CINCINNATI — We all have our Super Bowl party checklists.
If we’re hosting, we want to make sure all of the big items (food, beverages), small details (decorations) and everything in between (Super Bowl square sheets) are all in order by the time people start arriving.
Then, and only then, can you feel confident that everyone showing up to watch the Chiefs and 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII will have a fun time and have plenty to eat and drink.
Well, if you’re the Cincinnati Bengals, you might have another checklist in mind. The one that will increase your odds that you don’t have to worry about these logistics come Super Bowl LIX next year in New Orleans.
Here’s a quick list of items that the Bengals need to mark off the list for the offseason as they build a roster capable of getting back to the Super Bowl:
Goes without saying, a successful 2024 season starts with a healthy Joe Burrow. The Bengals need to ensure their $275 million quarterback is doing everything in his power to properly heal his surgically repaired right wrist, including thoroughly rehabbing the hand in every possible way, making sure that when he’s ready to pick up a ball and toss it around, he’s fully ready to do so. Better slow than sorry. Like everything in this era of the Bengals, it starts with No. 9.
More likely than not, Tee Higgins is coming back to the Bengals in 2024. Yes, the cap hit is $21 million. But he is also the third-most impactful player on the roster. His plays against the Minnesota Vikings proved that. Duke Tobin said last year at the NFL Combine that trading Tee Higgins away doesn’t improve the Bengals. Can’t imagine that has really changed in their eyes. They could always tag and trade but again, would the Bengals be getting full value on the dollar? They could decide not to tag him at all and save the $21 million in cap space. But is the player you’re spending that cash on going to be as important as Higgins, especially when you’re trying to surround Burrow with as many weapons as possible?
While the Higgins contract situation has dominated, the low-key critical deal of the offseason might be a possible extension of Ja’Marr Chase. He is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal and while the Bengals could pick up the fifth year as a first-round selection in 2021, they’d rather lock him long-term and have more cost certainty. Certainly, this is going to run in concert with whatever approach they take with Higgins. Would you sign Chase long-term and weaken the passing weapons of Burrow by trading Higgins? Probably not, unless of course you’re replacing Higgins with a player of equal or better impact. Justin Jefferson could not get a deal done with the Vikings in a similar situation heading into last year, and Minnesota just decided to pick up the option at $19.7 million.
Heading into 2023, who would step in for Burrow if he went down was a huge question mark. But the play of Browning in 2023 answered that question without a doubt. So that was the silver lining of Burrow going down. Browning is an exclusive rights free agent, meaning all the Bengals have to do is offer him a league veteran minimum deal of $915,000 and he can’t negotiate with any other team. The Bengals will likely bump that up as a bonus for the work he put in at the position. Can’t imagine a scenario where they don’t bring back a known commodity at a critical position.
The running back turns 28 at the start of training camp. He has seven years of NFL experience on the tread. He has a $3 million roster bonus due March 18. Will he be back next year? Well, if the Bengals decide to pay that roster bonus, then one can safely assume the answer is yes. His cap hit for next season is $8.5 million and the team could save $5.75 million if he’s cut before March 18. Mixon is a reliable short yardage carrier but doesn’t have nearly the burst he had when he came onto the scene as a second-round pick in 2017. He had his fourth 1,000-yard season in 2023 but the Bengals need more explosiveness than his 4.1 yards per carry average would suggest.
The Bengals lost DJ Reader in the aforementioned win over the Vikings on Dec. 16. His right knee/quad injury required surgery and he’s a free agent. Could he return on a one-year deal? Sure. But the Bengals were going to need to shore up the interior regardless. There will be free agents on the market. Chris Jones of the Chiefs is likely a pipe dream at a pricetag north of $30 million annually. 28-year-old Christian Wilkins (likely $20 million per) is a name the Bengals could target, as are Sheldon Rankins and Teair Tart of Houston, Javon Kinlaw of SF and Tim Settle of Buffalo. The Bengals are also mocked in many drafts to take a defensive tackle. That 18th overall pick NEEDS to be a first-year impact player if the Bengals are to have a realistic chance of a deep playoff run in 2024. The best chance for that to happen is to hit on a defensive tackle like Jer’Zhan Newton of Illinois. The Bengals will be adding via free agency and the draft, no doubt there.
If Jonah Williams isn’t on the right side of the line next season, who will be? Don’t think the Bengals will want to rush a rookie into that spot so that leaves free agency. Free agent Jermaine Eluemunor tweeted Tuesday that he believes Joe Burrow is one of the two best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Look y’all don’t take this the wrong way lol. For some reason I keep seeing burrow slander on my TL. People keep hating when honestly burrow and mahomes are the best QBs in the NFL. Also he completely turned that franchise around but I guess when you’re nice AF people forget… https://t.co/OusPNW9Xnp
— Jermaine Eluemunor (@TheMainShow_) February 6, 2024
“For some reason, I keep seeing burrow slander on my TL. People keep hating when honestly Burrow and Mahomes are the best QBs in the NFL,” Eluemunor posted. “Also, he completely turned that franchise around, but I guess when you’re nice AF, people forget about the bad times! Also the whole system quarterback thing is stupid, stop it.”
Could Eluemunor, formerly of the Ravens, Jaguars, Dolphins, Raiders and Patriots, wind up in Cincinnati? Certainly a possibility. Williams is likely to earn at least a four-year deal, worth in the range of $70-80 million. He has proven his versatility as one of the best two-way tackles in the game, playing both left and right in his five-year NFL career. Like the defensive interior, the Bengals are likely to add to this spot through free agency and the draft.
Do the Bengals turn the clock back to 2022, Dax Hill’s rookie season, and use it as a road map on how to implement the versatile defensive back the best? In 2022, Hill was used as a Swiss army knife, filling in in the secondary wherever he was needed. He could be the nickel back in waiting after Mike Hilton’s current contract expires after this season. After what happened in the Bengals secondary last season, they just might. But it really depends on how the free agent market shakes out. If the Bengals are willing to go to the free agent well and sign an impact player like Micah Hyde, Kyle Dugger or Jordan Whitehead. Last season showed that the Bengals are in need of a leader on the back end to take charge after the departures of Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell. Hill still has elite speed and skill but it didn’t work out at safety the way they had hoped. You hear the comps between Bates’ first season with the Bengals and Hill’s first season. But the expectations of those two teams are vastly different.
This Super Bowl highlights the impact that a premier tight end can have on a quarterback and an offense. The Bengals are still searching in that regard. As much as they need more production from their running game, a physical tight end who can also do damage in the passing game is also a glaring need. The closest they have to an all-around tight end is Drew Sample. He’s certainly the most reliable in the blocking game and he showed this year that he can certainly catch passes and be effective – if not explosive – in the passing game (though his touchdowns against the Bills and Steelers would suggest otherwise). Tanner Hudson was the most impactful in the passing attack. The Bengals could really use some help in this area. Hunter Henry, Dalton Schultz and Noah Fant are three names to keep an eye on in free agency.
Now, sit back, enjoy the Chiefs and 49ers in the final game of the NFL season from Vegas this Sunday. But know that once the food and beverages have been consumed and a champion crowned, there’s going to be plenty for the Bengals and their fans to digest in the coming weeks and months.
