Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Analyzing Cincinnati Bengals Coaches On The Hot Seat

Starting point is 00:00:00 A major theme of the 2024 Cincinnati Bengals season is coming up just short. Does that leave some of the coaching staff on the hot seat? Maybe all of it. Let's get into Hot Seat Watch for the Cincinnati Bengals in today's episode. You are Locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What up, Bengals fans, and welcome to another episode of the Locked On Bengals podcast. I'm your host, Jake Liskow.

Starting point is 00:00:37 He's your host, James Rupin. We are part of the Lockdown Podcast Network here on Lockdown Bengals, covering your team every day on YouTube and everywhere you get your podcast. So if you're new to the show and you're not already an everydayer, shout out to the everydayers. You're not already someone who makes us their first listen. Shout out to that group as well. You can subscribe and make sure you don't miss an episode of Lockdown Bengals.

Starting point is 00:00:59 As we continue to keep an eye on what will happen for this team as the season is on the first. brink a little bit. Maybe many fans think that it is over the edge, it is off the cliff, and at four and six, it is certainly far short of expectations. And, well, James, when, in my opinion, when you're 0 in five in games decided by less than six points, six points or less, oh and five this year. Sure, the players wilting in the clutch or whatever, you know, you have a problem there. We've talked about the problem with front offices. We've done this kind of post-mortem before this year where we're like, where is the problem with this team?

Starting point is 00:01:41 But 10 games in, you kind of are who you are. There's time to turn it around. But until they turn it around, they are who they are. And that at some point goes back to the coaching staff. And I think a lot of fans are ready to see a major change with this coaching staff. And I think part of what's interesting is deciphering like where the seats are hot for fans, where the seat might be hot in the building for those that actually make the decisions.

Starting point is 00:02:09 Yeah, I think if this team does not make the playoffs, and even at four and six, I'm confident in saying this, there will be significant changes to the staff because it's back-to-back years without making the playoffs. It would be a significant step back from where expectations certainly are with Joe Burrow. And Joe is playing at an elite level.

Starting point is 00:02:33 You lose Brian Kahn. Callahan, he's still playing it, is as great as we've ever seen, right? I've seen him play. Jamar Chase is the best receiver in the league. And so when you take those things into account, and it's like, all right, well, they should be winning games and they haven't been. Well, why? And the why is what's interesting because I do think that there are plenty of fans that

Starting point is 00:02:57 say, oh, it's because Zach Taylor stinks and close games and makes rough decisions, poor decisions, too conservative with the game on the line. or the play calling aspect or in the there's a long list. So Zach Taylor for a lot of fans, I think is where it starts, especially the, I'm going to watch on Sunday fans, but not necessarily follow the minutia day in and day out of the Cincinnati Bengals. But to me, it's there are two guys that their seats are pretty hot right now and will continue to get hot unless things change.

Starting point is 00:03:34 One, offensive line coach Frank Pollack. And look, I think it's pretty simple. When your quarterback's getting hit like he is, you can't consistently run the ball. There's going to be a scapegoat almost if they don't make the playoffs. And again, this is all dependent on that for me. I think if they make a run here and make the playoffs and who knows what happens when that happens, maybe the staff stays intact. And I do think there's a path to that, even if it's unlikely.

Starting point is 00:04:04 the other one would be Luana Rumo. And I think Frank Pollack and Luanarumo, those seats are hot as of today. It doesn't mean that they're going to make an in-season move. I don't mean that. But from a big picture standpoint, I think that's where the organization would go before they look at Zach. But I do think that fans look at Zach and begin and end with Zach, especially those, like I said, that are watching on Sunday and seeing these close games and the Bengals not be able to pull out or haven't been able to pull out. haven't been able to pull out these close games this season. Which has been a theme for a lot of Zach's tenure in Cincinnati.

