The Cincinnati Bengals made more rare acts of desperation to start Week 11 by going after Xavien Howard at cornerback and Leonard Fournette at running back in free agency.
Don’t scoff at the word rare either — the recent trade for Khalil Herbert was rare too, as just the third player acquired via trade at the deadline in 50-plus years for the franchise.
And it’s probably not as cut and dry as simple need, either. Sure, the Bengals need more help at running back after Herbert and Chase Brown fumbled last week. And yes, Cam Taylor-Britt has been a big disappointment at corner and the loss of Dax Hill weighs heavy on the depth chart.
But something else might be amiss, too.
The hot seat might just be that hot in Cincinnati.
One doesn’t have to watch a Joe Burrow press conference long to know the franchise quarterback isn’t happy. One doesn’t have to watch a game long to know the team hasn’t been constructed and/or coached up properly. It’s failing the MVP-level quarterback outing, Ja’Marr Chase’s OPOTY outing, and, frankly, Trey Hendrickson’s DPOTY outing.
That creates heat. The direct blame should probably go all the way to the top and hit director of player personnel Duke Tobin (i.e., the GM they won’t call a GM) the most. Whether it’s the fault of the brass above him for limiting what he can do or not, he’s failing to replace talent like Jessie Bates that they let walk out the door.
And the coaching staff isn’t much better. If Lou Anarumo can’t craft a league-average defense with what he’s got, his seat should be scorching. If defensive assistants can’t get a first-rounder like Myles Murphy on the field, heat. If offensive assistants can’t get wideouts not named Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins up to speed, heat. If Zac Taylor can’t find a way to motivate his guys and win games with an MVP passer, heat.
We’ve seen a steady drip-feed of modernization from the franchise since the Burrow era started. Maybe this is just a continuation of that (although they failed to sign Howard and went with a different running back).
But even this is the latest small sign that the heat is on in Cincinnati. The logical conclusion to a failed season in the middle of an elite quarterback’s prime is change. How high up the ladder remains to be seen, but it’s not unreasonable to think hot-seat watch should be underway.
If things continue this poorly and Burrow isn’t happy, maybe the next modernization is a massive coaching staff shakeup earlier than anyone would dare predict.
