Cincinnati Bengals: Defense Must Improve in 2015
By Nick Ziegler
In 2014, the Cincinnati Bengals were able to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year. But in 2014, the Bengals struggled on defense, which was their calling-card in years past.
One noticeable difference in the Bengals defense was that they had a different defensive coordinator in Paul Guenther. Gunther took over the job this past season after Mike Zimmer was hired to be the Minnesota Vikings’ head coach.
Zimmer saw a lot of success as the Bengals defensive coordinator after being hired by the Bengals in the 2009 season. Zimmer would waste little time making an impact as an assistant coach, as he was awarded the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year honors by Pro Football Writers, and CBSSports.com. In 2009, the Bengals would be ranked fourth in the NFL in total defense. A year late, they slipped a bit, ranking 15th in the league in total yards allowed.
Starting in 2011, the Bengals would finish in the Top 10 in total defense in three straight years under Zimmer, including third in the league overall in 2013.
Filling in for Zimmer proved to be a tough task for Guenther, who was the Bengals linebackers coach under Zimmer. In 2014, the Bengals defense dropped way down in ranks, as they were the 22nd–ranked defense in the NFL in terms of yards allowed. They struggled against both the run and pass, finishing 20th in the league in both categories this past season.
Injuries were certainly a major problem for the Bengals’ defense in 2014, as linebackers Rey Maualuga and Vontaze Burfict both missed a lot of time. Under Guenther, the secondary looked good despite the many injuries. Veteran Adam Jones had a great season and young cornerbacks Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard both seemed to get better as the season went on.
The worst part of the Bengals defense in 2014 was their ability to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Cincinnati totaled only 20 sacks as an entire team–was dead last in the NFL. Of those 20 sacks, Carlos Dunlap recorded eight of them, and getting other players who can get to the quarterback will be a need in the offseason.
One player that has had his named linked to the Bengals in free agency is Detroit Lions’ DL Ndamukong Suh. The addition of Suh to any team would greatly help them be able to them stop the run, and also get pressure on the quarterback. Both of those are big needs for the Bengals.
Last season, Suh had 8.5 sacks and 53 combined tackles with the Lions, and in the playoffs also had an impact in the game against the Dallas Cowboys, sacking Tony Romo twice. Suh’s price tag will not be cheap, but for the Bengals he would fill a lot of their needs on defense
In addition to trying to improve their defense in the offseason, one major player that they will have to attempt to re-sign is Maualuga, who when he wasn’t hurt showed his value to being able to stop the run for the Bengals’ defense.
Whether it be through the draft or in free agency or both, the Bengals will need to make some upgrades on the defensive side of the ball in 2015.