3 biggest weaknesses on Bengals roster
By Glenn Adams
The Cincinnati Bengals are fortunate to have a championship-caliber roster. From top to bottom, the roster is stacked with top-of-the-league talent.
However, there are still areas where the team needs to show it has improved over the offseason. Here are three areas of weakness heading into the 2023 season that Bengals fans hope will not cost the team.
Pass Rush
One area where the Bengals need to increase significantly this upcoming season is with their pass rush.
Last season, the team struggled to get sacks. They ranked 29th in sacks (30), sacks per game (1.9), and sack percentage (5.08%). Although the team fared better when it came to pressures, ranking 16th in QB pressures and 13th in pressure percentage, there is still room for improvement.
Fortunately, there is potentially good news on the horizon. Cincinnati selected Myles Murphy in the first round of the 2023 draft in hopes the former Clemson Tiger can turn into the elite pass rusher that his size, strength, and speed suggest he can be.
Additionally, the Bengals still have one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, Trey Hendrickson. Pro Football Focus ranked him the ninth-best pass rusher from the 2022 season, crediting him with the fourth most quarterback hits and the eighth-highest pressure rate.
The Bengals will need the pass rush to step up this season to help out a talented but young secondary. The team will face many of last season’s best quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes, Trevor Lawrence, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Brock Purdy, and Geno Smith. The defense must get consistent pressure on this caliber of quarterback.
Indeed, Cincinnati will need to create more pressures and sacks this season if they want the defense to take the next step in becoming a top unit in the NFL.