Las Vegas Raiders: Previewing the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals
By Nick Bailey
Las Vegas Raiders: Previewing the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals
The Defense
The Cincinnati Bengals defense is led by third-year defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and fourth-year safety Jessie Bates, who has been outstanding since being selected in 2018. During his three-year career, Bates has had at least three interceptions and accumulated at least 100 plus total tackles in each season.
The Bengals did let long-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Geno Atkins walk away this offseason, and the Raiders had reported interest in him earlier this offseason, but at this point, he is still a free agent. To replace Atkins, the Bengals signed Larry Ogunjobi a former Cleveland Brown who had 14.5 sacks in his four seasons there.
To help bolster their secondary, they went out and signed a couple of good players. Cincinnati signed former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton, cornerback Eli Apple, and safety Ricardo Allen, who was a solid starting safety his previous six years with the Atlanta Falcons. Overall, they should be better on that side of the ball.