Stripe Hype Thursday Mailbag

Is there any chance the Bengals draft quarterback Lamar Jackson?

The Bengals have said that they are in a win-now mode which as cliche as the phrase is, it makes them very unlikely to bring in Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson. The team has holes to fill if they want to get back to the playoffs in 2018 and while quarterback Andy Dalton has not been his 2015 self, there are plenty of areas the team can address to help him get back to it.

I published an article yesterday about how the team can get back to their 2015 offensive success. The team has spent a great deal of first and second round picks in recent years drafting offensive playmakers. Guys like wide receivers John Ross and Tyler Boyd have been two of those in the last couple years that still need an opportunity of more playing time to prove their worth.

Running backs Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard also fit in that category and will get their chance to prove what they can do as well. The team needs to invest heavily on the offensive line for new offensive line coach Frank Pollack to work with and provide protection for both the run and pass game to be able to do anything this season. Once the line is upgraded, Dalton will have his chance to show he can perform like he did in 2015.

Whatever happened in the discussions between head coach Marvin Lewis and owner Mike Brown following the season, the team has been much more active this offseason bringing in new coaching and personnel. The route they have been going down so far this offseason makes me think that it’s a season where they expect to win their first playoff game under Lewis or bust. This would not be the time to draft a young quarterback in the top rounds to replace Dalton if that is the case even though I do like what Lamar Jackson brings.