Ebony Bird
FanSided

AFC North division round-up: July 2019 edition

By Richard Bradshaw

OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND - JUNE 10: Patrick Onwuasor #48 of the Baltimore Ravens poses for a photo at the Under Armour Performance Center on June 10, 2019 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND - JUNE 10: Patrick Onwuasor #48 of the Baltimore Ravens poses for a photo at the Under Armour Performance Center on June 10, 2019 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – SEPTEMBER 09: Wide receiver A.J. Green #18 of the Cincinnati Bengals walks off the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – SEPTEMBER 09: Wide receiver A.J. Green #18 of the Cincinnati Bengals walks off the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /

Cincinnati Bengals:

It wasn’t long ago that the Cincinnati Bengals ruled supreme in the AFC North. The Bengals had a young and talented core with the hopes of reaching a Super Bowl. Their window seemed large, but they couldn’t even win a single post-season game despite five straight appearances and two AFC North titles.

Now, the Bengals appear to be reeling it in for a reload; a shell of their former, dominant selves. Cincinnati finally canned long-time Head Coach Marvin Lewis in favor of young offensive mind Zac Taylor. Taylor is just 36-years old with seven-years of NFL experience, spending the last two seasons under Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams.

The future looks bleak for the Bengals right now, however. This group aged all-too quickly and needs to be blown up. There are pieces in place for the franchise moving forward, but there are far more positions that need an infusion of youth.

It certainly doesn’t help that the team is currently being decimated by injuries. The injury bug has plagued the Bengals first round picks for quite some time, and unfortunately their number one pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Jonah Williams, will miss his entire rookie season.

As if things couldn’t get worse, now the team is expected to be without star wide receiver A.J. Green for 6-8 weeks following an ankle injury and surgery.

The injuries are mounting up for Cincinnati, and the state of the team has many thinking they could be in contention for the number one overalls pick for the 2020 NFL Draft. The AFC North is far too competitive this season for the Bengals to compete, so for now the team should focus on rebuilding and competing in 2020.

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