NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Cincinnati Bengals: What Will Offense Look Like Early in 2016?

By Russell S. Baxter

Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert (85) and quarterback Andy Dalton (14) against the St. Louis Rams at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert (85) and quarterback Andy Dalton (14) against the St. Louis Rams at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

One of the deepest teams in the league in recent years, the Cincinnati Bengals are going to have to look to some of those reserves come September.

NFL fans are well aware of the problems the Cincinnati Bengals have had when it comes to winning in the playoffs.

Then again, Marvin Lewis’ team keeps getting there, which is certainly noteworthy. The franchise has reached the postseason five straight years and six of the last seven seasons.

But due to some question marks on the offensive side of the football, could this team dig themselves an early hole in 2016 and fail to get out of it in time to make a Super Bowl run again?

Related Story: Fantasy Football: Cincinnati Bengals Opportunity Breakdown

There are no issues when it comes to quarterback Andy Dalton, who broke his thumb and missed the stretch run and playoffs this past year. Before that, he was off to an amazing start as in 3,250 passing yards, 25 scores and only seven interceptions.

There’s no denying the talent of perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green or the potent running-back tandem of Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill. The offensive line is one of the more efficient groups in the league.

But the biggest changes come with who will be catching Dalton’s passes. The Bengals saw wide receivers Marvin Jones (Detroit Lions) and Mohamed Sanu (Atlanta Falcons) leave in free agency. To remedy that a bit, they added Brandon LaFell, cast off by the New England Patriots this offseason after a disappointing 2015.

Jun 14, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Brandon LaFell (11) during minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 14, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Brandon LaFell (11) during minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Cincinnati Bengals radio voice Dan Hoard recently conducted a Q & A with Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin (via Bengals.com) and asked him “what appealed” to him about LaFell.

“We wanted some experience and he’s got that. We liked his size. We liked that he’s played in a number of different systems. And I don’t think that the game is too big for him. Any time that you change teams there’s a transition and he’s going through that right now. He’s like anybody else on our team – he’s going to have to prove his worth and make his way and we hope that’s the case. But we felt like we needed to add another veteran presence there after losing Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu and hopefully he’ll fill that and be the guy that we think he is.”

Jun 14, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris (37) defends against wide receiver Tyler Boyd (83) during minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 14, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris (37) defends against wide receiver Tyler Boyd (83) during minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Keep in mind that the club used a second- (Tyler Boyd) and a sixth-round (Cody Core) pick on wide receivers in April. Veteran Brandon Tate, the team’s main threat on special teams, and wideouts Mario Alford and James Wright remain on the roster. Lewis and new offensive coordinator Ken Zampese certainly hope to get more production from their young receivers.

But there was someone else Tobin mentioned when questioned about available free-agent wideout Anquan Boldin. The executive spoke about the pass-catching corps in general.

“I don’t like to proclaim yes or no on anybody that’s out there, but we have not had any discussions with him. We feel pretty good about some young guys that we have in that position group. It’s a position group that’s in flux, and it’s a position group that’s going to have to step up – particularly with (Tyler) Eifert out early in the year. We’re going to have to have some production from there and we have some good candidates. So we want to see when we get going in the preseason who steps up and who raises their hand and says, ‘I’m the guy.’ Hopefully multiple people will do that.”

Following basically a lost second NFL season, tight end Tyler Eifert came into his own in 2015. In 13 contests, he totaled 52 receptions for 615 yards and an impressive 13 touchdowns. Not having him in the early stages of 2016 just compounds the issues the Cincinnati passing attack could have in September.

More nfl spin zone: 5 NFL Head Coaches Who Could Be Fired After 2016

The Bengals open on the road against the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, then host the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins. It could be a very different Cincinnati offense that takes the field right off the bat, but one that eventually comes together by midseason.

In 2015, only the Panthers (54), Cardinals (51) and Patriots (50) scored more offensive touchdowns than Cincinnati (49). The club also finished seventh in the NFL with 419 points despite not having Dalton the final few weeks. But could some immediate growing pains cost Lewis and company in the long run? Stay tuned.

Home/Cincinnati Bengals