[jwplayer 1DUxLeKd]
The Cincinnati Bengals, a team seemingly stuck trying to go two different ways, got greedy.
Not content with a rebuild, the Bengals hired Zac Taylor and his staff arrived too late to make notable moves, instead working with a carryover roster from the Marvin Lewis era to the tune of a 2-14 record.
In the process, the Bengals told fans pricey veterans like Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap and A.J. Green were too valuable to let go because as bridge pieces, they were important to the future.
And Cincinnati did embrace the rebuild this past offseason by standing as one of free agency’s biggest spenders. On paper, the big arrivals paired with the carryovers indeed looked like it could spur a big improvement.
Now the Bengals are 1-4-1 with Green seemingly unhappy but saying the right things, John Ross has reportedly requested a trade and Carlos Dunlap, if not Geno Atkins too, are unhappy with their roles.
For all the talk about building something in the locker room, learning to win and other buzzwords, there sure seems to be a big disconnect.
Dunlap and Atkins are the most obvious proofs of this concept:
- Dunlap, the third-highest cap hit on the team ($10.988 million), has played on just 64 percent of the defense’s snaps in a situational role only.
- Atkins, the second-highest cap hit on the team ($14.2 million), played on nine percent of the defense’s snaps in his first game of the season.
Most notably, when the Bengals needed a strong pass-rush or at least the ability to swat down passes by the 38-year-old Philip Rivers, Dunlap and Atkins watched from the sidelines as guys like Amani Bledsoe and first-week arrival Xavier Williams got key snaps late in a game. That sure puts a hole in the idea Atkins is just being brought along slowly because he was hurt.
Why did the Bengals hold on to these franchise greats again?
We could do the same with Green:
- Green, the highest cap hit on the team ($18.171 million), had the worst five-game stretch of his career to start the season, hadn’t played since mid-2018 and is a question mark as to whether he can turn one good game into a resurgence.
One could argue there is only so much roster turnover a team can do in a single offseason. But refusing to trade away two of its most expensive assets, then also refusing to use them on the field, could classify as malpractice.
The question is simple: What’s the direction of the franchise?
If the front office is all-in on Zac Taylor, it’ll move on from unhappy carryovers and embrace new locker room leadership with Joe Burrow, Jessie Bates and D.J. Reader, right?
Or, do things get dialed back and loop back in franchise greats and fan favorites like Dunlap and Atkins?
There doesn’t appear to be an easy answer to a complicated situation. This isn’t about the right now. It’s about the organization doing what’s best around Burrow to make sure they don’t ruin a generational prospect. With the deadline looming, will the team dish players like Dunlap to avoid potential infectious locker room situations like Cordy Glenn? Compensation for any of these names will be a late-round pick at best, but make no mistake — it’s not about gaining assets at this point.
And why does this front office have such a hard time of properly, respectfully letting go of its greats when it’s time?
One thing’s for sure — yet again straddling the line of both worlds and avoiding actually making a decision will do more harm than good.
If the organization is all-in on Taylor and what he’s trying to do (even Adam Gase is winning more than Taylor, who sits on a 3-18-1 record now, a miserable record in one-score games and winless on the road), it means letting go of the past. If it’s not, maybe it’s approaching time to see what a reshuffled coaching staff can do with the current roster.
Either way, the trade deadline looms. The Bengals need to pick a direction and stick to it or risk spoiling Burrow, one of the best things to ever happen to the franchise.