Look: An interesting graph on Bengals’ ‘championship foundation’

The Cincinnati Bengals, with the right moves, hope to keep the contention window open as wide as possible this offseason.

Part of being in a position even to do that comes from solid roster building over the last few years.

Or, what NFL Research classifies as the team’s “championship foundation,” which classifies core pieces of the roster into certain tiers.

It’s an interesting viewing and pretty telling, too. Outlined in pink is the young secondary, which carries an “unproven/young” designation. That very unit is a big part of why the defense struggled all season and coughed up so many explosives.

The whole diagram is worth a look:

We discussed the championship foundation for the AFC North on today’s MTS pod. Here’s a look at the ⁦@Bengals⁩
( courtesy of @NFLResearch ) pic.twitter.com/y0gm08LC59

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) February 20, 2024

Working from this chart, the Bengals need the Tee Higgins situation to clear up, and ideally, some of those pinks will turn to blue, which they very well could in time.