A new year means new beginnings, a chance to start fresh, to make amends. And this goes for NFL teams just as it does for ol’ stubborn Aunt Patty. In the constant NFL grind, preparing for the week-to-week unknowns while also planning for the future, it’s usually good for franchises to stop and make a note of how they’re feeling. Happy? Sad? Defeated? A Bengal? Perhaps the team is doing spectacular, but the video department isn’t very stealth?
Whatever the reason, New Year’s resolutions are a good thing—sticking to them is another matter, of course, but that doesn’t mean file 13 them before the ball drops.
So, should auld acquaintance—or, in this case, roster moves— be forgot and never brought to mind…Let’s take a look at the New Year’s resolutions for each NFL team.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals had a rough 2019, with only two wins and multiple issues in multiple spots. They still have one of the best helmets in the NFL, though, and the team can only go up from here—not sure if there’s anything underneath “rock bottom.”
2020 Resolution: Don’t “Burrow” yourselves too deep in the “new quarterback” hole. Sure, getting a quarterback to replace Andy Dalton—sorry, Ryan Finley—seems like the to-do in Cincy. Especially when Joe Burrow will be sitting there at No. 1 in the draft. But consider this: The defense is awful. Head coach Zac Taylor and the franchise would do best in 2020 (and beyond) to build a more formidable bunch on that side of the ball.