I guess the silver lining is they wouldn't have made the playoffs even if they had won the KC game since Buffalo and Pittsburgh won out the last two weeks. Thus concludes probably the most disappointing season in team history and there have been a lot of them. This officially starts a really important offseason, as they have a ton of cap space to play with but also many needs to fill. Here's how I see the guys who played significant snaps going forward:
QB
Joe Burrow - season went awry two days into camp with severe calf strain before signing extension to be the face of the franchise for a long time. Couldn't do anything for the first month and then was his old self for five weeks (this is probably the
play of the year) before season-ending wrist injury. Should be fine for OTAs.
Jake Browning - provided way more than expected. A legit backup who will be back as an exclusive rights free agent.
RB
Joe Mixon - still has some juice left but I wonder how much more he'll have heading into year eight/his age 28 season. They badly need someone who can make it close to a 50-50 split as he took on way too much of the load.
Chase Brown - he could be that guy. Rookie fifth-rounder was buried the first six weeks and supposed to have a big role coming out of the bye before a hamstring injury in practice cost him a month. Showed an ability to make people miss when he got a chance and elite top-end speed (he reached a speed
here only bested by DK Metcalf this year). Really excited to see him finally get to work with Burrow.
WR
Ja'Marr Chase - rock-solid as usual before playing through a shoulder injury the last two weeks. Elite WR1 who is now extension-eligible and seems open to it - they need to get it done.
Tee Higgins - outside of a couple games (and one amazing catch), it was a nightmare contract year filled with injuries, drops and penalties. He will almost certainly be tagged and I'd imagine play out the year - no one will give the Bengals what they want and it's tough to see an extension given his agent and the Bengals haven't exactly worked well together.
Tyler Boyd - the writing was on the wall when they drafted Charlie Jones last year and this is now it. Turns 30 next season and will be elsewhere.
Trenton Irwin - a success story last year but was badly exposed with more snaps as he cannot create any separation. Will be a free agent and hope he lands elsewhere so the staff isn't tempted to keep playing him.
Charlie Jones - Rookie fourth-rounder's season was derailed by early thumb injury and never got off the ground outside of a punt return TD. Still believe he can be the answer in the slot, but this year didn't provide it.
Andrei Iosivas - Rookie sixth-round size/speed dynamo showed a knack for the end zone, scoring four TDs in a very limited number of snaps. He should fill the missing Chase and Higgins snaps.
TE
Irv Smith Jr. - a total failure of a one-year experiment who ended up a healthy inactive down the stretch. Next.
Drew Sample - former second-round pick never lived up to his draft status but found his role as an excellent pass protector next to the QB. Would love to have him back.
Tanner Hudson - journeyman came out of nowhere and did what Smith was supposed to do. Will turn 30 next year but would like to have him back for depth to go with Sample and a draft pick.
OL
Orlando Brown Jr. - midseason groin injury limited his ability to anchor effectively and will always give up his share of pressure but I thought was fine overall and good in the run game. Turns 28 in May and entrenched at LT for the foreseeable future.
Cordell Volson - athletic limitations will always cap his effectiveness but played well down the stretch when they switched to more under center stuff. Would like to see them bring in competition though as he heads into his third year.
Ted Karras - locker room leader struggled a bit early but played much better as the year went on. Under contract for one more year at age 31.
Alex Cappa - season pretty much mirrored his interior linemates. Not elite, but an above-average starter under contract for two more years at age 29.
Jonah Williams - converted from LT despite being unhappy about it and had a strong year on the right side heading into free agency at 26. I think they'd like to have him back, but he may price himself out in a weak OL market.
DE
Trey Hendrickson - will never be a good run defender, but absolute force of a pass rusher who turned in a career year. Under contract for two more years and just turned 29.
Sam Hubbard - wasn't anything like his old self as he played through foot/ankle injuries and all the snaps plus playing deep into the playoffs the previous two years definitely took their toll. Under contract for two more years, but really needs to have his snaps reduced as he enters age 29 season.
Myles Murphy - first-rounder was expectedly raw as a 21-year old rookie at a position with a hard transition, but flashed a fair number of times in limited snaps and mostly held up against the run. Excited for year two as he gets stronger and refines his pass rush arsenal.
Cam Sample - Hubbard-lite player started strong but faded down the stretch. Just a rotational piece as he heads into final year of rookie deal.
