Until they show otherwise, the Cincinnati Bengals are likely to hold down the 32nd slot in power rankings over the course of the offseason.
So goes the tale for a team that got off to a franchise-worst start before finishing with just two wins under the supervision of a new head coach.
Those points, plus some advanced looks, explain why the Bengals sit 32nd in new power rankings from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar:
“…Only the Raiders and Dolphins ranked worse in Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted defensive efficiency metrics, and there were far too many examples of players in the wrong places under defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who kept his job. On offense, head coach Zac Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan need to put some zip in an offense that ranked 29th in FO’s metrics and has very few current stars outside of running back Joe Mixon and receiver Tyler Boyd. Burrow or not, this is going to be a big rebuild.”
Luckily for Bengals fans, the usual offseason dose of optimism is more potent than usual thanks to holding the No. 1 pick and owning droves of cap space, with options available to make even more.
Ideally, better luck in the health department and another offseason infusion of talent will lead to a rebound as Taylor and Co. continue to craft their vision.
Ultimately, that probably won’t result in changes to power rankings until meaningful games start happening, which is fair enough given the results of Taylor’s first campaign.
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