2. Chidobe Awuzie
The Bengals’ secondary played much better than what fans were expecting last year and Chidobe Awuzie was a big reason why. Awuzie also joined the team in free agency last offseason and he was a tremendous addition to the secondary.
Awuzie finished the season with a PFF grade of 83.3, giving Cincinnati the number one cornerback they so desperately needed. He was solid during the regular season but then during the playoffs, he dropped off quite a bit.
Even with the dropoff, Awuzie is a huge part of this defense and the Bengals need him to stay healthy this year. They drafted Daxton Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt to help out in the secondary and also re-signed Eli Apple for another year but Awuzie is easily the best cornerback on the team.
With how pass-happy the NFL is these days, the Bengals need Awuzie to stay healthy if they want their defense to remain strong.