What's New?
With an offense as explosive as anyone’s in the NFL, it’s no surprise the Cincinnati Bengals concentrated on upgrading one of the league’s more anemic defenses during the offseason. They used their first-round draft pick on cornerback Leon Hall, who, when teamed with last year’s No. 1 Jonathan Joseph and veteran Deltha O’Neal, should solidify the position. Defensive tackles Michael Myers and Kendrick Allen won’t be big difference-makers on the line, but their acquisitions do add some much-needed depth.
Edgerton Hartwell, who appeared to be a player on the rise before leaving the Baltimore Ravens for the Atlanta Falcons, should also add some depth and competition at linebacker, and could press youngster Ahmad Brooks for the starting middle linebacker job.
NFL Draft Picks
1st Round - Leon Hall, CB Michigan
2nd Round - Kenny Irons, RB Auburn
4th Round - Marvin White, S TCU
5th Round - Jeff Rowe, QB Nevada
6th Round - Matt Toeaina, DT Oregon
7th Round - Dan Santucci, OG Notre Dame
7th Round - Nedu Ndukwe, S Notre Dame
Who's Gone?
Other than offensive guard Eric Steinbach, most of the Bengals’ key defections came on the defensive side of the ball as well. Tackle Sam Adams signed with the Denver Broncos and safety Kevin Kaesviharn is now with the New Orleans Saints. Odell Thurman is still suspended because of off-field issuess, and fellow linebackers A.J. Nicholson and Brian Simmons were released. Although he missed five games in 2006 with a neck injury, Simmons was perhaps the team’s most dependable linebacker, averaging more than 100 tackles per season since 2001.
The early selection of a cornerback in the 2007 NFL Draft made Tory James expendable as well, and the team did little to try to re-sign him.
The Bengals also suffered an early loss of rookie running back Kenny Irons (knee), who they hoped would take some of the load off Rudi Johnson this year.
What Needs to Change?
If Cincinnati could somehow coax an average performance out of their defense this year, which will be a challenge, they could be Super Bowl contenders. Quarterback Carson Palmer, running back Rudi Johnson, and wide receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh are at the top of their games and ready to win now. But inconsistency on defense held this team back in 2006, and it could again if the latest tinkering has little effect.
Under Pressure to Perform
Marvin Lewis - Brought in after success as defensive coordinator in both Baltimore and Washington, Lewis has done a good job of bringing this once-hapless franchise back to respectability in the standings. But that’s not good enough anymore. The Bengals have the offense to win right now, but if Lewis can’t shape up his defense it won’t matter. This is supposed to be his area of expertise, yet the unit has shown little-to-no growth under his watch. If this team doesn’t make a deep run into the playoffs this season, Marvin will be on the hot seat.
2006 Rankings
Overall Offense - 8th (341.4)
Rushing Offense - 26th (101.8)
Passing Offense - 6th (239.6)
Overall Defense - 30th (355.1)
Rushing Defense - 15th (116.4)
Passing Defense - 31st (238.6)
Prediction - Fully recovered from a serious knee injury, Palmer is poised to re-establish himself as one of the top three quarterbacks in the league. And he has the weapons at his disposal to pick teams apart, which is a good thing, because he will probably find himself in a lot of shootouts this year. Look for a modest improvement from the defense that will help keep the Bengals in the division race until the end, but not enough to put this team completely over the top and into the same echelon as the NFL’s elite teams.
Record:10-6 and second in the AFC North
