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.
Bengals Starters on Offensive Line
- Left Tackle – Jonah Williams
- Left Guard – Jackson Carman
- Center – Trey Hopkins
- Right Guard – Quinton Spain
- Right Tackle – Riley Reiff
The Bengals offensive line is going to have a lot of eyeballs on it this year because of how bad they were last season. The lack of solid offensive line play a season ago cost Burrow the final six games of the year and while Cincinnati opted not to draft Penei Sewell with the No. 5 overall pick, their offensive line has improved this offseason.
Williams, who the team took in the first round in 2019, is the sure-fire left tackle for the 2021 season. The other bookend is newcomer Reiff, who will play his first game as a Bengal against the Vikings, where he spent the last four years. He’ll also face his original team, the Lions, this season as well.
The Bengals might have passed on a tackle in round one of the draft but they took one in the second round with the selection of Carman. While Carman is a tackle, the Bengals haven’t been secretive about their plan to have him play one of the two guard spots, most likely left guard. The other guard position is up for grabs, but Spain would be my pick to start there.
Hopkins is the starting center and there isn’t much surprise there. How would Bengals fans feel about this offensive line moving forward?
Bengals Starters on Defense
- Defensive Line – Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, Larry Ogunjobi, D.J. Reader
- Linebacker – Germaine Pratt, Logan Wilson
- Cornerback – Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton, Trae Waynes
- Safety – Jessie Bates III, Vonn Bell
The Bengals made sure to add difference makers on defense and it should give their D a much-needed boost. Hendrickson joins the team after balling out for New Orleans and will be a nice addition in the pass-rushing department. The Bengals were last in the league in sacks in 2020.
The Bengals could have used an upgrade at linebacker but they have high hopes for Wilson this year. He and Pratt look to be the main starters there and hopefully, the unit plays better than they did a season ago.
Cincinnati brought in new faces at cornerback with Awuzie and Mike Hilton and while Waynes isn’t entering his first year with the Bengals, this will be his first year starting for them as he missed all of last year due to injury. Safety looks to be a good position though as Bates and Bell are arguably two of the best defensive players on the team.
The defense needs to play a heck of a lot better than it did a season ago in order to keep the Bengals afloat but they still have a lot of work to do.
The Cincinnati Bengals are hoping to win more than four games this year and it’s critical for them to do so if Zac Taylor wants to keep his job. Will this starting lineup be able to get the job done?