The Bengals need to start thinking with their brains and not their hearts, or whatever organ they use to make decisions.
I’m going to be as realistic as I can.
The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t going to go to the playoffs. It’s not happening. They have found new and creative ways of shooting themselves in the foot this year. Evan McPherson is suddenly not accurate from 40 yards or more. The defense couldn’t tackle in Week 1, and they still can’t tackle in Week 11. They can’t pressure the passer unless Trey Hendrickson does it. The offensive line, made almost exclusively of free agents, is banged up and can’t protect Joe Burrow for any length of time.
The reality is that the Bengals are lucky they’re 4-7. The combination of Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase has kept them in games they didn’t deserve to be in and let them win a couple of games they didn’t deserve to win.
The title is “How they can salvage the wreckage of the 2024 Bengals season so far,” so you may be thinking it can’t be salvaged, you idiot, it’s over.
You’re right, folks. It is over.
The Bengals aren’t going to the NFL Playoffs. I know they have a mathematical chance, but not a realistic one. They can salvage what is left of the season, though, by figuring out what they have going into 2025.
That means playing with your head and realizing they won’t reach the light at the end of the tunnel this year, but maybe they can next year.
Here’s an example of what I mean.
Let Matt Lee play center and move Ted Karras to guard
Alex Cappa and Cordell Volson have been bad this season. PFF has credited Volson with five sacks, which is tied for the most in the league at the position, and Cappa is right behind him with four.
Do you think the Bengals will get to the playoffs by sticking with Cappa and Volson on either side of Karras, or do you think maybe it’s time to take some action and do something different?
We were all excited about the addition of Lee out of Miami of Florida late in the draft, and many think he’s the center of the future. He earned the backup spot, and now it’s time to see what he can do as the starter.
Karras has experience at guard. Move him to the left or right, whichever he’s more comfortable with, and let Lee snap the ball. If Lee holds up and does well, then you know he’s legitimately the center of the future, and the Bengals will know they need to address the guard position this offseason.
Let Jermaine Burton take a larger portion of Tee Higgins’ snaps going forward
The Bengals should have traded Higgins when he asked them to before the 2024 NFL Draft. Maybe they could have gotten something for him. As it stands now, he’ll leave after this season is over, and the Bengals will get a compensatory pick, which would pale in comparison to what they could have gotten if they had pulled the trigger when they had the chance.
Higgins going crazy for the rest of the season is just going to give him more money from another team next year, but it’s not going to do anything to help the Bengals. He could have two touchdown games every week, and the defense would allow three.
If he’s going to be gone next year, and he will be, let Burton take a decent amount of snaps as WR2 to Chase’s WR1. Let Burrow and Burton get a feel for each other before camp next summer.
I’m not saying they should bench Higgins, I think Burton needs time to grow with his quarterback if the Bengals want him to step up and replace Higgins.
And if Burton can’t get it done, then you know you have to go find a WR2 in free agency or the draft, and knowing you have a problem is the first step to solving it.
Let Jordan Battle play both safety positions more
Jessie Bates’ departure in free agency still haunts the Bengals, as the position has not been a strength in 2024 despite the addition of Geno Stone and the return of Vonn Bell. Battle didn’t get a lot of playing time in the beginning of the season, but he has started to get more playing time lately.
On Sunday, he and Bell almost split their snaps down the middle, but I’d like to see more of Battle. He’s under contract through 2026, and unless you think the combo of Bell and Stone is going to miraculously begin to work, it’s time to rotate the safeties until you find a combination that works. If that includes seeing some Tycen Anderson, then so be it.
Give Myles Murphy the lion’s share of snaps at DE opposite Trey Hendrickson
What’s the point of playing Murphy sparingly? He was a first-round draft pick, and the guy who’s starting is just having a bad year, is injured, and/or has hit the wall. I love Sam Hubbard, but continuing to trot him out on the field isn’t doing any good for anyone.
Put Murphy in and leave him in. See what he can do when he’s given a ton of snaps. Isn’t that what the Bengals drafted him for? He only played 23 snaps on Sunday. He’s not going to get a ton of experience unless he’s given a real chance.
Make sure Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson get as much playing time as possible
We know what BJ Hill can do, and he’s going to be a free agent after this season. I’d love to have him back, but who knows what the Bengals will do. Sheldon Rankins is still under contract, but he’s not going to do anything to help the Bengals win moving forward. He hasn’t done anything to help them so far.
Let Jenkins and Jackson get the experience needed to really thrive next season.
Activate Tanner McLachlan
It seems as though the Bengals are nervous about activating McLachlan because if they have to cut him to make room for someone else, he won’t clear waivers and end back up on the practice squad. He’s safe, and useless, right where he is.
The Bengals know who Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample are. They know who Mike Gesicki is, though they only give him the ball if Higgins isn’t on the field. I even think they have a pretty good idea of who Erick All Jr. is.
It’s time to find out who McLachlan is. Activate him and leave him activated. Put him in the game. See if he can block. See if he can run a route and get open. See if he can catch. What the hell is the point of letting him sit on the sidelines?
Start firing coaches
Teams with aspirations as high as the Bengals don’t fail this hard and walk away without some heads rolling. I don’t know if we should expect it before the season ends, but I fully expect at least Lou Anarumo to get canned after Week 18, if not before.
It will be sad to see him go, especially because I think the front office took away his best players and told him to make due, but if Anarumo can’t get the guys on the field to do what he needs them to do, then it’s time to find out of someone else can.
The same goes for the offensive line coach. I really liked the idea of Frank Pollack more than I like the actual product he puts on the field. The offensive line is somehow worse now despite having more talent. It’s probably time to part ways and figure out if a different coach can help more.
Firing them now just means the Bengals get a leg up on the competition when it comes to replacing a coordinator, or possibly even a head coach, though I highly doubt it comes to that.
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Those are some ideas of how the Bengals can maybe get something out of the second half of the season, in hopes of getting some younger guys more experience, so when 2025 comes, they hit the ground running.
What are some of yours?
I’ve watched a change in you
It’s like you never had wings
Now, you feel so alive
I’ve watched you change
