The Cincinnati Bengals remain a common pick to surge in 2024 after a disappointing season last year due to Joe Burrow’s injury woes and a struggling defense.
That remains true in early July, where the Bengals feature prominently in a column from Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon that looks at the teams most likely to bounce back big from disappointing 2023 showings.
Along the way, though, the prediction does note some major hurdles for the team:
They absolutely should contend for a division crown with a healthy Burrow, but there’s little margin for error in the AFC Super Bowl race, and the signal-caller has still been limited this offseason. There’s also less talent surrounding him now than in recent years, so I fear Cincinnati may be a one-and-done playoff team.
Burrow, barring something unexpected, should be a full go for camp. That note about less talent is true though, in the sense the team needs replacements for Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon to pan out well and quickly — and they’re still trying to find a proper Jessie Bates replacement.
A brutal AFC North won’t make things easy on the Bengals, yet an offseason that has rightfully received a ton of praise should give them a good chance to bounce back.
