5 Things the Cincinnati Bengals Must Do Well in 2016

The Cincinnati Bengals have been knocking on the door of contender status for the last five years. If they are going to break through, they’ll have to do it with some new faces on both sides of the ball.

The Cincinnati Bengals will once again be in the conversation as one of the top teams in the AFC. Despite that, most pundits don’t consider them a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

If the Bengals want to enter into that conversation, they’ll need to start winning playoff games. There have been a lot of ones and dones for the Bengals lately in the playoffs.

Most of the blame falls at the feet of head coach Marvin Lewis and rightfully so. Lewis’ playoff failures are well documented .

If Lewis and the Bengals are going to take the next step and contend, they’ll have to do it with some new faces on both sides of the ball. Many of the core players are still in place but young players will have to emerge for this team to truly contend.

Here are five things the Bengals must do schematically in 2016 if they want to succeed.

Jun 14, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard (25) carries the ball during minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Commit to Running the Ball: The Bengals offense in 2016 will center more around running backs Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. With a new offensive coordinator in Ken Zampese and a depleted receiving corp, the Bengals will emphasize the ground game early on so that they can develop continuity on offense.

2. Develop a Starting Z Receiver: The Bengals must find at least two receivers that can replace Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu. The front runners will be rookie Tyler Boyd and veteran Brandon LaFell. LaFell is more of an X receiver or split end. Brandon Tate and rookie Cody Core will also vie for Z receiver spot as well.

3. Generate Consistent Pressure With the Front Four: The Bengals are not known as a pressure team defensively. Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther did not bring a lot of pressure last season. I don’t think that will change. The Bengals are going to continue to rely on their front four to generate pressure. They’ll do that by using more tackle, end twists and stunting their defensive lineman.

4. Turn William Jackson Into a Starter at Corner: First-round draft William Jackson III will probably start the season in the Bengals sub packages but the coaching staff must bring him along enough that Jackson eventually starts. The sooner Jackson develops, the better the Bengals defense will be. Cincinnati did not re-sign veteran Leon Hall but still has a lot of talent at the position in Adam Jones, Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard.

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5. Split Out Tyler Eifert More: The Bengals move tight end Tyler Eifert (who may miss the start of the season) around a lot in their personnel groupings and formations. Offensive coordinator Ken Zampese needs to continue to do that. In fact, the Bengals should use Eifert more in a receiver role and play him off the line. If for no other reason, it would help Eifert stay healthy if he’s not mixing it up in the trenches.

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