The Podcast “With the First Pick,” featuring former Titans GM Ran Carthon and CBS Draft Analyst Ryan Wilson, recently did an episode entitled “How to Fix the Cincinnati Bengals this Offseason.” Here are some of my takeaways from that episode.
Carthon worked in the front office of the Falcons, Rams, and 49ers before landing the general manager job with the Titans, who promoted him to Executive Vice President after his first season and demoted him to podcaster after his second.
Wilson dogged the Bengals for the size of their scouting department, but Carthon didn’t take the bait. He was complimentary of the Bengals’ scouts, specifically mentioning Mike Potts as a rising star in the field.
He believes that the Bengals should bring back Joseph Ossai.
Why?
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Because, as he points out, the Bengals have drafted 21 players on defense since 2022, and 10 of them were defensive linemen. Yet, Ossai was the only one of those players who was a Week 1 starter. They hit at a position they haven’t hit on often. They need to keep him around.
He points out that they have been pretty solid drafting defensive backs. He also added that the linebackers they drafted this year (Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter) looked like “good, quality players.”
Defensive line is where the misses have been.
Carthon added that this is in part about scouting but also about coaching and the coach’s input in the process. He talked about how the transition from Lou Anarumo’s defense to Al Golden’s could change this.
He added that when you put so much money on offense with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, you need a defensive scheme that is friendly to young players.
Carthon isn’t down on the Bengals coaching staff either. He thinks the team is right to bring Zac Taylor back next season. He said that he wins when Burrow is on the field and challenges people to find a coach who has a Burrow and then wins when that guy isn’t playing.
He points out that it is the key (keeping Burrow healthy) and said the Bengals could be a playoff team next season if they can do that.
In terms of prospects, they didn’t say anything too groundbreaking.
They talked about three players who Bengals fans are already talking about: Caleb Downs, Peter Woods, and Rueben Bain.
Carthon is big on Downs but didn’t talk much about the Ohio State safety. He likes Woods, but thinks the Clemson defensive tackle could go top five.
The player he talked about most was Bain. He isn’t high on Bain overall due to a lack of consistent performance, but praises him for his game against the Buckeyes. He also thinks Bain could be a good partner for Shemar Stewart because they have similar backgrounds and are from a similar place in Southern Florida.
If you want to hear more, check out “With the First Pick” and scroll back to the January second episode.
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