Cincinnati Bengals could make waves with this projected starting lineup

There are many unknowns surrounding the roster but you could make the argument that the team has gotten better at every unit compared to the 2019 squad. The quarterback position was upgraded with Burrow, Higgins adds another weapon to the receivers room, Jonah Williams, Michael Jordan, and Fred Johnson could prove to be capable starters.

On the defensive side of the ball, D.J. Reader looks like he’ll be a monster upfront, the linebacker room has been completely overhauled with the addition of young, fast prospects, and the secondary has been entirely reconstructed.

In all, fans could be in store to see a whopping 11 players in the starting lineup that didn’t take the field in stripes a year ago. Long story short, everything we think we know about the Bengals can be thrown out the window.

In all likelihood the Bengals are still a year away from seriously making a push to the playoffs, especially considering the state of the AFC North. However, if Burrow can work some of the magic we saw during his last year in college, the team can avoid the injury bug, the offensive line comes along like the coaching staff hopes, and the rookie linebackers develop quicker than expected, then a playoff appearance certainly isn’t out of the question.

That’s a lot of “if’s” but the 2011 squad had even more question marks surrounding it and still managed to reach the postseason. That was probably an anomaly more than a norm but with 7 teams representing each conference this year, don’t be surprised if you see the Bengals in the playoff race come late December.