ESPN Ranks Bengals Roster Seventh Among All NFL Teams Entering 2024 Season

 ESPN's Mike Clay finalized his 2024 roster ratings and has Cincinnati's group of players ranked seventh leaguewide entering the 2024 season.

That ranks second in the AFC North behind the Ravens (No. 3).

"Wide receiver," Clay wrote about the team's biggest strength. "Not many teams can match Cincinnati's elite Ja'Marr Chase/Tee Higgins duo. Chase sits seventh in the league in receiving yards (3,717) and third in TD catches (29) since he was drafted in 2021. Higgins has battled injuries, but prior to a down year in 2023, he had 900-plus yards in three straight seasons to begin his pro career. Longtime slot man Tyler Boyd departed, but the team has some solid depth options in Jermaine Burton, Andrei Iosivas and Trenton Irwin."

The rushing attack is Cincinnati's glaring weakness in Clay's view.

"Running back," Clay wrote. "The Joe Mixon era is over, and the Bengals' succession plan was to sign journeyman Zack Moss as their lead back. Moss -- a 2020 third-round pick -- has certainly flashed as a runner with 4.4 yards per carry over his career, but he's never handled a full workload for an entire season (career-high 183 carries) and has yet to handle a big load in the passing game (career-high 37 targets). Second-year back Chase Brown also flashed last season, though the sample was very small (58 touches). There's potential here, but both backs are unproven commodities in the roles they'reabout to play."

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