ESPN Ranks Cincinnati's Offensive Weapon Arsenal 11th in NFL

Cincinnati has had to replace some of the stalwart offensive pieces from this decade.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) calls a play in the huddle in the first quarter of an NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

CINCINNATI — ESPN's Bill Barnwell is down on the Bengals group of weapons this coming season compared to years past. 

He has Cincinnati's arsenal ranked 11th leaguewide after they were first and second for him in 2022 and 2023.

"What has happened with the Bengals?" Barnwell wrote. "While I haven't lost faith in the duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, neither had a great season by their standards in 2023. Higgins battled injuries and only mustered 42 catches across 12 games, while Chase was inconsistent, with three games of 141-plus receiving yards and seven where he failed to top 41 yards. Losing Joe Burrow for nearly half of the season obviously hurt his top two receivers, but I'm expecting Chase and Higgins to bounce back and look like one of the league's best one-two punches. The real reason for the drop here is what's around those two. Joe Mixon was traded and replaced with Zack Moss, and while I thought Moss' 2023 season with the Colts was underrated, his numbers fell to earth after a stellar start. I'm not sure he's on Mixon's level as an all-around player, and Cincinnati was clearly reticent about using rookie Chase Brown as a pass blocker. Even as someone who's probably higher on Moss than most, this has to be considered a below-average running back room.

"Tyler Boyd was arguably the best third wideout in football heading into 2022, but after two fading seasons, the Bengals moved on. Third-round pick Jermaine Burton will compete with Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones for the No. 3 spot. I like what Iosivas did in a small sample last season, although either player would likely be a step down from Boyd's prime. And when you consider Mike Gesicki has only been able to muster 606 receiving yards over the past two seasons, it's tough to be optimistic about tight end, too. The Bengals are in the top five in terms of their best two playmakers and bottom five outside of them."

All the new faces can start showing they are solid replacements in September as Cincinnati faces the turnover every NFL roster goes through.

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