It won’t come as a surprise to see where the Cincinnati Bengals land in the final power rankings of the year.
After going 9-8 in one of the toughest divisions ever despite a massive injury bug, the Bengals land in the middle of the pack.
Now, the rankings for teams eliminated from the playoffs tend to focus on the future, with The Athletic’s Josh Kendall ranking the Bengals 17th:
The Bengals look like they are facing a fork-in-the-road moment in the upcoming draft. Both paths lead toward offensive help. Offensive line is still an issue, especially right tackle. Amarius Mims, a 6-foot-7, 330-pounder monster from Georgia, might slot right into that spot. But there’s also an argument to be made for guarding against the loss of wide receiver Tee Higgins with someone like Emeka Egbuka out of Ohio State.
As far as needs go, much will hinge on whether the Bengals retain Jonah Williams and/or Tee Higgins. The latter figures to get the franchise tag at least, keeping him in town for one more season at a minimum. Williams is more of a mystery given his ability to play left tackle, which will be appealing on the open market.
And as far as the rankings, pretty much everyone would agree the Bengals have nowhere to go but up next season if Joe Burrow is healthy.