Starting point is 00:04:39 The record in one-score games that we've heard about with Zach Taylor during the Joe Burrow era is... It was so bad in 2019 and 2020, and then they make the Super Bowl run and it kind of like got stored away. And now it's back. Now people are mentioning it again. And rightfully so. They've been awful in one-score games this year. Yeah, and they were clutch in those years. in the playoffs in particular, winning one-score games to get to the Super Bowl,

Starting point is 00:05:07 getting to the AFC championship game. They're not blowing teams out in the playoffs. Those are still tight games. And that's part of the criticism as well, perhaps, is that there are some games where we should be seeing more decisive victories for this team. And we don't get that. And so you use the word scapegoat for Frank Pollock. It's a loaded word.

Starting point is 00:05:28 Maybe that's the case. It is a complicated issue, right? the level of talent on the offensive line, they have two good high pedigree players on that offensive line at this point. And Orlando Brown wasn't even a first round pick, but he's been a solid veteran in this league for a long time, playing very well this year. They have a first round pick in Amarious Mims.

Starting point is 00:05:48 And then you have a mid-round pick in Alice Kappa and Kordell-Vosunate guards. Those guys have honestly been liabilities this year. Kappa, it seems like, is like, perhaps injuries catching up to him as, you know, the athleticism was never a high-end tool in his kit. But the argument overall is that Frank hasn't had his guys or high-pedigree players to work with. The counter argument is that teams find high-end offensive linemen, especially on the interior, throughout the draft. The Bengals haven't really done that.

Starting point is 00:06:24 They have given us this refrain of, we like the guys in the building or acted that way, if they haven't outright said it for a few years, and the guys they've had in the building haven't been good enough. And back to the Jim Turner era as well. And there hasn't been noticeable improvement or consistent enough improvement from Jim Turner to Frank Pollock. And Jim Turner, things were glaringly obvious how bad that was. So when you're looking beyond Taylor,

Starting point is 00:06:51 I think we can probably spend more time on Taylor, especially I think there's probably a big bigger gap there between decision makers and fans on Taylor, which probably will upset people. But that's where the offensive issues are glaring to me. It's a positive line from a coaching perspective, from a talent development perspective. And it goes back to the front office and the players they've selected, sure, but they're just kind of over in getting any development there that isn't a veteran. Their best players continue to be veterans. And Marius Mitten's very promising, but he's a first round pick.

Starting point is 00:07:31 You would expect him to be promising. And it's not like he's played lights out. He's played like a rookie first round pick offensive tackle, which is fine. I think it's been fine. But where's the feather in the cap for Flake Pollock? It would be like adjusting the run game to get it to be efficient a couple of years when they needed to make wholesale changes. That's the strongest argument in his favor, no?

Starting point is 00:07:53 I mean, the strongest argument in his favor is they haven't even drafted offensive of Lyman that he can develop. Yeah, and I mentioned that. I mean, that's, well, but that's it. It's like, all right, well, develop Alex Kappa. Well, you mentioned it. He's eliminated athletically. Like, I think they've gotten a lot out of Ted Karrison signing him.

Starting point is 00:08:09 If you would have told me the day they signed him that he would play at the level that he's played at, I think everybody takes that. Cordell-Wolson, were you expecting, like, when they drafted Cordell Volson, probably 98% of our listeners didn't know who he was, probably maybe higher. And so, like, is it shocking that he's not a guy that you're looking at, like, oh, well, he's a 10-year starter? I don't know. I think that that's interesting. But that's why I said scapegoat is it's like, okay, well, maybe, maybe it is his fault.

Starting point is 00:08:41 Maybe Frank sucks. But it's Matt Lee and Amarious Mims this year. The year prior to that, it's, the year prior to that, it's Cordell Wilson. And I'm naming their draft picks. the year prior to that it's Jackson and Carmen everyone knew he sucked the moment he got drafted and Deonté Smith who was by far a project I don't really know

Starting point is 00:09:00 why they went that route and I like Deontes a human but it just it was a project from the jump so it's just it's tough that's why I use the word scapego but it doesn't mean that a change doesn't need to be made and if they missed the playoffs with Joe playing at this level

Starting point is 00:09:18 and Jabbar playing at this level I think changes do need to be made period And so that's where I'm at. And we can dive more into Zach, certainly, and how it ties to Frank and then dive into Lou, because I do think that there's a lot with Lou in this defense and the situation. It's an entire defensive staff. Yeah, I think the thing on Frank is just like, we don't know where the division of responsibility lies between Frank and front office.

