1 day Ago By Timothy McBride, Gridiron Heroics
For the Cincinnati Bengals , one of the most alarming trends to arise during their upsetting 0-2 start has been the absence of the deep passing game. While elite quarterback Joe Burrow certainly looks to be playing like his normal self, talented wide receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Jermaine Burton have been ineffective aside from short passes down the field. If Cincinnati wants to continue to be known for their high-powered offense, they’re going to need to figure out a solution heading into a critical stretch of the regular season.
Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Praises Tight Ends After Loss to Kansas City One way that Cincinnati was able to adapt their offense to the situation against Kansas City was to deploy and utilize tight ends far more than they have over the past few seasons. For the past two years, this offense has rarely targeted players like Irv Smith Jr. in 2023 and Hayden Hurst in 2022 but it appears that this year, Taylor and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher have more confidence in the depth at the tight end position.
“I think we have a great grouping of tight ends. That’s been a part of where we’ve seen this going all spring and training camp. It could be more so in some games than others.
Some times it gets you matchups in the run game, sometimes it gets you matchups in the pass game for your receivers even.” Zac Taylor speaks to the media following Week 2 in KC and heading into Week 3 vs Washington. https://t.
co/tRO5d8pzZx — Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 16, 2024 “When you’ve got guys that you believe in and we have multiple guys that we believe it, it allows you to open it up”. Chiefs among the tight end group this weekend were tight ends Mike Gesicki and Erick All Jr who totaled for 11 receptions for 122 receiving yards against the usually stout defense of the Kansas City Chiefs. Mathematically, that factors in for almost half of the passing offense in the game as Burrow finished the contest with 23 completions for 246 total passing yards.
With an elite passing offense, the fanbase has complained for years at the dramatic mismanagement of the tight end position since players like Tyler Eifert and C.J. Uzomah excelled for the team in the late 2010s.
With the inclusion of players like Gesicki, All and even depth pieces like Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson , Cincinnati is opening up a far more balanced offense than we have seen with Burrow under center. It is possible that the coaching staff is already looking to the future without outside weapons like Tee Higgins or Ja’Marr Chase . Admittedly that’s a stretch but it is no secret that contract negotiations with both players have been tenuous at best.
With an improved passing game to the tight ends, neither player can expect the same amount of volume and could theoretically be forced into either a cheaper contract or into a team that prioritized wide receivers the same way Cincinnati did previously. Regardless, balance and flexibility are the lifeblood of a good offense at the professional level. The ability to go to any player on the field will certainly help this offense as it competes for a Super Bowl later in the year.
This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission..
