William's Take

After this past Bengals season, I know every fan is looking forward to 2025. A lackluster year showed that even with three of the top players in the NFL (Burrow, Chase, Hendrickson), the Bengals still have plenty of holes to fill if they ever want to become contenders again.

However, while there are several areas that need improvement, a few key position groups don’t require major attention this offseason.

The first is, of course, quarterback. With Joe Burrow coming off arguably his best season—despite the mediocre 9-7 record—the Bengals are very secure at this position.

The next two positions that don’t need immediate replacements are running back and cornerback. While these aren’t the team’s strongest spots, they have a serviceable core. At running back, young breakout star Chase Brown totaled 990 yards and seven touchdowns, potentially even more if he hadn’t split the backfield with free-agent signing Zach Moss.

At cornerback, the Bengals have been investing in young talent over the past few seasons, with Cam Taylor-Britt, Dax Hill, and D.J. Turner leading the way. This young group is also accompanied by breakout player Josh Newton, a fifth-round rookie who showed flashes late last season. With a new defensive coordinator coming in, I see no reason to invest heavily in this position just yet, especially with much bigger holes to fill elsewhere.

Offensive Line

It’s unfortunate that we have to revisit this position every year. Every time the Bengals make an addition, something goes wrong, and they never seem to find a long-term solution. However, there is at least some encouraging progress each season. With the addition of new offensive line coach Scott Peters, there’s fresh hope that the Bengals can field at least an average offensive line in 2025.

For once in the offseason, I can confidently say we don’t need to invest in tackles. That position is set with Orlando Brown Jr. and 2024 rookie Amarius Mims, who showed a lot of promise last season.

The real concern this year lies in the interior of the offensive line.

Starting with left guard, as much as the Bengals hoped Cordell Volson would develop into a reliable starter, the former sixth-round pick just hasn’t shown the consistency needed at this level. While he was a great value pick at the time, he would better serve the team as a reserve moving forward.

Next, the Bengals need to address right guard. Alex Cappa arguably had the worst season of any starting offensive lineman, and unfortunately, age seems to have caught up with him. A replacement is desperately needed.

Finally, at center, while Ted Karras likely has at least one more solid season left, finding a young replacement to learn the system and build chemistry with Joe Burrow would go a long way in ensuring long-term stability on the line.

Linebackers

I didn’t expect linebacker to be a major need this offseason, especially with Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson anchoring the unit. However, recent developments—most notably Pratt requesting a trade—suggest the Bengals may be moving on from him.

Without Pratt, a position group that has been solid since the arrival of Logan Wilson could quickly become a major weakness, on par with some of the struggles the Bengals faced during the Andy Dalton era.

In the long run, though, this could turn out to be a positive. Pratt has underperformed since his contract year, and moving on from him would allow the Bengals to allocate that cap space more effectively.

Safety

This position group is painful to talk about. Since the departures of Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell (and yes, I know Bell came back, but it’s not the same), the Bengals have been giving up big plays left and right, failing to find a real solution.

After re-signing Bell and acquiring former Ravens safety Geno Stone, many believed the issues would be resolved. Instead, Stone had the worst season of his career and will likely hit free agency this summer, while Bell couldn’t even win the starting job over second-year safety Jordan Battle. Although Battle showed some flashes, he also struggled throughout the season.

If the Bengals had a time machine, I guarantee they’d never have let Jessie Bates walk out the door.

Defensive Line

Some may believe the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive line is in good shape, especially with Trey Hendrickson leading the league in sacks. The problem? He’s the only one producing—no one else on the line is generating sacks or much of anything.

Last offseason, the Bengals let D.J. Reader walk to the Lions and replaced him with Sheldon Rankins, a move that proved to be a major failure—just one of several missteps from that offseason. Rankins will likely hit free agency in July, along with B.J. Hill, whose contract is set to expire.

The Bengals drafted Kris Jenkins in the second round last year, and while there’s still hope he can develop, they’ll need to take another shot at filling this position.

Another potential cut candidate is defensive end Sam Hubbard. A hometown hero who made one of the most iconic plays in Bengals history with the “Hubbard Yard Dash” in the 2023 playoff game against the Ravens, it’s tough to imagine moving on from him. However, age has seemingly caught up with him—his production has declined over the past two seasons, and he’s no longer the reliable run-stopper he once was.

That leaves the Bengals desperate to find someone to line up opposite Hendrickson—assuming they re-sign him—to bring speed and pressure off the edge.

Wide Receiver (If Tee Walks)

I hope this won’t be a need for the 2025 Bengals and that they find a way to keep Tee Higgins. When he’s on the field, he elevates the entire offense, giving Ja’Marr Chase some much-needed relief and helping Joe Burrow operate more efficiently. Losing him would create a massive hole—one the Bengals don’t need the headache of trying to fill.

If Higgins does leave, the Bengals will need to find another consistent pass catcher to replace him. Andrei Iosivas has shown he can be a solid wide receiver, but beyond him, the team lacks a clear answer. Rookie Jermaine Burton was expected to fill that role, but with his off-the-field and team-related issues, it seems his character concerns may keep him from having a long-term future in the NFL.