The 2021-2022 season for the Cincinnati Bengals was nothing short of magical. With the first playoff win and Super Bowl visit in 37 years, the city of Cincinnati has banded together with the orange and black and were itching to get back to the Jungle for the regular season, and with all the moves that were made in the off-season, there’s a lot more excitement to be had.
The Bengals did not lose a lot in terms of weapons in the off-season. A more notable loss for the Bengals being tight-end CJ Uzomah, who now resides on the roster of the New York Jets, and Offensive Lineman Larry Ogunjobi, now on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster, and will face his former team on September 11th. There was also a large amount of time where fans thought Jessie Bates III might not return to Cincinnati, after being offered a franchise tag early in the offseason, but not agreeing on a suitable paycheck to go with it. However, Bates did agree to a deal just a few weeks ago, and is once again on the starting roster for the Bengals.
Now the off-season wasn’t all full of loss, Cincinnati made some major moves to fix their O-Line, picking up big names by the likes of Center Ted Karras, former Offensive Lineman with the New England Patriots; Right Guard Alex Cappa, who was a part of the O-line that helped to protect none other than Tom Brady during the Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s Super Bowl win in 2021; and Offensive Tackle La’el Collins from the Dallas Cowboys, who has proven himself as a proficient pass blocker down in the Lone Star State.
Defensively for the Bengals, other than the deal that was finally struck with Jessie Bates, the Bengals drafted something of a predecessor for Bates in Michigan safety Dax Hill in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. At the end of his collegiate career Hill finished with 96 solo tackles, 15 passes deflected, 0.5 sacks and 4 interceptions, and was quick to make his presence known on the Bengals roster during the preseason. Hill racked up 6 solo tackles with 7 total, and had some incredible pass deflections, before being named to the starting roster and sitting out the last preseason game against the LA Rams.
The Cincinnati Bengals Face off against AFC North Rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, September 11th at 1:00pm ET. Coverage on CBS and 700 WLW/102.7 WEBN.
Line: CIN – 6.5
Over/Under: 44.5
Matchup Predictor: CIN: 78.0% PIT: 21.8% (ESPN Football Power Index)