How Cincinnati Bengals save 2021 off-season

There are still a few options remaining for the Cincinnati Bengals to improve this offseason as they prepare for the NFL Draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals have made plenty of free-agent moves this offseason, but it is hard to say that they are noticeably better than last season. Replacing homegrown talent with free agents has been the majority of their moves, as well as improving some defensive depth.

Without making a big splash going into the draft, the team seems to have too many holes with not enough picks to change the fortunes of the Bengals in a competitive AFC North. Two of the biggest areas that are being discussed with the first round in the draft are the offensive line and a  playmaker on offense.

With the fifth overall pick, the Bengals could select either one of those positions, however, it would still leave a hole. If Cincinnati is to enter contention again next year, they need to address one of those areas in free agency.

There are still several options at both offensive line and wide receiver that would make a huge difference for Cincinnati. On the offensive line, three of the top ten remaining free agents according to Pro Football Focus are players the Bengals could look at signing.

Mitchell Schwartz, Russell Okung, or Alejandro Villanueva would all provide a great anchor on the edge of the line and give the Bengals freedom to address other issues in the draft.

While most of the top wide receivers are already taken, there are still several who could be good fits within the Cincinnati offense and provide another weapon for Joe Burrow to utilize.

For the Bengals to be competitive, they will need to create an offense that can both protect Burrow and give him plenty of weapons to target. In order for this offseason to be considered a success, Cincinnati will need to make one more big free-agent signing before the draft.