The Cincinnati Bengals haven't had the best track record in the NFL Draft in recent years. No secret there. Look no further than their three straight missed playoff appearances for evidence of how draft whiffs have killed roster depth.
But the belated payoff from what looked like a disastrous 2023 rookie class is proof that sometimes, sticking with players through tough times can ultimately pay dividends.
If a deep playoff run is in the cards this season, all is forgiven as long as the players continue on their current trajectories. But if they keep playing well, it'll be all the more challenging to keep the current nucleus together.
Bengals' ascending 2023 draft picks create (uptown) problems for the future
What a difference a year makes. We went from Myles Murphy publicly admitting his own poor work ethic, to the Bengals having a legitimate debate before declining his fifth-year option.
CBS Sports' Pete Prisco did a reevaluation of his draft class grades from 2023. Considering how often Prisco comes across as someone who flat-out doesn't know ball, he did give the Bengals' 2023 class an "A" grade at the time. Here's his write-up:
"They had eight picks in this draft and four are solid starters. First-round edge Myles Murphy finally lived up to the expectations in the second half of last season. Second-round corner DJ Turner is a good player and third-round safety Jordan Battle is a quality starter. They hit big on fifth-round running back Chase Brown. They also got backups in receivers Charlie Jones (fourth) and Andrei Iosivas (sixth) and corner DJ Ivey (seventh)."
Bet Petey P was sweating it out until last season. Just kidding. He probably forgot about it until his retrospective initiative. Who remembers which draft grades they gave from 2023? Not me!
PS: Andrei Iosivas isn't a backup. He's a starter alongside Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in Cincinnati's base 11 personnel on offense. Pete has to account for every team in the league and has held his seat at CBS for, what, decades? We'll cut him some slack for slacking on the minor (not minor but whatever) details.
So anyway, Murphy's improvement alone is a win. My favorite pick all along from that class, however, was cornerback DJ Turner. After a rocky rookie year, Turner showed promise before a broken collarbone cut his NFL sophomore campaign short.
This past season, Turner valmorphanized into a lockdown corner. Cincinnati's bad defense would've been irredeemable without his rapid ascent. Even Jordan Battle displayed some awesome coverage chops when aligned at deep safety.
Although he had a disappointing year that featured disturbing, inexcusable threats from fans, Andrei Iosivas is the Bengals' clear WR3, which ain't bad for a sixth-rounder. And last but not least, Chase Brown is the clear feature back successor to Joe Mixon, yet he might be playing too well to stay in Cincy.
Paying running backs big money is always kind of finicky. That's especially so when Turner will command a near top-of-market cornerback contract, provided he keeps playing at an elite level. Battle could command the NFL equivalent of the NBA's mid-level exception, except it's not a salary cap exception in this league!
All credit in the world to the Bengals front office for finally spending to the hilt in mostly logical fashion to build a Super Bowl-worthy roster. They do have some difficult decisions on the horizon next offseason, however.
Maybe get that Joe Burrow restructure ready!
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