Cincinnati Bengals Preseason: 3 Takeaways vs Washington
By Kenn Korb
1. The New Pass Rushers Need To Play
One thing which may help prevent the possibility of postseason hopes being dashed early, however, is if the new pass rushers added to the team this offseason can continue playing into the year like they did versus Washington.
The pass rush rotation has been a major issue in recent seasons for the Bengals, with star defensive end Carlos Dunlap receiving little-to-no help from a cavalcade of past-their-prime names (Michael Johnson, Will Clarke, Wallace Gilberry) who have lately proven to barely be warm bodies, much less impactful defenders. This offseason the team finally decided to try changing that.
Through the draft, they added Jordan Willis and Carl Lawson to the mix. They even made a trade for another, picking up Chris Smith from Jacksonville for a future conditional late-round draft pick. Those three players have been providing some consistent positive hope for improvement of the defense throughout the offseason, especially in these preseason games.
Each of them picked up a sack in this contest. This came not only in limited snaps, but up against Washington’s expected starters — a group which includes an offensive line which is was among the league’s best last season. Through three preseason games, Willis has three sacks, Smith has two, and Lawson has one (albeit in only two outings). Meanwhile, those incumbent pass rushers have combined for zero.
The preseason has provided the proof: These new guys can be a quality asset to the defense, one which clearly needed their youthful talents. With an important player like Burfict expected to miss significant time, having these guys involved becomes even more necessary.
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They’ve shown throughout the offseason and these warm-up games that they deserve the snaps. It’ll be up to Cincinnati’s coaches to actually turn away from their prior impulses — leaning on long-time veterans — and give them what they’ve shown themselves worthy of. If not, their wasting some of the only positive meaning this preseason may have been able to provide them.