Strictly Stripes: A Cincinnati Bengals podcast

The Bengals' offense still has some unanswered question entering 2023. Joe Mixon is the presumptive running back for the Bengals but how will the offense look behind Mixon? Rookie Chase Brown will compete for the backup role behind Mixon but he has to fill Samaje Perine's big shoes. Irv Smith Jr. appears to be primed to be the lead tight end following Hayden Hurst's departure. He brings health con...

The Bengals still remain top favorites to win both the AFC North and the conference championship. Cincinnati is still the betting favorite to win their third consecutive division title with a chance to go to their second Super Bowl in three seasons. The conference still runs through the defending world champion Chiefs but both teams will have a chance to prove one another wrong next year. Adding M...

The Bengals selected eight players in the NFL Draft last week. Most of them aren’t projected to be immediate starters but that could very well change in 2024. Cleveland.com special contributor Lance Reisland joins the Strictly Stripes podcast to break down all eight players’ skills. Reisland and Mohammad Ahmad go through a thorough pick-by-pick analysis of the Bengals’ picks and explain how and wh...

The arms race for the top passing offense in the AFC has come to an ease -- for now. The NFL Draft is now in the books which means that teams can take stock as to where their respective passing attacks stand. Cincinnati will have a bolstered passing attack with the addition of fourth-round pick Charlie Jones. Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd aren't going anywhere in 2023. The trio of Higg...

Most of the Bengals' post-draft winners and losers came on the defense. That only makes sense given how many players the Bengals drafted on that side of the ball during last week's NFL Draft. Five of the Bengals' eight draft picks will look to contribute to helping fill a lot of short- and long-term holes. The most impact based on who was and wasn't drafted comes on the defensive line. But is that...

The picture of the Bengals' offense looks a little clear ahead of the 2023 season. Several players need to be ready to compete for their jobs with several offensive additions like Charlie Jones and Chase Brown in the NFL Draft. Others, meanwhile, can take a sigh of relief after the Bengals didn't draft a tight end or an offensive tackle among other positions last weekend. But how competitive will...

The 2023 NFL Draft has come to a close for the Cincinnati Bengals. Other than trading down in the third round and acquiring an additional sixth-round pick, their picks didn't change. They yielded eight draft picks over the weekend, mostly on the defensive side. That plays into the Bengals' strategy of building a younger, fresher defense with the hope of building long term depth. Did the Bengals' p...

Defense has been the Bengals’ priority throughout this NFL Draft. Three picks yield three defensive players much like last year. In 2022, the Bengals’ first three draft picks were defenders. A year later, they select edge rusher Myles Murphy, cornerback DJ Turner II and safety Brian Branch in that order. The strategy is simple: Build up a young defense through the draft and lean on that in the sho...

The Bengals have filled an immediate and long-term positional need. By drafting Clemson edge rusher Myles Murphy, Cincinnati can improve on its lack of success in the pass rush that could’ve kept them from reaching that elusive Super Bowl championship. He’s a true third-down edge rusher who can help the Bengals win now. That’s exactly what they needed in the first round. Lots of chips and dominoes...

First impressions are everything in life, including the NFL Draft. With under 24 hours remaining before the start of the draft, the Bengals will have to figure out how to dominate the first round in order to win the rest of the weekend. What happens in the first round could very well dictate how successful the team will be Friday and Saturday. This isn't just any other draft. The Bengals could eas...

The final prep work is coming together for the Bengals' front office and the scouting department. In just over 48 hours, the franchise's future will take shape as the team figures out who they are and aren't picking in this year's NFL Draft. Will they trade up? Will they trade down? They haven't shied away from trading down just like they did back in 2021 with their second-round pick and other pre...

The NFL Draft is just three days away. All 32 teams' draft boards are now taking shape with their final needs and projections in mind. Whether the top ten is mostly filled with quarterbacks or there's sneaky trades up and down, anything can happen on Thursday. What will the best first-round moves look like? The Strictly Stripes, Orange and Brown Talk and Buckeye Talk crews all join forces to put t...

