Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth knows a thing or two about building a good team in the local area.
Whitworth, after all, had plenty of playoff appearances with the Bengals during his time in town.
The key is obvious, too, he said this week during Super Bowl media interviews.
“If you look at the history of the Bengals in the last 20 years, their runs have been dictated by great drafts,” Whitworth said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Not just good players who could start, but great ones. Look at what we did from 2011-15 with guys like A.J. Green, Geno Atkins, and Carlos Dunlap. And then when Joe came, there were those great drafts and now they’re at the end of that trying to keep as many of them as possible. They’ve got to kill the last draft and this one.”
The Bengals appear to be well on their way with that 2023 draft class. Defenders DJ Turner and Jordan Battle got key snaps and could start for the long-term. Wideouts Charlie Jones, Andrei Iosivas and running back Chase Brown showed big upside in their respective roles and first-rounder Myles Murphy really started coming on at the end of the season.
Of course, the Bengals still need to crush the 2024 draft class for Whitworth’s point to hit home. The team approaches that class with needs along the offensive line and defense after last year’s struggles with explosive plays.
