Part 2 of the Cincinnati Bengals roster reset: The defense is shifting in a number of ways
The Cincinnati Bengals’ 2023 season held a dark secret: Joe Burrow’s injury wasn’t the main factor that ultimately led to their downfall. They weren’t winning anything at all, with the defense doing as badly as it was.
The defense needed to get better. Something had to give. It needs to have a unique appearance.The changes have come quickly and forcefully following a fourth straight season in which that side of the ball was the target of several premium draft picks and a big deal involving a prior first-round pick.
Each position group will be broken down by players on the roster and draft selections; however, undrafted free agents are not included in this analysis as they will not be officially signed until they sign and complete physicals during rookie minicamp on May 10.
Examine the Bengals staff’s thoughts on various aspects of each position group and pay particular attention to areas where the competition has changed or where gaps have formed.
Here’s how coordinator Lou Anarumo reorganized the roster following his Monday dive into the offensive side of things. Italics indicate the addition of free agents; bold indicates the addition of rookies selected via draft.
Analysis: Nobody genuinely considered Henderson’s trade request, and it was met with indifference. Everyone expects Hendrickson to play for the Bengals the following season.
Not even Hendrickson believes that he would genuinely retire. Hendrickson and Hubbard may pave the path for Murphy to get into more plays.
The first-round selection in 2023 claims that his summer goal was to improve both his edge-spotting instincts and technique.
Coaches started to see the light at the end of the previous season, and more are ahead. This year, it’s difficult to picture many third-and-long scenarios without Murphy going off the deep end.