Joseph Ossai - one of the biggest disappointments. Was expected to be DE3 and the nickel rusher but suffered an ankle injury in preseason on the FedEx Field grass and never got off the ground. They need him to return to form in final year of rookie deal.
DT
DJ Reader - linchpin of the defense still played at a high level but was undone by lack of support around him. Unfortunately suffered third significant injury in four years late in the year as he heads to free agency turning 30 in July. I'd love to get him back on a one-year deal now to see if he can rehab his value, but I wonder if his best days are behind him.
BJ Hill - like Hubbard, the last two seasons really took their toll as his pass and run effectiveness declined. Needs to have snaps reduced as he heads into final year of deal at age 29.
Zach Carter - the hope was he could be the guy in his second year who could take the load off Hill. He was anything but - a complete wet paper bag against the run who also provided no pass rush (hell of a combo!). Should be fighting for his life for a spot next year.
Jay Tufele - 2022 waiver claim made some splash plays last year but was absolutely trampled in the run game along with Carter this year. They also allowed 10.73 NY/A when he was on the field - how is that humanly possible?
Josh Tupou - oldest defensive holdover from Marvin Lewis era has always been a one-down player. This position needs a huge overhaul - tough to see him coming back at 30.
LB
Logan Wilson - signed four-year extension at age 27 before season but had rough year. Coverage metrics were particularly bad and need him to bounce back. The poor DL play certainly made his life harder.
Germaine Pratt - signed three-year deal before age 27 year and, like Wilson, had a bad year. Has a knack for big plays but also got knocked on his ass a ton in the run game. Hopefully can bounce back with a better DL.
CB
Cam Taylor-Britt - probably the brightest spot on defense outside of Hendrickson. A bit of a gambler, but ascended into an upper-echelon corner in his second year before an ankle injury cost him a month at the end.
DJ Turner - Rookie second-round speedster started hot but faded pretty hard down the stretch. Needs to probably bulk up a little bit but should be a solid starter.
Chidobe Awuzie - 2021 FA played at an elite level for a year and a half before tearing ACL midway through 2022 and never bounced back. There's hope as he gets further away from injury, but will also turn 29 as he heads into free agency. I wouldn't hate having him back on a one-year deal if he's willing to take it.
Mike Hilton - started off a little slow but returned to being maybe the best slot corner in the league. It's a bit of a concern for guys his stature (5'9/185) as they get up there (he turns 30 in March), but a bargain at $6 million heading into final year of four-year deal.
S
Dax Hill - probably the single biggest disappointment. I was very high on him as he was a productive college player who tested well on his way to becoming a first-rounder in 2022, but he's just not a deep safety in the role Jessie Bates was so good at and there were tons of communication breakdowns and blown assignments in the secondary. They need to find a way to use his talents better around the line of scrimmage.
Jordan Battle - rookie third-rounder came on very strong down the stretch after playing sparingly the first couple months. Has more of a box safety build but can handle the deep middle better than Hill. If those guys are used properly, I'm excited to see what they can do in a full year together.
Nick Scott - I had hope for FA signee as a late bloomer, but like Smith he just wasn't it before being benched for Battle. Feels like a pretty likely cut candidate.
ST
Evan McPherson - missed a few bombs but was perfect inside 50 (including PATs) and refined the inconsistency that plagued him last year. Eligible for an extension and certainly hope they get one done.
Brad Robbins - maybe the rookie punter transition is harder than I thought (
@IdiotKicker?) but my god was he awful. Dead last in punter EPA by a mile which is beyond unacceptable for a draft pick. Need to bring in veteran competition at minimum because they just cannot have this again.
Zac said yesterday he expects the entire staff to be back if they don't get promotions elsewhere. Lou Anarumo's chance at being a HC has probably gone by the wayside with the performance of his unit this year, leaving OC Brian Callahan and QB coach Dan Pitcher as the most likely candidates. I can't say I'd mind if Callahan got a job and they promoted Pitcher. They also get a last-place schedule that has Carolina and Tennessee, but the Pats could be a quick turnaround candidate and they still have to go to Arrowhead. They mostly need to just play better in the division, as they were 0-5 in games of significance. Burrow wasn't fully healthy for any, but he wouldn't have stopped them from getting bullied badly in the trenches which has to be the biggest focus.