How will the Bengals add reinforcements in the defensive trenches? Defensive line is a position to watch for the Bengals in next week's NFL Draft. The team has different ways of attacking the interior depth with a variety of options throughout the first four rounds. Will the team go against previous precedent and make a higher move at this position next week? Cincinnati hasn't drafted a defensive...

There's no telling what will happen to Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon. Aside from his off the field issues, Mixon is still a cap causality entering the 2023 season. The Bengals haven't ruled out drafting a running back in the first round and they're almost guaranteed to select one in the NFL Draft next week. Will Mixon's fate be determined by the Bengals' draft stock? He could still be...

Bengals' director of player personnel Duke Tobin is scheduled to meet with the media on Thursday, just seven days before the NFL Draft. What questions face Tobin and the rest of the Bengals' front office headed into the draft, and the remaining parts of free agency? What questions do we have for Tobin, and what things need to be answered moving forward? Then, the Strictly Stripes crew discusses wh...

The quarterback market is in a new era. Philadelphia Jalen Hurts' latest $255 million megadeal signals how much the NFL's best passers can expect to make in the coming years. Two of his fellow 2020 draft classmates, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, are also due for likely looming extensions. Both Burrow and Herbert are actively in contract negotiations. There...

The Bengals' tight end room is all but settled. Cincinnati brings back Drew Sample for another year alongside recent addition Irv Smith Jr. While Smith Jr. appears to be the heir apparent to Hayden Hurst, nothing is guaranteed heading into training camp. How does this impact the Bengals' draft strategy? Is Michael Mayer in the mix? The team is also back to working out once again with some faces pr...

Where will the Bengals focus their efforts at tight end? Don't be surprised if the Bengals try to find big body anywhere within the first three rounds of this month's NFL Draft. Whether or not they attack in the first round or not could depend on if players like Dalton Kincaid or Michael Mayer are still available. Which round makes more sense beyond the first round to pick a tight end? With exactl...

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is preparing for opposing defenses in 2023 just as they're preparing for Burrow. The Bengals' opponents have made a swath of defensive signings to prepare for Burrow. San Francisco signed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, Pittsburgh retained Larry Ogunjobi and added Patrick Peterson and the Browns bolstered their defense with names like Juan Thornhill and Dalvin Tomli...

Wide receiver should be the least of the Bengals' draft worries. Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins are locked into 2023 and Trenton Irwin is also going to be back for another season. However, Boyd and Higgins both hit free agency in 2024 and there's a good chance at least one of them might be gone by then. So, should the Bengals start to think about that future scenario now? This year's wi...

History has not favored the Bengals selecting a defensive line early in the draft. Cincinnati hasn't selected a defensive lineman in the first round in over two decades. Whether that's purely coincidental or exactly how the team has planned for the future, there's been mixed results from that process. From landing star studded Pro Bowlers like Carlos Dunlap to mid-round players not panning out as...

Another Pro Bowl wide receiver has returned to the AFC North. Odell Beckham Jr's newest one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens will have him face against his former Browns team and the Cincinnati Bengals two more times each in 2023. His $15 million guaranteed signifies that the wide receiver market continues to grow across the NFL. Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is due for a contract extension...

How the Bengals decide to approach the cornerback position in this year's NFL Draft could be a toss-up. Cornerback isn't the most pressing area of need for the team but an area of need that needs to be addressed. Chidobe Awuzie isn't guaranteed to be ready for next season's opener and Eli Apple and Tre Flowers are still free agents. Like tight end and running back, cornerback is a deep class in th...

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow still hasn't had quite the perfect offseason yet. His rookie year featured COVID-19 protocols and restrictions before he tore his ACL later that season. That impacted his ability to train and prepare for the 2021 season even though he went on to be named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. All seemed to go well heading into 2022 until he had to have an appendectomy...

Former Texas running back Bijan Robinson and the Bengals might be a match made in heaven. Although he might be gone well before the Bengals are on the clock with the No. 28 overall pick, the Bengals should hope he's available. He would be a great fit just like Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer, Ohio State tackle Dawand Jones and Clemson edge rusher Bryan Breese among other highly touted starts. B...