Ranking every position on the Bengals from worst to first

6. Linebacker

The linebackers in Cincinnati are good players with solid depth, but there are not any household names in this position group. The Bengals front office re-signed Germaine Pratt this past offseason who plays nickel linebacker with Logan Wilson.

Wilson sniffed near a Pro Bowl this past season, before an unfortunate midseason injury. The Bengals may cut ties with Wilson this season if they wish to lock down Burrow and Higgins for the future, but the rest of the linebackers are still playing at a solid level.

Akeem Davies-Gaither plays as a spy when the Bengals play mobile quarterbacks while Joe Bachie is the next man up behind Wilson. Markus Bailey came from the elite Bengals 2020 class, and the Bengals may choose to run with him as a cheap alternative to Logan Wilson. 

5. Defensive Interior

While DJ Reader and BJ Hill have proven to be dominant forces of the defensive line, they have little depth or young developmental players behind them. Josh Tupou is a solid run-stopper but is nearly on the wrong side of thirty at age 29, while Reader and Hill are both 28 years old.

Reader is entering a contract season, and while he is essential to the Bengals' pass rush, he might be too expensive. 2022 third-rounder Zach Carter looks to be a bust after a horrendous rookie season that scored him an anemic 32.1 grade on PFF. Although this position group is very good at what they do, there is virtually no depth behind Hill and Reader who are aging.