Why 2019 is the Most Important Draft for Cincinnati in a Decade

After the Bengals failed to improve their team in free agency, the NFL Draft is the team’s last hope to add tangible talent to their roster.

After an unsurprising yet disappointing free agency period, the Bengals find themselves with basically the exact same roster they had going into free agency, with just a tad more holes. Darqueze Dennard seems unlikely to return, and while the team is currently in negotiations with tight end Tyler Eifert, they lost Tyler Kroft to the Buffalo Bills. Cincinnati only has one real choice if it wants to make its team better under new head coach Zac Taylor, and that is to add quality players through the Draft.

Devin White, Jonah Williams, and many potential quarterbacks are all names that we have heard leading up to the Draft, however, one player will not be enough to get this team back into playoff contention. There are a variety of issues on both sides of the ball, and to think that one man is capable of changing the entire franchise would be foolish. That is why it is essential that Mike Brown and company make use of their extensive late round capital, especially in the sixth round, where the club currently has four picks.

Whether Cincinnati decides to use those picks as trade pieces in order to bring in proven talent or opts to take shots on later round players, is irrelevant.  The only point that matters is that by the end of the NFL Draft, Cincinnati must have found multiple capable players for its defense, as well as a starting lineman for the offensive side of the ball. It remains to be seen whether or not the team will deliver on these needs, but my trust with the entire Bengals organization is waining by the day.

Want to read more about Cincinnati’s offseason? Be sure to check out all of our Bengals coverage on Stripe Hype!

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