Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton’s new toys, weapons
By Sheikh Uddin
The Bengals picked up a lot of talent in this year’s draft on offense and defense. But especially on offense is where the Bengals went all out…
Andy Dalton has a lot of new toys to play with now, after the 2017 NFL Draft. The Bengals went out to get Andy new weapons that should make them faster and more athletic. The offense has so many more factors now that just makes the offense absolutely scary. How do you defend a lineup of A.J. Green (one of the best receivers in the league), John Ross (fastest NFL player), Tyler Boyd, Tyler Eifert and the 3-headed monster of Joe Mixon, Jeremy Hill, and Giovani Bernard.
The Bengals offense went from alright to lethal overnight, literally. Opposing defenders will have to be careful of Mixon’s receiving ability and quickness out of the backfield while worrying about one of the best receivers in the league and the fastest guy on the field.
Ken Zampese and the offense will have little excuses to have one of the greatest offenses in the league with so much firepower. Zampese must be able to compile an up-tempo offense with added explosiveness.
Need for Speed (Literally)
Bengals added quite amount of speed from the draft. After acquiring John Ross with the 9th pick, many were confused and not happy. Although Ross is the fastest NFL player, he’s not just a fly route runner. Ross has the ability to run routes fluently and be in and out of his breaks quite explosively. His quickness and elusiveness make him absolutely dangerous in the open space. Ross adds a new dimension to the offense that it’s lacked for the last couple of years. Another playmaker out of the receiver option other than A.J. Green that can frighten defenses.
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Other than John Ross, the Bengals got faster with Josh Malone who is a 6’3″ big-bodied receiver who ran a 4.4 and Mixon who ran a 4.4ish 40 at his pro day. Josh Malone will most likely not be able to get on the field much early in his career but look for him to make an impact in his second or third year when Brandon LaFell is gone and Green’s contract is over.
There is a huge improvement in speed in the running back department, considering Jeremy Hill ran a 4.6 for his 40-yard dash and Mixon ran .2-seconds faster. Mixon provides the combination of what Hill gives (running ability) and what Bernard gives (receiving ability) all in one running back. According to Bucky Brooks of NFL Network, Mixon is a “David Johnson-like” kind of player that can transform an offense.
Explosiveness & Playmaking
The Bengals offense definitely got more explosive this offseason. What the Bengals have lacked recently has been playmaking ability other than Green and now they’ve gotten it. Ross doesn’t only have that deep speed that will create a new dimension to the offense. He can also run routes quite well. Although Ross has been sort of injury prone in his college career, he was healthier this year and showed what he’s capable of when on the field.
According to Local12.com, from the Press Conference Transcript:
"“Maybe in high school, you get the sense that you don’t want to be just fast, because that doesn’t work against everyone, especially against teams who’s schemes allow players to figure those types of things out. It’s not just about being fast. You have to have a changeup, and I think it’s imperative to have a changeup because it throws defenders off. It’s all on the guy who throws a changeup, as those guys don’t know what to do with him.”"
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Ross implies that if you just go with speed and run deep streak routes, it will eventually stop working if the defense is always expecting it. So, that’s why he feels like it’s “imperative” to have a change-up and run different routes.