Grading the Bengals' Offseason and the Biggest Question They Face Going Into 2022

Will Cincinnati be even better this season?

CINCINNATI — The Bengals finished 10-7 and made it all the way to Super Bowl LVI last season. 

The defending AFC Champions could be even better in 2022. They added key pieces in free agency, including Alex Cappa, Ted Karras and La'el Collins. Check out our offseason grade for the Bengals below. 

Offseason Grade: A-

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The Bengals desperately needed to address their offensive line and that’s exactly what they did in free agency. Adding Cappa, Karras and Collins should do wonders for Joe Burrow, who was sacked 70 times in 20 games last season (including playoffs).

Cincinnati kept most of its starters and has one of the deeper rosters in the NFL. The Bengals added young, talented players such as safety Dax Hill and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt in the draft. The Bengals only have three players on their roster over the age of 30 and two of them are the punter (Kevin Huber, 36) and long-snapper (Clark Harris, 37).

They still have some question marks on the offensive and defensive lines, but the Bengals are better, at least on paper, than they were a year ago.

Biggest Question

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The Bengals’ offensive line should be better, but who’s going to start at left guard? Jackson Carman is the favorite, but rookie Cordell Volson and second-year lineman D’Ante Smith will also battle for the starting job. Cincinnati was one play away from winning the Super Bowl last season, but the offensive line was a thorn in their side throughout their playoff run. If they’re going to get back to the Super Bowl, they need one of their young linemen to emerge this season. 

Much Improved?

© Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bengals are a much better team than they were a year ago. Burrow is fully healthy, their offensive line should be competent and young guys like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have experience playing on the NFL's biggest stage. 

Get offseason grades for all 32 NFL teams here.

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