Bengals News (2/25): Biggest busts from 2023 season

Who were the biggest busts from the past season for the Bengals?

Bengals go back to drawing board at tight end
Irv Smith Jr., the team’s Week 1 starter who was signed in free agency during the offseason, was going to be inactive for a pivotal Week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers that carried massive playoff implications. Smith, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason, worked hard to show the coaching staff he could be a top option. But between injuries that week and other players performing well, he was a healthy scratch for the 34-11 loss to Pittsburgh.

5 biggest winners of the NFL’s salary cap inflation
While Chase and Higgins were on their rookie deals when Cincinnati made their run to the Super Bowl, they’re approaching the time where they need to be paid handsomely to remain in town. Chase has already established himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL and can be extended. This cap increase gives Cincinnati the ability to do just that.

NFL salary cap just gifted Bengals perfect offseason scenario
The NFL announced that the salary cap for the 2024 season will be a record-high $255.4 per team next season. That number represents an increase of over 13 percent compared to last season, and that should be very good news for the Cincinnati Bengals.

3 Cincinnati Bengals we can safely call busts after the 2023 season
The Bengals struck out on a few free agents last year and while we already touched on Irv Smith, he wasn’t nearly as bad as Nick Scott was. Scott was brought in to replace Vonn Bell after he shockingly left the team in free agency last spring and well, obviously it didn’t go according to plan or Scott wouldn’t be making an appearance on this list.

ESPN Lists Drafting a Wide Receiver in Round One of 2024 NFL Draft as Bold Offseason Move For Cincinnati Bengals
“There are two options here that involve drafting a wide receiver high in the first round. First, the Bengals could place the franchise tag on Higgins, letting their new receiver learn from the veterans for a year before Higgins leaves in 2025 and the new receiver takes his place. Or, given how successful most first-round receivers have been as rookies, the Bengals could allow Higgins to leave this offseason and replace him with the youngster. Receivers available when the Bengals pick at No. 18 should include LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr., Oregon’s Troy Franklin, and Michigan’s Roman Wilson.”

Bengals quickly tagging Tee Higgins has now cleared several paths for the offseason and beyond – A to Z Sports
This is biggest question. The Bengals aren’t strangers to the tag as they’ve used it now three times in five years with A.J. Green and Jessie Bates III being the previous cases. Those decisions came pretty late in their respective two-week windows, or at least reports of those decisions didn’t leak so early in the process.