If there is one thing we learned about the Bengals in 2016, it’s that the depth that was once-lauded might not have quite the luster everyone thought. Whether it’s youngsters not getting the proper chance, failing to impress when they do, or age catching up to once-reliable veterans, the team needs to make some quality decisions this offseason.
Obviously, the routes to take for improving the team are in free agency and the NFL Draft. The former usually takes a back seat in their process, especially when it comes to outside players. However, head coach Marvin Lewis recently said that the Bengals will be “vastly different”, so there is a possibility of a higher level of aggression in order to get a playoff push going this season.
On this week’s Orange and Black Insider, we received a number of fan questions from our listeners—all of whom are eager to see what the Bengals will do this offseason. Questions were wide-ranging from specific to more broad topics, but they were all interesting ones.
One such question, which is the topic-du-jour, revolved around what the team might do at No. 9 overall. One of our listeners laid out four possible prospects the Bengals could target, including two wide receiver options. What position do they need the most at this point in time?
Kicker Randy Bullock, who went from offseason priority to the first signee of Cincinnati’s 2017 offseason, was also a topic of conversation. When we recorded the show, Bullock hadn’t been signed yet, but Scott Schultze, Connor Howe and I had thoughts on veteran options the Bengals could have had on the table, had they not opted for last year’s replacement for Mike Nugent. It appears a rookie could also be added to the competition with Bullock and former soccer player Jonathan Brown.
Another interesting topic centered around the Adam Jones saga and a hypothetical situation should the team move on from the corner after his recent legal run-in. With Dre Kirkpatrick also looking at free agency, would the Bengals make a pretty splashy move on an outside cornerback also set to hit the market?
Aside from watching the show live here at Cincy Jungle on Wednesday nights at 8:30 p.m. EST, we’re also live at our YouTube channel, where there is a chat room for discussion. We can be reached on Twitter @BengalsOBI, via email at theobinsider@gmail.com and our audio content can also be downloaded on SoundCloud and iTunes. Submit your questions every week to be answered on air!
Thanks for listening!