The Cincinnati Bengals pulled off one of the most surprising moves of the offseason when they traded the 10th overall pick for New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. It went against pretty much everything they’ve done from a front office standpoint since the Bengals were established.
This is the kind of move that could certainly move the needle for Cincinnati back into AFC contender status after three years of missing the playoffs, especially when you combine it with all the defensive players they’ve added to improve that side of the ball
After all, that side of the ball has been the laughingstock of the NFL world. The number of times this team lost games where they scored over 30 points was embarrassing.
However, it looks like they are still viewed as a middle-of-the-road team. Fanduel Sportsbook has the Bengals tied for the 15th-best odds of winning it all at +2500. They are tied with the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars.
This puts the Bengals at the second best in the AFC North, with the Baltimore Ravens at fourth best with +1100 odds. It’s also the eighth best among AFC teams for Cincinnati.
The Bengals also have the eighth-best odds to make the AFC playoffs at FanDuel at -158, so they slightly favor Cincy making it into the postseason.
It certainly feels like one of the best times the Bengals will be set up going into the season since maybe 2022, when they were given the 11th-best odds to win it all and came a field goal away from making a second straight Super Bowl.
Oddsmakers may be leaning on some more recent success. These odds may change drastically if the Bengals come out of the gate winning. Maybe they need to see how all of these pieces gel together, and there’s probably some doubt in head coach Zac Taylor, who is firmly on the hot seat. If anything, the trade for Lawrence will raise the stakes for Taylor and could make it likelier he’s fired if the Bengals flounder toward another playoff-less season.
Though, to Taylor’s credit, when the Bengals had an explosive offense with a healthy Joe Burrow to go with a standout defense, they made two deep playoff runs. This roster certainly looks capable of hitting those requirements, especially with Burrow now having a good offensive line to protect him.
That said, the biggest reason the Bengals aren’t higher is how much the defense held back a great offense, and people want to see this defense perform better before believing in Al Golden’s unit.