Cincinnati Bengals Roster
- AFC North
- Stadium
- Paul Brown Stadium
- Head Coach
- Zac Taylor
- Offensive Coordinator
- Brian Callahan
- Defensive Coordinator
- Lou Anarumo
- Special Teams Coach
- Darrin Simmons
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow (knee) said in a video conference on Tuesday that he is currently on pace to be ready for the start of the 2021 regular season. The impressive rookie tore his ACL and MCL in late November but remains on track six weeks after undergoing surgery. Burrow said he'll start running on an assisted treadmill in roughly six weeks. The former LSU star is on track currently, but any slight setback along the way would put him in danger of missing the start of next season. The 24-year-old looked to be the answer under center before his injury, finishing with 2,688 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 142 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Burrow has QB1 upside, but because of the risk involved, he should be considered a QB2 with upside for fantasy managers next season in redraft leagues.
Cincinnati Bengals center Trey Hopkins (knee) suffered a torn ACL in the Week 17 loss to the Ravens and will require surgery, according to head coach Zac Taylor. Hopkins has started all but one game in the last two seasons and also played a full 16 games in 2018. The 28-year-old from Texas will have all offseason to recover and rehab from his torn knee ligament, but he might not be ready for training camp and the preseason, depending on how his recovery goes.
The Cincinnati Bengals will retain head coach Zac Taylor for a third season. The team made it official in a statement on Monday morning. Taylor has managed a record of just 6-25-1 over two years as the Bengals coach, but the franchise remains confident in his vision. The Bengals showed some flashes of promise this past year, mostly coming prior to the season-ending knee injury suffered by their 2020 first round pick Joe Burrow (knee). The team was also without their No. 1 running back Joe Mixon (foot) for the majority of the year. The Bengals will have the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. They have a lot of promising young pieces, including wide receiver Tee Higgins who had a strong rookie year. Hopefully Taylor can start generating some wins for the franchise next year.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd returned to the field for Week 17, but was held to just one reception for one yard during Sunday's loss to Baltimore. While Boyd also gained 11 yards on one carry, his final performance of an otherwise strong 2020 came out a clunker. Like many other Cincinnati receivers over the final stretch of the year, Boyd's production took a significant step back when Joe Burrow (knee) went down. Across 15 games, Boyd was able to rack up 79 catches for 841 yards and four scores. Having signed a significant contract extension last summer, Boyd figures to be an integral part of the Bengals' passing attack come Week 1 of '21.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins did not log a catch during Sunday's loss to the Ravens, marking an inauspicious end to an overall terrific rookie campaign. Higgins went without a grab in Week 1 as well, but had delivered torrid production since then, finishing the year with 67 receptions for 908 yards and six touchdowns. The nature of Sunday's defeat did not bode well for Higgins delivering relevant production, as he saw just one target while Brandon Allen completed just six passes. Bengals receivers went through a rough patch to conclude the 2020 year with Joe Burrow (knee) sidelined, with ample reason for optimism that Higgins should bounce-back into a consistent WR2 threat to kick-off '21.