Cleveland Browns: Which AFC North team had the best offseason
By Randy Gurzi
3. Cincinnati Bengals
The best addition for the Cincinnati Bengals came in the form of subtraction. After years of falling short, they finally realized that Marvin Lewis wasn’t getting it done as their head coach. He wasn’t retained and left the club with a record of 131-122-3. In the postseason, Lewis was 0-7 but hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2015.
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The problem is, their hire may not have been great. They chose Zac Taylor, but it felt like this was simply trying to find someone who worked with Sean McVay in hopes of finding the next Sean McVay. Taylor could prove to be a good coach, but he comes in without much experience and has never even held a coordinator position in the NFL.
They also decided to move on from Vontaze Burfict, which was another smart move. He’s a strong linebacker but spends too much time drawing penalties and suspensions. The team is better off without him.
In the draft, they made a couple of good moves. One was taking Jonah Williams, the left tackle from Alabama. He’s a good prospect who will help keep Andy Dalton upright — and they’re usually a competitive team with him in the lineup. Although, they did go for Ryan Finley as a potential replacement for Dalton, should he not take the next step under Taylor’s tutelage.
Another good pick was Germaine Pratt from North Carolina State. He’s able to make plays all over the field and should be active as a rookie. Overall, it wasn’t a great offseason, but they didn’t trade away their best players or surrender the majority of their draft stock to move up.
Overall Offseason Grade: C