Cincinnati Bengals 2024 Season Preview
By: Michael Higgins
(Image courtesy of Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a down year in which they dealt with injuries and players underperforming. As the years have gone by in this new Bengals’ era, players are due to get paid.
They entered the offseason with little cap room and still had to pay some top players. To relieve some of that, they shipped RB Joe Mixon to the Texans for a 2024 7th round pick.
They also had to let some key pieces walk in free agency. Notable players such as CB Chidobe Awuzie, OT Jonah Williams, WR Tyler Boyd, DT DJ Reader, and SAF Nick Scott all found homes elsewhere.
The Bengals did what they could to plug holes left by the departures, but there is a significant talent differential between who left and who came in. DT Sheldon Rankins, SAF Geno Stone, and RB Zack Moss all signed multi-year contracts. OT Trent Brown, TE Mike Gesicki, and SAF Vonn Bell signed one-year deals.
They did not have a good enough draft to help with that loss of talent either. Most of their picks left me confused as they felt like reaches or poor fits. OT Amarius Mims, DT Kris Jenkins, and WR Jermaine Burton were their top picks. All of whom can be contributors immediately, but some may have been reaches at the spot they were taken.
The Bengals are also dealing with the holdout of Jamarr Chase. After 49ers’ WR Brandon Aiyuk recently received an extension of $30M/year, you can venture to guess that Chase is looking for near $35M/year. The latest news is that Chase suited up on Wednesday, September 4th, but who knows if he will be ready to play or if he even wants to play without a new deal.
They’re already in a tough division, combine that with a tough schedule and you have a team that will be scratching and clawing for each win in 2024.
The Bengals start the season at home against the Patriots, before facing the Chiefs in Arrowhead, then go back home for a Monday Night Football matchup, and back on the road to face the Panthers. Aside from the Chiefs, this month should be a cakewalk for the Bengals. They start the season 3-1.
October starts with a home date against the Ravens, then back-to-back road games against the Giants and Browns, then close the month out at home against the Eagles. The Bengals go 1-3 in October.
Cincinnati starts November at home against the Raiders, then go back on the road for a Thursday Night Football game against the Ravens and a matchup against the Chargers. They end the month with a bye in Week 12. The Bengals go 2-1 in November
The final stretch of games sees the Bengals at home against the Steelers, on the road to take on the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, another road game against the Titans, two home games against the Browns and Broncos, and they end the season in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. The Bengals go 3-3 in the winter months.
I have the Bengals finishing the season with a record of 9-8. This is the same record as last year and honestly, they should consider themselves lucky if it comes to fruition. The roster has gotten worse, and the conference has gotten better. 9-8 isn’t great and will likely not lead to a playoff spot, but it could be worse.
2023 Record: 9-8
2024 Prediction: 9-8