Starting point is 00:09:46 And that's what makes it hard to untangle the scapegoat versus rightful. anger. You know what I mean? I don't think Frank wanted Jackson and Carmen. No, I mean, that one's obvious, but there's plenty of others and liking our own guys and rolling Cody Ford out there. And is that the front office? Is that significant Frank input? I don't know.

Starting point is 00:10:06 Exactly. Right. Who would you want him to roll out there? And is he saying we're good with Cody or is the front office like, no, that's who we have? I agree with that. And I think that that's the dynamic that is interesting there. But let's continue this conversation, plenty more to discuss when it comes to the offense and the entire defensive staff. We will do that coming up next.

Starting point is 00:10:30 Our friends at five-hour energy know that being a passionate football fan isn't just a hobby. It's a way of life, especially when things are 0 in 5 in 6.4 or less games. It takes a lot of energy to power through all-day tailgates, touchdown celebrations, and those overtime games or close finishes that we've endured this year. watching the Bengals. That's why they've created the stand, the fan five-hour energy shot. The energy shot made just for super fans like you, the fans that are first in the parking lot and last to leave, they got you. Whether it's getting ready for the tailgate and you're bringing the barbecue platter or just getting the energy to keep that voice going in the fourth quarter,

Starting point is 00:11:17 Five-hour energy knows that being a fan requires heart, soul, and a whole lot of energy. Five-hour energy knows that game day to-do list is always a mile long. That's why the limited edition, stand-to-fan, five-hour energy shot is here to keep you fueled throughout the season. What's your fan-fueled this week? Whatever it is, do it with a five-hour energy available at five-hour energy.com shipped nationwide. Today's show is also brought to you by prize picks. Prize picks is daily fantasy the way it should be. All you have to do with prize picks to win up to 100 times your money is pick at least two players

Starting point is 00:11:53 and whether they'll have more than or less than their prize pick stat projections. It's you versus the projections. You don't have to deal with thousands of other players. You don't have to worry about injuries to your season. Fantasy lineup. No, prize picks is awesome. And it's super simple. So let's just say going into Thursday night football,

Starting point is 00:12:14 You wanted to take Jamar Chase this week. And obviously he hit in the more than his projection for receiving yards. And then maybe you said, ah, well, Joe Burrow is going to also throw for more than his passing yards. Boom. You put those together and you have yourself a prize picks pick. You can download the app today and use code locked on NFL to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. That's right. Play your first $5 lineup when you download the price picks app today and use code.

Starting point is 00:12:44 locked on NFL to get $50 instantly. Prize picks, run your game. Well, a majority of the offensive complaints, I would say when you point to position groups or position coaches is probably issues with the way the offensive line is performing. And maybe some fans out there thinking about like wide receiver depth. I still think Troy Walters is a good coach. I don't think we need to go down that road. The overall offense, well, it's putting up numbers this year.

Starting point is 00:13:14 there's obviously a lot of consternation with the guy at top. The guy at the top, Zach Taylor. And while I don't think that his seat is hot with the Bengals brass, this is where I think we have the biggest gap between the public and Bengals decision makers, I do think that complaints about the offensive scheme are the most resonant with me that they've been, despite them getting production,

Starting point is 00:13:40 because you're talking about how well Joe Burroughs playing, how well Jamar Chase is playing, a lot of their offense right now from a structure perspective, what they're getting from the structure of the offense is like checkdowns, which is not terribly impressive. A lot of what they're getting from the offense is Joe Burrow created. It's like checkdowns in structure, a few things working, and a lot of Joe Burrow having to create, having to go off script,

Starting point is 00:14:05 and a lot of that is on the offensive line, not necessarily on the play caller or the structure or whatever. But how many times have we talked this year about them running into the teeth of the defense too much in terms of route concepts into coverages and getting to the right play call and talking about Zach Taylor needing to find a rhythm and this sort of stuff. Seems like there's a lot more on Joe Burroughs plate this year. And so to me, that's the strongest argument when we're talking about Zach Taylor beyond just another slow start to the season, which I think you have to hold his feet to the fire on at

Starting point is 00:14:35 some point. And the recurrent issue or the returned issue of these close game issues. I don't think... It is impossible to say that Zach will be under significant fire if it continues to go down this path from the front office, from the Bengals breath. You cannot go seven and ten or six and eleven with Joe Burrow. Now, do we expect that? I do not. I think they're going to win games down the stretch here.

