October 6, 2024

The Bengals’ skill position group is ranked second in the NFL by ESPN.

If you’ve heard this before, stop me: The Cincinnati Bengals boast one of the top skill position groups in the NFL.

In terms of skill position players, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has the Bengals ranked No. 2, which is the most recent ranking to emphasize this. The San Francisco 49ers are the only team with a higher ranking.

Of course, the trio of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd at wide receiver is Barnwell’s best player. The Bengals’ passing game is among the hardest in the NFL to stop when all three players are on the field.

Barnwell did give the Bengals one injury, which was mostly at tight end because Irv Smith Jr. was having trouble staying healthy.

“Irv Smith at tight end is a downgrade from Hayden Hurst,” Barnwell wrote. “Over the past three seasons, Smith has struggled with knee, hand, and ankle injuries, missing 29 of 50 possible games. While healthy, Smith hasn’t produced at a TE1 level; I hope the Bengals address this situation before the trade deadline.

On running back Joe Mixon, though, Barnwell scored higher than most others have.

Joe Mixon also appeared to take a step backwards last season, averaging a mere 3.9 yards per carry—the lowest total of his career during a full season.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *