Bengals: Predicting what the 2021 starting lineup could look like

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Wide receiver Tee Higgins #85 of the Cincinnati Bengals (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to improve on their four-win 2020 season and that’s a must in order for head coach Zac Taylor to keep his job moving forward. The 2021 starting lineup for the Bengals knows they have a lot of pressure riding on them but what does that group look like?

Since the 2021 NFL Draft wrapped up, I went through each position group and listed the depth chart at those positions. Some positions are pretty easy to predict as far as starters go but others, not so much. There will be plenty of position battles that Bengals fans will be watching closely this summer.

Let’s start with the starters at the offensive playmaking positions.

Bengals Starters at Offensive Skill Positions

Quarterback – Joe Burrow
Running Back – Joe Mixon
Wide Receiver – Tyler Boyd, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins
Tight End – Drew Sample

This seems pretty cut-and-dry and that’s a good thing for the Bengals. Burrow is the unquestioned starting quarterback and will likely be backed up by Brandon Allen. Burrow is returning from injury this year, as is Mixon, who only played in six games last season.

At wide receiver, I listed them alphabetically but Chase is probably going to be Burrow’s go-to guy considering they played together at LSU and the Bengals spent a first-round pick on him. Boyd and Higgins are terrific WR2 and WR3 options though and the Bengals sport one of the best wide receiver corps in the league.

Tight end is the Bengals’ weakest skillset position and they should have looked to add a tight end in the draft. Sample showed flashes of potential a year ago but can he replicate now that he’s the No. 1 tight end? He needs to step up and be that guy this year.