Starting point is 00:15:07 I think Joe's playing at such a high level that that can hide some of these flaws and they can stay around 500. the mix. I think that's a reasonable expectation. Will they be better than that and make a playoff run? That's debatable. But if they don't and everyone saying, oh, well, if they finish five and two and six and one, and it's the other way, and they finish two and five or three and four after an oh and three start, a one and four start. And it's just this up and down, up and down, up and down borderline 500 team. You have to have the conversation because what that means is, one, obviously losing close games to teams that you're supposed to, one, be competing with for playoff seating,

Starting point is 00:15:49 two, winning some of those games. And then what that would mean is winning or losing games that you should win, i.e. the Patriots, right? I.e. Tennessee in a few weeks. So those would just be a couple of examples. So I don't want to completely dismiss this idea. I don't think they're there yet. But Zach should feel pressure.

Starting point is 00:16:12 sure he does you have to start winning it's it's wild to think and i keep coming back to this that joe and jemar are doing joe and jemar things and that's who's doing it like there's not a quarterback in the league that is being asked to do more than joe burrow right now not one for their team and for their offense and what he has to do you're right out of structure and uh the hits he took the other night to try to guide this team i mean it really is joe and jimmy and jimmy Mar with no T. I don't have confidence in any of the other receivers consistently. And people might debate that. Go debate a wall. I like Andre. That hasn't happened. Germain hasn't happened. Charlie's hurt. T's hurt. And so it's to me it's like, all right, well,

Starting point is 00:17:01 can you can you find something? And we knew what Mike is sickie brought. So I think that that's, that's what's tough is it's not like Joe's having this huge year. And it's, mostly in structure. It's kind of the opposite. It feels like the quarterback and the star receiver are trying to will them in these big games. And it's just, it hasn't been enough. And I think part of that is coaching. And so if that continues, I do think that Zach will not just be under pressure to win, but that that seat could warm up in the, in the winter months here in Cincinnati. And it's not like this is a new criticism. It's new for us to talk about it this much, because I don't think it's been as significant as it's been stated by some of the national level pundits on various

Starting point is 00:17:48 websites in the past, but you've heard this from national level pundits in the past that the offense is asking too much of Joe Burrow that it schematically doesn't create enough. And this year, it's just to me much more consistently been that way, much more obvious, perhaps, that it's that way with the level that Joe's creating outside of structure in the last few weeks especially. And it starts to feel like there could be momentum there. And you make a really good point that like right now, who's really on the hot seat? I think it's on the defensive side of the ball more than anything. And we haven't even gotten there yet. We will go there in just a second here. But the offensive side of the ball, I think, especially for Zach, is so contingent

Starting point is 00:18:38 on what happens the rest of the year. Because the offense has been. overall producing at a high level. So from the Bengals brass decision-maker perspective, like, yeah, Zach isn't just the offense. He's also your head coach. So at some point, he's accountable for everything happening with the team, right? But if you look at it from the offensive side of things, and you're the Bengals front office, you're probably looking at saying,

Starting point is 00:19:01 well, the offense is still scoring points. They're still, you know, one of the top five, six, seven, whatever offenses in the league by whatever metrics they like to look at. So it is a little bit harder on that side of the ball, despite the fact that that's the side of the ball that needs to be winning you games. And that's just a lot of pressure, right? We've talked about this, and Joe's talked about this all year. The need for him to be playing near perfect ball,

Starting point is 00:19:28 and he's playing near perfect ball. It's just not quite perfect. And that's what's been needed more than near perfect this year. And a lot of that is because of what's happening on the defensive side of the ball. And I think that that is what we need to discuss here, because that's where I think there's a lot more heat. We'll do that coming up next. Nothing delivers comfort and joy,

