent and make more moves to become a playoff team. However, the Bengals don’t really have a history of being aggressive. Here are some moves they should make during the rest of the offseason.
They Trade Back and don’t take Sewell
Everyone is penciling Penei Sewell to the Bengals, but trading back might be the best option. Sewell is a left tackle, which the Bengals actually already have. Jonah Williams came back from a lost rookie season and actually played pretty well last year. The Bengals also signed Riley Reiff, who’s a solid-if-unspectacular player to presumably hold down the right tackle spot. What the Bengals really need is a guard. Burrow got hurt from interior pressure landing on his leg. Sewell is probably good enough to play guard, he did it in high school, but the Bengals have many other needs as well. They need a tight end, and just about every single defensive position there is. They aren’t simply a Sewell away from being contenders. There are more QB needy teams this year than usual, and trading back from the five spot could fetch a massive haul. If a team like the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers, or Washington Football Team wants to trade up, the Bengals could garner more draft capital. They could still end up taking a guard and have many more picks to upgrade that defense which no longer consists of Geno Atkins.
They don't sign another free agent.
The Bengals aren’t known for making many moves in free agency. Signing Trey Hendrickson, Larry Ogunjobi, and Chidobe Awuzie is already more than they’re typically used to spend. Although they don’t have a great roster, don’t expect to see them making more signings. Their corners are Trae Waynes, Awuzie, and Mike Hilton, who is a solid nickel guy. What they could really use is a linebacker, but the pickings are pretty slim at that position right now. Zac Taylor doesn’t seem to emphasize the tight end position, so that's out. They already signed a tackle and there aren’t really any solid free agent guards left, so expect them to wait for the draft to make any more moves.
Bengals draft a backup QB
Joe Burrow is coming off a catastrophic knee injury, the offensive line is still questionable, having a better backup than Brandon Allen would be a decent investment. Burrow isn’t the type that needs a veteran presence to show him the ropes, he’s a different type of QB. You can bring in a talented rookie to compete for that backup spot or a veteran to help continuing mold Burrow's skill set. If anything, Burrow can mentor them.
They draft a linebacker in the 2nd round
Mocking a lineman to the Bengals in the first round is a pretty safe bet, but linebacker is just as big of a need. The Bengals used their linebackers in a unique way in 2020. They had players used specifically for the run game and then used separate linebackers for passing downs. There are upsides and downsides to that strategy. The upside is that it’s easier to find linebackers that fit what you want to do. A coverage linebacker that is too small to defend the run can see meaningful snaps without getting exposed, and a run-stuffing old school guy can play without as much risk of getting exposed. The downside is that you need to find a lot of linebackers who can play a little bit of both. If they utilize that same strategy again, they could use six new linebackers. Expect them to have a priority on that position.
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