Cincy Jungle
Predicting the future isn’t something I’ve ever been good at, especially when it comes to the Bengals. So here’s what my crystal ball says:
We’re in the dog days of summer, at least as far as the NFL is concerned. It’s hot, and it’s just going to get hotter over the next couple of months, but the league is on summer break. The Cincinnati Bengals have broken minicamp without Trey Hendrickson and first-round pick Shemar Stewart signed and neither participated.
The team has been getting dragged, and rightfully so, throughout the national media, and all of this comes on the heals of a 9-8 season in which the team with an explosive offense was shackled with a terrible defense that ranked near the bottom of the league.
I was doom and gloom last week, and I still mostly am. I don’t think the Bengals have done anything CLOSE to put a Super Bowl worthy roster around Burrow, neither on the offensive line in front of their franchise quarterback nor on the defensive side of the ball.
Having said that, I do have some predictions. Starting with:
It will happen. The Bengals will pay more than they want, and Hendrickson will take a little less than he wanted, but the two sides pretty much have to come to an agreement, and they know it. If the Bengals go into the season without their ONLY reliable pass rusher, their defense will be worse than it was in 2024. If Hendrickson sits out, he’ll likely have to retire because it’s going to be hard for a 31-year-old to land a large contract after missing a full season.
They have to come to an agreement, and I think they will. When is the question?
Here’s another deal that I think will get done, but Stewart’s rookie season has suffered. I know he’s putting work in behind the scenes, but he missed OTAs and minicamps and could have used that time getting used to his new teammates and familiarizing himself with Al Davis’ system.
Sure, he’s likely familiar from a distance, but it’s not the same. There have been some harsh words between the two sides, and the front office is in a spotlight they usually try to avoid, but the deal will get done.
Hopefully, Stewart can get off to a quick start in the preseason.
I think the Bengals have two solid bookend tackles in Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims, and Ted Karras is a reliable enough center. The real trouble came from the guard position in 2024, and they’re going into the upcoming season with a rookie and Cody Ford, Cordell Volson, and free agent Lucas Patrick.
I think it will be better than it was last year, and Burrow will be sacked the least amount of times in his career. Comparably,...