Starting point is 00:19:50 quite like the unrivaled quality and taste of Omaha Steaks. This year you can skip the holiday hustle and bustle and save 50% off gourmet gifts sitewide at Omaha Steaks.com. Plus get a $30 reward card when you shop early and score an extra $30 off with promo code NFL. With five generations of experience, they consistently deliver the world's best steak experience and the giving experts at Omaha Steaks have made it easy to deliver the perfect gift

Starting point is 00:20:17 with thoughtfully curated gift packages starting at 8999. From legendary steaks to mouthwatering desserts and more, say 50% off sitewide at Omaha Steaks.com. Plus, our listeners get that extra $30 off with promo code NFL and a $30 reward card when you shop early. That's 50% off at omaha-hastakes.com and an extra $30 off with promo code. NFL. Minimum purchase may apply. Today's show is also brought to by Fandul, America's number one sports book. And you got to get ready to tackle the NFL action. And it must win game.

Starting point is 00:20:54 It's Bengals, it's Chargers Sunday night football next week, week 11. And it's crazy. But the Bengals, shocker, underdogs, one and a half point underdogs going up against the Chargers team that we don't know as we record this, what they've done in week 10 for better or worse. So that line could move. But Fandall, America's number one sportsbook, has that right now. And when you get a hunch in the middle of the game, you can check out the latest stats.

Starting point is 00:21:21 View live play-by-play and so much more on the same page where you place your bets. All you have to do is visit fandle.com to join today where you'll get started with $150 in bonus bets. If you win your first $5 bet, that's fandle.com, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. A lot of heat on that defensive staff. What do you think, James? Yeah, I think, who, it's, it certainly starts with Lou. And it starts with Lou, there's been a lot of talk this week about, in the past couple of weeks, about like, oh, well, this front office and Gino Stone and Sheldon Rankins and, and rightfully so, right? Those guys have been free agent bust at this point.

Starting point is 00:22:05 That's fair to say. One thing that's so unique about the Bengals and how they attack free agency. how they attack the draft, is the coaches have so much input. And that matters. That matters because it's like, all right, well, Lou, how many players on defense have been drafted the past couple of years? How many players in free agency have you added to be the Bates, not replacement? Because I don't think anyone thought that they would be able to replace Jesse Bates.

Starting point is 00:22:37 But you get the point here. I'm talking about Miles Murphy, DJ Turner, Jordan, Battle. Think about that. Three straight draft picks in 2023 to start that 2023 draft. The year prior to that, Dax Hill, Cam Taylor Britt, Zach Carter.

Starting point is 00:22:50 Think about those six and how much they are or aren't getting from those guys. Cam Taylor Britt has regressed this year. And Dax Hill has been, would be the best out of that group, which if I would have said that last year at this time, I would have gotten laughed out of the room. And yet that's who,

Starting point is 00:23:10 before his injury, he was easily the best out of that group. So it's, it is, it's wild to say, because we're talking about mad scientist, Lou, feels like yesterday. It doesn't feel like that long ago. And yet, I look at this defense, and I do think that that seat is, is pretty warm right now, because this defense has just been, has been rough, rough, rough, whether it's the free agent additions, their draft picks, or guys that have just progressed that have been here for quite some time. Yeah, it's the draft picks. It's the development of those draft picks. It's in-game failures. And that's what makes me look top to bottom on the defensive side of the ball. I don't think there's a single coach on the defensive staff that should be feeling particularly secure at this point.

Starting point is 00:23:58 It's not like there's a position group that's like, oh, yeah, the defense has been bad, but, you know, the ex-position group, the cornerbacks, for example. I mean, there isn't one. But the cornerbacks have been fine. So cornerbacks coach should be fine. No, it's every single spot on this defense has a potential position coaching issue from a development perspective or an in-game execution perspective or whatever it is. I think you look top to bottom on defense. And again, I think that the, I guess, extenuating circumstances, the front office does continue for this entire coaching staff to have the coaching staff. kind of fighting with one arm behind their back in a lot of cases.

