
Hello to Fall as Summer is unofficially over after the Labor Day Weekend, and the attention now shifts to football. The offseason is over, the 53-man roster is set and the 2025 Cleveland Browns will kick off their campaign this Sunday as they will host AFC North rival, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Similar to the Browns, the Bengals missed the postseason last year and the team is looking to get back this year. This offseason (again similar to Cleveland) wasn’t short of some form of drama. Defensive end
Trey Hendrickson held out due to a contract dispute and rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart did the same, but it was due to language in the contract. Both issues were resolved as Hendrickson agreed to a pay raise (not an actual extension) and Stewart signed his contract.
Wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase were given new contracts as well.
In terms of the other moves the team made, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was fired and replaced by Al Golden (who comes over from Notre Dame). At a glance, the team looks the same on paper, but with a few new players.
A few keys to watch in Week 1 from the Bengals:
QB Joe Burrow
An obvious one.
Since Burrow has been in the league, he has done nothing but show why he is a franchise quarterback. Had the Bengals not gotten off to a slow start last season, Burrow would’ve likely taken home the MVP award, but things don’t go as planned. This year was the first time that Burrow has gone through a normal training camp. In previous years, he had to deal with an ailment or an injury of some form.
Judging from the reports from the local beat reporters, Burrow has looked the best he has looked in quite some time. In terms of his play, his ability to work out of structure, good arm strength, and elite ball placement on his throws are what make Burrow one of the top QBs in the game.
When it comes to his struggles, Burrow tends to struggle against the Browns whenever these two teams match up. The offensive line has been rebuilt (once again) and will look to keep him upright for the whole season. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will find creative ways to contain Burrow and keep the passing game at bay. If Cleveland wants to pull off an upset, they have to contain Burrow by pressuring him, which will throw off his timing and make life uncomfortable for him.
DE Shemar Stewart
Stewart is about as raw a pass-rushing prospect as they come. He has the physical tools to be elite, but he has to work on developing a pass-rush skillset. You can only go so far with just relying on his physical gifts. Stewart is drawing high praise from Hendrickson, so it’s curious to see if the praise translates to the field.
Stewart is likely going to line up against Jack Conklin. With all the attention on Hendrickson, it will allow Stewart to make a case for himself. Stewart will be someone to watch in not only pass-rushing situations, but his run defense can’t be ignored as well. Look for Cleveland to find ways to neutralize the talented rookie.
The entire Bengals defense
The reasons why Cincinnati missed the playoffs last season were vast, but the defense is the main culprit. Let’s compare the Bengals defense advanced numbers to a mystery team’s defense that plays in the same division from last season.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive rankings
- 27th in EPA per play
- 16th in Pass EPA
- 30th in Defensive Success rate
AFC North rival defensive rankings
- 18th in EPA per play
- 21st in Pass EPA
- 6th in Defensive Success rate
The mystery team? The Cleveland Browns. Who finished with 3 wins last season.
Swap the Cleveland defense with Cincinnati’s defense and the Bengals are probably a playoff team.
As far as their offseason goes, aside from the coordinator change, the defense looks the same on paper with a couple of additions like Stewart. It’s a lot more questions than definitive answers.
- How good can the pass rush be?
- Will the secondary look competent despite being young in many areas?
- Will they be able to stop the run consistently?
The Bengals haven’t done a good job of replacing key starters that left in free agency (i.e. safety Jessie Bates and defensive tackle D.J. Reader) or developing their successors, which is why the defense has been on a slow decline recently. Granted, it was the preseason, but looking at the tape and how the 1st team defense struggled against the 1st and 2nd teams in their games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, it’s hard to feel any form of optimism that this defense could be better than they were last year.
The Browns offense won’t be as incompetent as people think, and if they are able to generate explosive plays and stay on schedule, it’s hard to believe that this team can’t steal a victory.