The Cincinnati Bengals have been unable to advance past the first round of the NFL playoffs in recent years. After four consecutive early exits, the team might be ready to start looking outside of the organization for some extra firepower.
Head coach Marvin Lewis hinted that the Bengals could be more aggressive in free agency this offseason. This is a stark departure to their draft and develop strategy they've employed for years.
"Lewis painted a different picture of how the team plans on approaching the open market this year," Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer wrote. "Don't expect a run at the high-priced, high-profile free agents piling up mega-millions in guaranteed cash, but do expect a much more aggressive bunch when it comes to acquiring talent. And the push is coming from his boss [owner Mike Brown].
"Lewis views the team through a different prism than in recent years where the talent seemed to be overrunning at many positions. Now, he sees holes in the team where players need to come in and serve as upgrades in a starting role, not just rotational depth."
One such way the team could improve is by adding talent to the offensive and defensive lines.
"Surprisingly, Cincinnati's pass rush was among the worst in the league in 2014," ESPN's Matt Williamson wrote. "This defense isn't bashful about putting a lot of pressure on the cornerbacks, which is why the Bengals use premium resources on players at the position. They also have a quality pair of safeties. But you can ask only so much out of your cover men if the rush isn't getting home. ... The pass rush was the Bengals' biggest weakness in 2014, so improvement there would have a big impact. ... Although Russell Bodine may improve in his second season and is extremely strong, the Bengals should consider adding a pivot to play ahead of him in 2015 while also using Bodine at guard for depth and versatility; in fact, guard might end up being Bodine's ideal position.
"Starting left guard Clint Boling, a quality run-blocker in his own right, is a free agent, so two interior linemen might be required to truly make an upgrade. Cincinnati might be smart to offer Eric Winston another one-year deal to come back for tackle depth up front. He played pretty well late in the season."
I know Dehner wrote that the Bengals won't be head-hunting for the big-name free agents. But the team should at least consider making a run at defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. A talent such as Suh is a legit game-changer and could be just the upgrade Cincy needs to get over the hump.
"The Bengals relied heavily on [Atkins, Domata Peko] from a snap-count standpoint, but adding an impact player like Suh to a team that needs to get back to business defending the run (which dropped from fifth to 20th in the NFL from 2013 to 2014) makes some sense," ESPN's Field Yates wrote. "For a defense that runs through its line, Suh would make the Bengals, who have over $30 million in cap space, scary."