Starting point is 00:24:44 Like, yes, there were all of those early draft picks on defense. And I agree with you that the development or lack thereof and the defensive staff's involvement in those picks. But it's similar to what we talked about with Frank, right? Like how much was that the front office? How much was that locked up with Lou? It's a fair question, I think. We don't know exactly, but it's probably something you would assume

Starting point is 00:25:04 that the entire defensive staff would have more input there for all of those premium picks and be on the same page. perhaps than the Jackson-Carman pick. But have they done enough at any point, right, in free agency? Have they brought in that extra piece that we've discussed at corner, at defensive line, at defensive tackle? Have they made the right choices at safety? How much of that is the coaching input?

Starting point is 00:25:29 How much of that is front office? That's always a question with this team, where we don't know exactly where that line is of front office versus defensive staff. but I don't think that you're getting enough in terms of development anyway to absolve the defensive staff, to be clear. Well, that's why the balance of, because the difference between Lou and, say, Frank Pollock is, well, they've invested in defense in the draft,

Starting point is 00:25:56 early picks. You have these guys. Now, Lou is the one who said it would be a dark day if you lose Jesse Bates and Ron Bell. And he didn't know to lose DJ Reader. You better believe he wanted to keep DJ. And he wanted to keep Jesse, and if you have those two guys, it feels much different on defense. Like, if you put Jesse Bates in the Gino Stone Roll and number 98 is DJ Reader and not Sheldon Rankins,

Starting point is 00:26:19 this defense feels much different, I promise. And I know you know that for Stan Jake. So that's the argument. And you could use it. Oh, well, easy to scapegoat Lou too. You're trying to get me to replace Jesse Bates. There aren't many Jesse Bates is on the planet. There aren't many DJ readers.

Starting point is 00:26:35 And the one DJ Reader in this draft went before. for the Bengals' second round pick and Devonre Sweat and he had all these character concerns. I just mean strictly on-field perspective. And so I get it. Like that would be a lose case. And so what I think is going to be really interesting is how the front office, how ownership balances that, their failures of not paying guys or not being able to replace guys, how much input the coaching staff had in that and their inability to develop the guys,

Starting point is 00:27:08 guys they ended up picking. And so where does it fall? Who takes blame? You keep losing. There will be, there will be blamed. You don't make the playoffs with Joe Burrow playing like an MVP and Jamar Chase's offensive player of the year material. There will be heads rolling, even if it isn't the headman.

Starting point is 00:27:26 And who knows? It depends. And I think that that's the balance here because Lou would have a good argument if we were in court as to why the defense stinks now, right? But the Bengals certainly have a good argument because they have no business having Cam Taylor Britt regressed to the level that he's regressed this year. It just doesn't make any sense. I have no idea why he's playing at that level now. And maybe it's a Cam thing, fine.

Starting point is 00:27:50 But who is developed and playing at a high level on defense out of all these draft picks you've used on defense? That's what's tough is because you can't point to a guy or two. And you can't on offense either. That's why they're here. It's not like you think, Andre, Joseph Vash is going to be a pro bowler. They haven't developed him to that. And I never thought he was going to be that anyway when they picked him.

Starting point is 00:28:11 But it's just that's what's tough is the past couple of years. There aren't any of those guys where it's like, oh, well, that's the future, even if he's not the present. And that's why these coaches, there's multiple guys on the hot seat. And Dax got hurt. So it's unfortunate that you say that because like maybe Dax is the guy that you point to first round pick. Miles Murphy started to show some things the last couple of weeks. Can't even get on the field. despite that he's producing when he's on the field.

Starting point is 00:28:38 So, like, you know, that's not an argument in favor of the coaching staff either. The Bengals did make a couple roster moves, James. We are getting to this later than anticipated, later than planned. But Isaiah Williams, a wide receiver claimed from the Detroit Lions, a slot receiver for the Illinois fighting Aligni in college, a rookie this year, coming off of a final year in school where he had 82 catches for 1,055 yards and five touchdowns. The notable thing in his profile that's interesting is, you know, strictly slot type, 5-9, 182, smaller, not top-end speed there for him. It's 46340, according to Kent Lee Platt's RAS card.

