The Cincinnati Bengals started their offseason, knowing they had to fix many of the wrongs from this past season. Other than those mistakes, they also had to re-sign a few core superstars as Joe Burrow made it clear he needs a competitive team to contend for a Super Bowl.
His first requirement was that his two leading receivers are given new long-term contracts. They have not taken a decision on Ja’Marr Chase, but they have franchise tagged Tee Higgins again. The wideout is not happy about that decision and will look to work out a longer contract.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith had warned that the Bengals risk losing Joe Burrow in the long run if they do not build a contending team around him. That does not stop with just the offense. Their defense was atrocious last season and cost them a lot of games.
The Bengals have taken the rare step of granting All-Pro DE Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade.
Adam Schefter reported via X
This means, instead of extending Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals are allowing him to look at the possibility of moving to a different team. He is their most important defensive player, and it seems he wants to move on.
It could be due to two different reasons. Only he will know why he wants out of the team that drafted him. The other reason could be that the Cincinnati Bengals are not offering him the contract he wants. The franchise is known to be miserly at times, but they did not show that side when they re-signed Burrow.
Joe Burrow could struggle again next season without a good defense
The problem with Trey Hendrickson looking to move on is that if he does, the Cincinnati Bengals will lose their top two pass rushers. Sam Hubbard has announced his retirement, which means the franchise will have to rebuild their QB pressuring unit.
The Bengals were in the playoff hunt only after Joe Burrow resorted to his heroics. With the way their defense played, no number of offensive statistics was going to be enough. If the team does not find proper replacements for Hubbard and Hendrickson, they will struggle again this season.
That means Joe Burrow will struggle to reach the playoffs again. Out of their eight losses last season, seven were one score games. A Super Bowl contending team has to ensure their opponents do not score at will.
The superstar QB can produce a 5000-yard season if he wants. But it will not make sense if his defense cannot do their part. The Bengals have $52 million in cap space, but how they utilize it will determine if they are competitive come next season.
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