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Where would you rank the Bengals receiving core?

By Travis Steffen

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 10: A.J. Green #18 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs with the ball after a reception against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Paul Brown Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 10: A.J. Green #18 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs with the ball after a reception against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Paul Brown Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The Cincinnati Bengals receiving core has its fair share of question marks which could indicate why they are rated lower on Bleacher Report’s list.

The Cincinnati Bengals receiving core has some significant weapons but has plenty of question marks going into the 2018 season. Star wide receiver A.J. Green leads the pack, but as we saw last season, he can’t do it all on his own. Defenses slanted toward Green’s side of the field with the lack of a number two wide receiver and tight end Tyler Eifert being on Injured Reserve for most of the season.

Eifert returns to the Bengals offense in 2018 after only playing a total of ten games in the last two years. Considering Eifert has yet to stay healthy for an entire season in his first five seasons with the club, it’s hard to believe that he will this season. Second-year wide receiver John Ross is another playing coming into the Bengals offense that is likely to make an impact after missing most of his rookie season.

Ross was drafted ninth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft and came in with a shoulder injury. He was not able to practice with the team during OTA’s and continued to have injury issues keeping him off of the field. Brandon LaFell was forced to take over the number two receiver role and had a down season playing on the outside opposite of Green.

Both of these playmakers will have to contribute in 2018 for this offense to take the next step. Without either of them on the field, this offense will likely see another season of defenses blanketing Green and Dalton not having another reliable weapon. Given the concerns, there is a reason for the Bengals ranking lower on the list of top receiving cores in the NFL.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report wrote an article grading the NFL’s receiving core’s and rated the Bengals at number 20. Given the injury histories and the unknown of offensive coordinator Bill Lazor’s new offense, it wasn’t too far-fetched that the Bengals be low on the list. Green is known as one of the top receiving weapons in the league, but he cannot carry the core of receivers to be any higher all on his own.

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Three things need to go right for the Bengals to have one of the top receiving cores in 2018. Lazor’s offense has to be a success, Eifert has to stay healthy, and Ross has to prove he can step into that second wide receiver role and be a playmaker. If all things go well, we could be looking at one of the best groups by the end of the season. Until then, there will be these question marks holding the group back from ranking higher.

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