Between now and the end of August, TGS will offer up a quick snapshot of every NFL team heading into the 2015 regular season. Today, the Cincinnati Bengals.
2014 in a nutshell: For the fourth consecutive year, they finish with a winning record and make the playoffs. And for the fourth consecutive year, they lose their first postseason game.
Why 2015 could be different: It’s far from ideal that they’re attempting to get over that hump with the same head coach and the same quarterback, but Andy Dalton is still only 27 and could get better, running back Jeremy Hill should only improve in his second season and they walked away with a net positive on the free-agent market.
Major additions: Speaking of free agency, Cincinnati added depth to the receiving corps with Denarius Moore, re-added starting-caliber defensive end Michael Johnson and signed veteran A.J. Hawk for depth on defense. Nothing earth-shattering, but they didn’t really lose any key players either.
Major losses: Veteran tight end Jermaine Gresham remains unsigned and has reportedly been in talks with other teams.
Breakout watch: If indeed Gresham doesn’t return, it’ll be time for 2013 first-round pick Tyler Eifert to make waves in his third season. We know what they have in A.J. Green, but beyond that there isn’t a lot of certainty for poor Dalton.
Position to watch: Offensive tackle is intriguing simply because they spent their top two picks on tackles despite already possessing two established starters on the left and right side. But Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith could have shorter-than-expected leashes in contract years, especially if top pick Cedric Ogbuehi is able to get healthy.
Prediction: Absolutely no reason this team shouldn’t once again win 10 games, which will be enough to compete for a division title and get back to the playoffs. But I’m still not convinced they can win on wild-card weekend.
