The Cincinnati Bengals’ 2023 season has been a letdown. Fans came into the season expecting a Super Bowl championship and anything else would have been viewed as a disappointment.
Now that Joe Burrow is done for the year, this team isn’t going anywhere meaningful this season. Sure, they can collect a high draft pick and get an easier schedule for next year but there won’t be a Super Bowl parade in downtown Cincinnati this February and that’s a massive bummer for these fans who felt like this was the year.
Even before Burrow got injured, however, there were just aspects of this team that felt off. These five players that I’m about to discuss have been pretty frustrating to watch this season. Full disclosure: This doesn’t include players we were iffy about in the past that have performed poorly, so Cordell Volson will not be included. These are players we had somewhat high expectations for. Let’s dive in.
5. Germaine Pratt
Germaine Pratt was a huge piece of the Bengals’ defense last season, so it was a no-brainer decision for the team to try and keep him in the stripes for 2023 and beyond. Pratt signed a three-year deal with the Bengals worth $20.2 million with a potential out in 2024.
What made Pratt such an important member of the defense last year was his ability to force key turnovers and make big plays in critical moments of the game. In the Bengals’ late regular-season win over the Patriots, the Bengals offense couldn’t do anything in the second half but the defense continued to hold onto the lead and Pratt forced a huge fumble that cemented the win for Cincinnati.
While Pratt has forced turnovers this year, his missed tackles have been an issue and his overall numbers are down. In 2022, Pratt finished the season with an overall PFF grade of 80.6 with a coverage grade of 90.1. This year, those grades are down to 53.7 and 48.6 respectively.
Pratt was such a crucial member of this team a season ago so the decision to re-sign him was a wise one but he hasn’t looked like the same player he was last year.
4. Nick Scott
The Bengals lost both of their starting safeties in free agency, as Jessie Bates signed with the Falcons (and is thriving, might I add) while Vonn Bell headed to Carolina. The Bengals had Dax Hill as a replacement for Bates but with Bell’s unexpected departure, they had to find another replacement in their secondary.
They signed Nick Scott, a former seventh-round pick out of Penn State, who spent the first four years of his pro career with the Rams and won a Super Bowl with them at the Bengals’ expense. Scott was a decent player in Los Angeles but hasn’t had the same fate in Cincinnati.
According to PFF, Scott was targeted 27 times and allowed 20 receptions, earning him a coverage grade of 31.5 and an overall grade of 37.9. It felt like every time an explosive play was happening, Scott was the one allowing it.
The former Ram was so bad that Lou Anarumo finally let rookie third-round pick Jordan Battle start in his place. Battle has a 72.0 coverage grade and 80.8 overall grade so the decision to replace Scott has been a smart one.
There is a potential out on Scott’s contract in 2024 so don’t be surprised if the Bengals go that route this spring.
3. Chidobe Awuzie
The Bengals were fortunate to get such great play out of Chidobe Awuzie during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Sadly, the injury he suffered midway through the 2022 season has hampered his play this year and it’s shown in a big way. He’s allowed 20 receptions on 30 targets and has a PFF coverage grade of 61.6, which isn’t terrible but down from his 2021 and 2022 grades (84.2 in 2021 and 73.1 in 2022.
Fortunately, the Bengals have put a lot into their secondary in recent years but that makes Awuzie expendable this offseason. His contract expires at the end of the season and with him turning 29 in May, it’s doubtful Cincinnati looks to re-sign him. They have Cam Taylor-Britt and D.J. Turner as the young studs in their secondary and will hopefully spend another high draft pick on a cornerback.
Awuzie played great during his first year and a half in Cincinnati but he’s been a disappointment this year for sure. The injury has clearly affected him.
2. Irv Smith Jr.
The Bengals continued to use a free agent to fill their starting tight end position this year but unfortunately for them, it has not gone as well as it did a year ago. While Hayden Hurst balled out for the Bengals on a one-year “prove it” deal, Irv Smith Jr. has not been able to replicate his production and make the most out of catching passes from Joe Burrow.
At the beginning of the season, the problem was an injury that sidelined Smith for a handful of games. The injury bug that plagued his career in Minnesota followed him to Cincinnati as he missed two games right off the bat.
Once he returned from injury, he continued to not make an impact. He has just 16 catches for 97 yards and one touchdown through nine games as a Bengal. He’s also listed as the third-string tight end on Our Lads’ Bengals depth chart.
Fortunately, Smith was only signed to a one-year deal so he won’t be back in 2024. The Bengals need to spend a high draft pick on a tight end in next year’s draft.
1. Tee Higgins
There’s still time for Tee Higgins to turn his 2023 season around but so far this year, he’s been a letdown for the Bengals, especially in a contract year. The two sides failed to agree on an extension so unless Cincinnati franchise tags him, Higgins will be a free agent in the spring.
Higgins has missed four games this season due to a hamstring injury so that’s obviously been one issue. The other has been that his stats haven’t popped off the page as they have in past years. Higgins has 27 catches for 328 yards and two touchdowns this season and hasn’t found the end zone since Week 2.
The good news is that Higgins’ last game was his best of the season, as he hauled in eight catches for 110 yards and averaged 13.8 yards per catch. As I said before, he has a chance to turn his season around and cash in on what’s sure to be a massive contract in the offseason. As of now, however, Higgins has been the team’s biggest letdown 12 weeks into the 2023 season.
