The Cincinnati Bengals‘ biggest red flag for the past few years has been their offensive line but that’s not the case anymore. They made sure to upgrade that position but that now means another position is the biggest weakness and that position is cornerback.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report put together a list of every NFL team’s biggest red flag entering the 2022 NFL Draft and it comes as no surprise that cornerback was listed for Cincinnati.
"Chidobe Awuzie was a revelation at cornerback in 2021, allowing a passer rating of just 75.1. But the Trae Waynes experiment was a two-year fiasco, and the person who replaced him (Eli Apple) is an average player on a good day and a liability on a bad one.Thanks to Cincy’s success on the offensive line in free agency, it doesn’t have a glaring need to address with the No. 31 pick.But a talented cornerback like Auburn’s Roger McCreary would be a strong start to the draft class."
As Davenport noted, the Bengals have put themselves in a position where addressing their biggest red flag shouldn’t be an issue. They added three offensive linemen in free agency, taking that from an area of concern to an area that should be much improved in 2022.
Bengals need to address cornerback position in draft
Davenport also mentioned that someone like Roger McCreary would be an excellent addition in Cincinnati and it’s not hard to see why. McCreary might not be on the board when the second-to-last pick in the first round comes around but there should be plenty of other options for them to pick from.
As of now, the Bengals have Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton, and Eli Apple as their main options at the cornerback position. Awuzie and Hilton were terrific free-agent signings and while Apple had his moments, re-signing him was a smart move for the team. The team also brought back Tre Flowers as a depth piece.
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If the Bengals can find a starting-caliber cornerback in the draft, their weakest position will be a lot harder to find as we inch closer to the start of the 2022 NFL season.