Cincinnati Bengals Post Draft Commentary

The Bengals struggled through the 2008 season thanks in large part to injuries and ineffective play on both sides of the ball. The offensive line was riddled with injuries; leaving Carson Palmer available for only 4 starts last year. Thanks to the offense’s lackluster play, the defense was forced to play a great deal of minutes and subsequently faltered.

But, to lay the failures of the 2008 season solely at the feet of the offensive line would be a mistake. The defensive line play left a great deal to be desired; especially the defensive end spot. No one had more than 3 sacks on the defense. The team managed only 17 sacks on the season, which is staggering to say the least. Even more staggering may be the Bengals’ choice to help liven up the pass rush; Michael Johnson. Johnson has been an enigma his entire college career and often times left talent evaluators wanting to see more from the Georgia Tech star. Johnson is an athletic freak, yet lasts into the 3rd round in a weak draft. The Bengals need to find a way to get Johnson to play up to his talent on every play. If he doesn’t the team has really done little in Free Agency to address the defensive line. If the team cannot generate a more consistent pass rush, the defense will continue to give up yardage.

The Bengals did need an upgrade in the middle of the defense in one form or another. Drafting another defensive tackle to help tie up blockers may have been an option. But, the team decided to bring Rey Maualuga into the fold. The Bengals gave up over 120 yards per game on the ground last year. Maualuga is a physical player, but he is far from instinctive; often times attacking the wrong hole and can be a liability in coverage. However, if he does line up an opponent, he can cause some jarring collisions. His presence will make the defensive front 7 more physical, regardless of his shortcomings. The back end of the defense could also have used an infusion of talent as Chris Crocker is in dire need of a replacement.

But, the biggest problem other than a lack of a pass rush is the lack of talent along the offensive line. The Bengals did not have one player at center with an NFL start under their belt before the team chose Johnathan Luigs in the 4th round. Luigs is an athletic player, but he will struggle to generate a great deal of push at the point of attack. He is better suited to pull and operate in space, which may raise the question as to whether the Bengals did in fact upgrade the position? Offensive tackle was also a huge need as the team parted ways with Stacey Andrews and will release Levi Jones as well. The Bengals selected somewhat troubled Andre Smith with the 6th overall selection in an effort to replace Jones and improve the overall talent base along the offensive front. However, there are still issues as the line is very inexperienced and still lacks a true presence at the pivot.

The Bengals could have also used to address their running back situation as there is little talent there, even with Cedric Benson being resigned. Wide receiver could also have been addressed as the team lost T. J. Houshmandzadeh and is relying on Laveranues Coles, Chad Johnson and Chris Henry at wide receiver. Johnson and Coles are over 30, and are far from team players; often times causing issues on their respective teams in the past.

The Bengals did address their biggest needs, but failed to address other in any manner; such as running back. If Benson is lost for any length of time, the team will struggle to run the ball. Kenny Watson is a chance of pace back at best and should not be relied to carry a big load. The Bengals will likely see some improvement and have a solid linebacking corp with Maualuga joining his former Trojan teammate; Keith Rivers. The Bengals will not challenge the Steelers for the division crown by any means, but they should certainly be more competitive and could be one of those teams no one wants to play coming down the stretch.

Pre Draft Needs: WR, RB, OL, DE, S