Starting point is 00:29:24 Some really nice jumps, good vert, good broad, and really nice agility, which shows up in looking at his P. FF stats in terms of mistackles force, an elusive player that they've added in the slot. And they tried to claim Yadikin Gakwe as well, but the Patriots were higher in the order there. A couple things. One, Isaiah Williams potentially fills a need. Charlie Jones still dealing with that groin. You need to sharpen up the return game. He can help you as a kickoff returner and punt returner tomorrow if you need them.

Starting point is 00:29:51 I mean, that's a plug-and-play type position. I had two catches for the Lions this year. You mentioned it, undrafted free agent. but to me it's like okay well let's see maybe he's your slot guy who knows right the the agility is what you look for in these slot receivers especially if they're smaller and he has the the agility that you're looking for in the explosiveness so we'll see but i like the move and this does not get in the way they're not get in the way of claiming it yonick and gawke it's not like fantasy football where you lose waiver priority if you claim one guy they try to claim yonick and gawgway the Patriots It stink, even though they beat the Bengals, so they're higher on the waiver priority list. Here's what's annoying about this, Jake. They could have just signed Yanukkahe five weeks ago, six weeks ago. He played in five games for the Ravens.

Starting point is 00:30:41 And we've talked about defensive line depth for a long time. Nothing's changed. Miles Murphy's healthy now, wasn't healthy when In Gokwe signed with Baltimore. If you want him now, why wouldn't you have wanted him six weeks? Like, what have you learned now that you, you know, didn't know six weeks ago. I just, to me, that's what's annoying about Yanukankankai. But I do think that Williams, Isaiah Williams, by the way, former Chase Brown teammate,

Starting point is 00:31:09 I do think he can help. And I do think he could give them a little juice as a returner minimum. And who knows, maybe he works his way on the field as a slot receiver at some point. We'll see with that, I would say. Like, I'm not going to say that I think he can be like a significant contributor without having seen him at all. But there is some, there are some traits there that you like in terms of the ability to make guys miss. He's a type of player they don't really have a receiver, the agility smaller guy. So adding just a player in that mold is interesting for this team. And we'll

Starting point is 00:31:45 see how or if he can contribute. But undrafted free agent midseason waiver claim, like, it's tough to have too high of expectations there. You know what I mean? But can he help you a return game where they're like terrible right now and need something better than Trent Nervin running backwards on punt returns? It's not a terribly high bar. That's my expectation, right? It's like maybe you're looking at him returning kicks along with Charlie Jones

Starting point is 00:32:14 when Charlie Jones comes back or he fills in until Charlie comes back because I do think Charlie's probably going to miss at least one more game. Two-time captain at Illinois. Isaiah Williams. And we had some pro-day connection with him in the Bengals pre-draft this year. So there was some interest there, I think, with him pre-draft, as you'd expect, with a rookie that they're acquiring mid-year. They certainly did their homework on him in the pre-draft process. Last point on Ingaqua, it ties right back into what we were talking about as the alleviating factor when you're looking to blame the coaching staff on defense. Like, why didn't they just make the Ingoquay and Callais Campbell moves when they could have?

Starting point is 00:32:55 know what I mean? It's those one more move that we're talking about in the offseason. We're like, ah, they're not done yet. They should have money. There should be one more obvious move. And they didn't make that one more obvious move this year or last year. Mackay Beckton? Yeah. You brought him in. He's playing guard for the Eagles. Like, wouldn't it be nice now to have Mackay Beckton and not Cody Ford? Or just McKay Beckton and not Alex Kappa, to be honest. And, you know, that's a brutal shot to throw at the end of the show here. But, uh, I think that's reality as well.

Starting point is 00:33:27 Mackay Beckton playing pretty well for the Eagles. To be fair, best offensive line coach in the league, probably in Philly. Really good situation there for offensive linemen. But those couple waiver claims there, we'll see what happens with Isaiah Williams, a wide receiver, got some return experience in college as well. And a little bit frustrating to come up short on the waiver claim for Ngokwe for the reasons we've discussed. But that's going to do it for this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. to look forward to the outlook for this team going forward this week.

Starting point is 00:33:59 We'll have a chance most likely to do that barring other news. Until then, thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. Ho-Day and have a good one.

Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Analyzing Cincinnati Bengals Coaches On The Hot Seat

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.