Midseason Review: A Breakdown of the Bengals' Rookies

Midseason Review: A Breakdown of the Bengals' Rookies

The Bengals have had their fair share of ups and downs this season.

The team is 2-5-1, veteran players have voiced their frustrations, the injury bug has taken its' bite, and the first cases of COVID-19 entered the locker room last week. 

The play of the rookie class levels the seesaw. All seven of the drafted rookies have seen playing time this season. Most of them are in starting positions or have significant roles.

The Bengals were aggressive in free agency and in the NFL Draft. They were ecstatic about the haul they came away with in April. 

"Best case scenario," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said after the team drafted Tee Higgins and Logan Wilson in rounds two and three. "Truthfully. I think this was the best-case scenario. As we came into today, if you said that we were going to go get a receiver and a linebacker that we had at the top of our board, we were going to get both of them, I would have thought that you were crazy. I would have thought you probably had to trade back and then trade up. For the way that it happened for us today, just standing firm at 33 and 65, is surprising that it worked out for us."

Here’s an in-depth look at how each one of these draft picks is playing at the mid-point of the season, 

Joe Burrow

Burrow has lived up to the hype and more. Not only is the rookie quarterback a front runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but he's being mentioned in MVP talks.

"You can't convince me that anybody's been more valuable to their team than Joe Burrow," former NFL defensive back Domonique Foxworth said last week. "Who's been more valuable than Joe Burrow, the rookie quarterback on a truncated offseason that's come in and turned this team into a real contender and knocked off last week one of the best teams, or at least what we thought was one of the better teams in the AFC? I think Burrow is a legit MVP candidate."

Burrow has been in the national spotlight since his breakout at LSU and has brought the attention with him to Cincinnati.

In his first eight NFL games, Burrow has completed 221 passes (67% completion rate) for 2,272 yards and 11 touchdowns. He currently ranks third in the NFL in passing yards and is on pace to throw for 4,544 yards, which would break the rookie record held by Andrew Luck (4,374).

Burrow has excelled since his worst performance of the season in Week 5 against Baltimore. He's completed 86-of-123 passes (70%) for 958 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in his last three games. He's also ran for 45 yards and two more scores.

The deep ball was a question to start the season, but Burrow’s deep pass has developed in recent weeks. 

Burrow’s drawn comparisons to Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. The Bengals have found their franchise quarterback for the next decade. 

Tee Higgins

Heating up! Higgins has been on fire.

The rookie receiver didn’t have a reception or target in the season opener against the Chargers. Higgins has 33 catches for 488 yards and three touchdowns over the last seven games.

Higgins would join A.J. Green and Cris Collinsworth as the third receiver in Bengals history to top the 1,000-yard receiving mark as a rookie.

“Tee Higgins is as complete a receiver as we’ve had come out of Clemson," Clemson head coach Dabo Sweeney said in April. "He’s in the same category as Mike Williams when it comes to being a complete receiver and you’re talking about size, speed, athleticism, catch radius, ball skills, ability to lean on people, body control and all of those type of things. He’s as complete a receiver as we’ve had come out of here. Tee is a great kid and a day one starter.”

At 6-4, 215 pounds, he has the size and strength to make contested catches in traffic. Higgins’ playmaking abilities have been on full display in recent weeks. He's averaging a team-leading 14.8 yards per reception.

This rookie connection is SPECIAL

📺: #TENvsCIN LIVE on CBS pic.twitter.com/Om4yvE6bck

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 1, 2020

Higgins has been catching the eye of many, including Bengals' legend Chad Johnson.

When Higgins was drafted, he asked Johnson if he could wear the number 85. Ochocinco gave his approval and a new 9-to-85 was born.  

Higgins and Burrow are off to great starts to their NFL careers. The Bengals hope this is just the beginning of something special in Cincinnati. 

Logan Wilson

Wilson has been an upgrade the Bengals desperately needed.

In just 34% of the defensive snaps, the rookie linebacker has 19 total tackles (15 solo), three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, one sack, two passes defended and two interceptions.

Agility was at the top of Wilson’s attributes on his draft profile. His ability to move north, south, east, and west has been on full display this season—he’s all over the field making plays.

Wilson’s biggest play of the season came against the Titans. Tennessee was driving late in the third quarter down 17-7. On 3rd-and-8, Wilson came up with his first sack of his career pushing the Titans out of field goal range and forcing them to punt.

The offense responded with a twelve-play, 86-yard touchdown drive on their way to an upset win.

Giddy-up, because the cowboy from Wyoming has found himself a new home in Cincinnati.

Akeem Davis-Gaither

Like Wilson, Davis-Gaither is making a name for himself in the Cincinnati linebacking group.

He has 12 total tackles (nine solo) in eight games. He's been on the field for 37% of the defensive snaps.

The outside linebacker has been mostly utilized in the passing game. Davis-Gaither has blitzed 16 times with two quarterback hurries, three pressures and a half sack.

The rookie has one pass defended and allowed eight receptions on thirteen targets. He'll continue to get better in coverage as his career progresses.

The fourth-round draft pick has also found a place in Darrin Simmons' special teams unit playing 62% of the snaps.

Davis-Gaither has all of the potential to be a solid linebacker and special teamer for years to come.

Khalid Kareem

After starting the season in a reserve rotational role on the defensive line, Kareem has made the most of his recent opportunities in light of the Carlos Dunlap trade and injuries to the position group.

The fifth-rounder has nine total tackles (two solo), four of which have come in the past two games.

Kareem went from averaging 15 defensive snaps per game in the first seven games to being on the field for 43 plays against Tennessee.

More opportunities will be given to Kareem to prove himself and his role on this Cincinnati team in the second half of the season.

Hakeem Adeniji

Adeniji’s first NFL start came Week 8 with Jonah Williams out with injury.

Prior to the Tennessee matchup, Adeniji only saw seven snaps on offense and 30 on special teams.

The sixth-rounder played well in his first start. The Bengals' offensive line didn't allow a sack for the first time in 2020.

Adeniji will likely go back to his reserve and special teams role, but the Bengals are using the bye to evaluate the offensive line before their matchup against a dominant Steelers defense.

This is a year for Adeniji to develop and learn the system. Don't be surprised if he's fighting for a starting spot next offseason. 

Markus Bailey

Bailey has been on and off the inactive list this season. He made his NFL debut Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and has been active the past two games.

All four of Bailey’s defensive snaps came against the Jaguars. He's seen action on 34 special teams snaps, which includes his lone tackle for the year.

Expect to see Bailey in similar fashion in the second half of the season. Like Adeniji, this is a development year for him to prove his value to the team moving forward. 

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