Bengals make major jump in NFL power rankings after free agent additions

The Cincinnati Bengals have made a major jump in NFL.com's power rankings following their multitude of additions in free agency.

In the post-Super Bowl edition of the rankings, the Bengals came in at No. 18. The low ranking made sense since the team was coming off of a down campaign in which they failed to qualify for postseason play and had several lingering questions heading into the offseason.

Now though, over two weeks into free agency, the Bengals have made a major jump in the latest edition of the rankings. Cincinnati climbed up nine spots and shot into the top 10, coming in at No. 9.

Some of Cincinnati's key additions include safeties Vonn Bell and Geno Stone, tight end Mike Gesicki, defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and offensive tackle Trent Brown. As a team, they certainly apper to have improved in a couple key areas thanks to these moves, especially in the secondary and at tight end. That likely contributed to their sizable jump in the power rankings.

From NFL.com:

"The coming return of Joe Burrow from a torn wrist ligament bumps the Bengals up from their post-Super Bowl ranking of No. 18, but the Tee Higgins situation keeps me from taking them much higher. I don't know how this episode will end.

". . . They might also be slightly better at tight end and running back with the changes they've made there. Tanner Hudson might be a sleeper if he can fend off Mike Gesicki for a pass-catching role. But the hope is anyone at that position will only see so many passes thrown their way, unless a Higgins trade becomes inevitable."

A big factor in Cincinnati's struggles last season was the season-ending injury suffered by Burrow. If he's able to stay healthy throughout the season, the Bengals should be better by default. Their signings in free agency should also prove to be beneficial, as evidenced by their large leap in the power rankings.