5 Cincinnati Bengals who could take major leaps in 2024
Jordan Battle
Jordan Battle started the year as the backup behind Daxton Hill and Nick Scott, but as the season progressed, we saw Battle take more and more snaps away from Scott each game until he was named the starter alongside Hill.
Battle adapted well to the NFL level after being drafted in the 3rd round out of Alabama. Battle ended the season with 71 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and one interception. He also added four tackles for loss, three QB hits, and five pass deflections.
For a somewhat small sample size from Battle, he played at a very high level, and with more experience and an off-season to continue to grow into his role alongside his other young teammates in the secondary, the expectation is that he will have steady growth and improve heading into the 2024 campaign with a lot at stake for many in the Cincinnati Bengals organization.
Andrei Iosivas
Andrei Iosivas came into a crowded wide receiver room after being taken out of Princeton, and he still found ways to exceed expectations in his role, hauling in four touchdowns on just 15 receptions. He averaged 7.7 yards per reception in 2023. However, his role may take a major step forward into 2024, depending on what the Bengals decide to do at the position in the off-season.
Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd both enter free agency, and Cincinnati holds the 18th overall pick in the NFL Draft. The Bengals are expected to have the sixth-most cap space among teams in the NFL, which means they could choose to use that money towards Higgins, Boyd, a rookie, other free agents, or elsewhere and put more of a chip on the shoulders of Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones to step into more prominent roles.
There are many things still uncertain, but Iosivas could be coming into a very critical year, and his opportunity to become something in this league may be nearing. You don't get that many chances in the NFL to step into premier roles and when those opportunities