Highlights

Can the Bengals Finally Unlock Joe Burrow’s Full Potential, or Is Another Season of Disappointment Looming?

Can the Bengals Finally Unlock Joe Burrow’s Full Potential, or Is Another Season of Disappointment Looming?

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When you sign two receivers to deals worth a combined 6 million, as the Bengals did with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, there isn’t much money left over for anyone else. The Bengals made the right choice extending their star receivers, but it makes it tougher to build a championship roster. Defensive tackle Tedarrell Slaton, at .1 million over two seasons, was the only free agent the Bengals added at more than .5 million per year. They lost four players who got more than million a year on the open market: guard Alex Cappa, defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, and linebackers Akeem Davis-Gaither and Germaine Pratt. The draft was OK, with pass rusher Shemar Stewart in the first round and linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. in the second. However, the contract standoff with Stewart as the Bengals try to insert new language in contracts allowing them to potentially void guarantees has dampened the excitement over adding a talented player at a position of need. How could anyone reasonably argue that Cincinnati’s roster is better than it was last season?AdvertisementFrom Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “The Bengals were a perfect fantasy carnival last year, a reliable offense that was pushed into regular shootouts by its lousy defense. It was almost too good to be true for fantasy managers, especially when you consider how narrow Cincinnati’s usage tree was. The good news: I’m not sure much has changed. The offense is still top heavy, the defense still somewhat suspect. There’s no reason to complicate things here; Ja’Marr Chase is the top player on my board, and Joe Burrow, Chase Brown and Tee Higgins all qualify as proactive targets.”

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “The Bengals were a perfect fantasy carnival last year, a reliable offense that was pushed into regular shootouts by its lousy defense. It was almost too good to be true for fantasy managers, especially when you consider how narrow Cincinnati’s usage tree was. The good news: I’m not sure much has changed. The offense is still top heavy, the defense still somewhat suspect. There’s no reason to complicate things here; Ja’Marr Chase is the top player on my board, and Joe Burrow, Chase Brown and Tee Higgins all qualify as proactive targets.”

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “The Bengals were a perfect fantasy carnival last year, a reliable offense that was pushed into regular shootouts by its lousy defense. It was almost too good to be true for fantasy managers, especially when you consider how narrow Cincinnati’s usage tree was. The good news: I’m not sure much has changed. The offense is still top heavy, the defense still somewhat suspect. There’s no reason to complicate things here; Ja’Marr Chase is the top player on my board, and Joe Burrow, Chase Brown and Tee Higgins all qualify as proactive targets.”

Offseason grade

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “The Bengals were a perfect fantasy carnival last year, a reliable offense that was pushed into regular shootouts by its lousy defense. It was almost too good to be true for fantasy managers, especially when you consider how narrow Cincinnati’s usage tree was. The good news: I’m not sure much has changed. The offense is still top heavy, the defense still somewhat suspect. There’s no reason to complicate things here; Ja’Marr Chase is the top player on my board, and Joe Burrow, Chase Brown and Tee Higgins all qualify as proactive targets.”

Quarterback report

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “The Bengals were a perfect fantasy carnival last year, a reliable offense that was pushed into regular shootouts by its lousy defense. It was almost too good to be true for fantasy managers, especially when you consider how narrow Cincinnati’s usage tree was. The good news: I’m not sure much has changed. The offense is still top heavy, the defense still somewhat suspect. There’s no reason to complicate things here; Ja’Marr Chase is the top player on my board, and Joe Burrow, Chase Brown and Tee Higgins all qualify as proactive targets.”

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “The Bengals were a perfect fantasy carnival last year, a reliable offense that was pushed into regular shootouts by its lousy defense. It was almost too good to be true for fantasy managers, especially when you consider how narrow Cincinnati’s usage tree was. The good news: I’m not sure much has changed. The offense is still top heavy, the defense still somewhat suspect. There’s no reason to complicate things here; Ja’Marr Chase is the top player on my board, and Joe Burrow, Chase Brown and Tee Higgins all qualify as proactive targets.”

Stat to remember

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “The Bengals were a perfect fantasy carnival last year, a reliable offense that was pushed into regular shootouts by its lousy defense. It was almost too good to be true for fantasy managers, especially when you consider how narrow Cincinnati’s usage tree was. The good news: I’m not sure much has changed. The offense is still top heavy, the defense still somewhat suspect. There’s no reason to complicate things here; Ja’Marr Chase is the top player on my board, and Joe Burrow, Chase Brown and Tee Higgins all qualify as proactive targets.”

Burning question

Can Al Golden fix Cincy’s defense?

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “The Bengals were a perfect fantasy carnival last year, a reliable offense that was pushed into regular shootouts by its lousy defense. It was almost too good to be true for fantasy managers, especially when you consider how narrow Cincinnati’s usage tree was. The good news: I’m not sure much has changed. The offense is still top heavy, the defense still somewhat suspect. There’s no reason to complicate things here; Ja’Marr Chase is the top player on my board, and Joe Burrow, Chase Brown and Tee Higgins all qualify as proactive targets.”

Nightmare scenario

[Get more Cincinnati news: Bengals team feed]

The crystal ball says

“The Eagles are paying everybody,” Burrow said on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. “That seems like the way, whatever they’re doing.”

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