Welcome to Extra Points, a weekly collection of random thoughts around the NFL. If you have any “extra points” of your own, give me a follow on X at JLSports24 and let’s talk some football.
Bengals Master Plan
Cohesion
The best teams are built with cohesion, an aligned philosophy across the board, top to bottom, side to side. It works in the field and the front office. The Peyton Manning-led Colts are the best example. Pay the QB, pay his receivers, and score a lot of points. Gain a lead, then let your star pass rushers (Robert Mathis & Dwight Freeney) get after the trailing, pass-heavy opposing offense and wreak havoc while they try to eliminate Manning’s inevitable lead. This philosophy led to many playoff wins and a Super Bowl victory. Alignment.
Bengals Break the Bank
The Cincinnati Bengals are a famously frugal franchise under the direction of their owner, Mike Brown. Rumors of bargain amenities for players, skeleton crew scouting and coaching staffs, and the lack of an outdoor practice facility have followed the Bengals for years. In 2020, LSU QB Joe Burrow fell in their lap and changed… some of it.
A Super Bowl appearance, an All-Pro team, and some MVP votes earned Burrow a 5-year $275M deal. The largest in Cincinnati Bengals history. Of course, Burrow wanted his favorite weapons to be paid as well, and they were. Ja’Marr Chase signed a 4-year $161M contract, followed by Tee Higgins’ 4-year $115M deal.
Those contracts combine for $124M annually, to just three players. That begs the question: how can you afford to fill the rest of your roster, especially your defense? There may be an adequate answer
New Defensive Coordinator Al Golden. I’ll explain..
New Philosophy
The Bengals’ defense in 2024 was bad. Bad enough to get longtime DC Lou Anarumo fired. Bad enough to cost the team a playoff berth and Joe Burrow an MVP award. A change needed to be made, maybe not only in coach, but in philosophy.
I’m not referring to a shift in philosophy in the field, but in the team building. Without an adequate salary cap to fill your defense with stars, how do you build a competitive defense? The college way.
There are great defenses in college every season, and even in the age of N.I.L., players move on quickly and are easily replaced. That philosophy can be used in the NFL, and it can work.
Scouting – Delegate your scouts accordingly to favor their time and resources towards the defense. There’s no need to scout time-consuming QBs or even WRs. Obviously, you cannot abandon those positions or the offense, but the philosophy lends itself to favoring young defensive players
Draft – Defensive players who are ready to contribute sooner rather than later. Shy away from the high-ceiling, raw talents (Shemar Stewart). Pursue NFL-ready players from the NFL factory schools and conferences. Pass rushers aplenty.
Coaching – A simplistic, effective defense that eliminates big plays and pressures the QB. One that is easy for young players to learn and contribute to. After all, you will only have these players for one contract. There’s no capital to keep even your best defenders long term.
Compensatory Picks – This philosophy lends itself perfectly to mastering the Compensatory pick game. Letting defenders walk on contract years will earn them big paydays in free agency, which in turn earns the Bengals an abundance of comp picks. More draft selections give you more opportunities to land adequate defenders, or trade capital to pick “can’t miss” players earlier in the draft.
Al Golden
How does Al Golden tie into all of this? The former Notre Dame defensive coordinator has fielded top-10 defenses each of the last two seasons. With so much player movement due to N.I.L., the NFL Draft, and the transfer portal, Golden has shown the ability to maintain top-end defensive play, despite the comings and goings of personnel.
Golden comes to Cincinnati as a hot commodity after winning the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach in all of college football. He’s the perfect fit. Not only is he a master of coaching young players, but he’s also familiar with many players entering the NFL landscape over the next several years. He could be a true weapon in getting the Bengals over the hump.
Just a Thought
Al Golden doesn’t need to be Buddy Ryan, and the Bengals won’t be the ’85 Bears, but it’s an assumed recipe for success. Is this the Bengals’ intent? I doubt it, but if they want to be perennial Super Bowl contenders, some change is needed. The pieces are in place; they just need to delegate and execute accordingly.
Hats Off
Hats off to two budding NFL stars, two-way Travis Hunter and… Cam Little?
Big things were expected of Travis Hunter from the moment he declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. Selected 2nd overall after a colossal trade up by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the immediate question was whether or not he would be a two-way player, as he was at Jackson State and Colorado.
The answer was inevitably yes, and we got our first glimpse of it Saturday night’s preseason game against the Steelers. Hunter played 10 snaps on offense and caught both of his targets for 9 yards. He also lined up at cornerback for 8 snaps, one of which didn’t go particularly well..
The sky is the limit for Two-Way Travis as a pro. He was my (and many others) number one prospect in the draft who doubled as WR1 and CB1. He has true game-breaking ability as a receiver, especially in an offense that features them. His contributions on defense are to be monitored, but FanDuel believes he’ll be a factor, awarding him with the fifth-best odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year (+1300).
I believe his impact will be made offensively, where he has the fourth-best odds for Offensive Rookie of the Year (+900). He’ll be an immediate game breaker with his immense talent and big-play ability.
But, Travis Hunter isn’t the only Jaguars player to look out for with big play ability..
Second-year kicker Cam Little made one of the biggest plays of the season, before the season had even begun.
A 70-yard field goal that would have shattered Justin Tucker‘s NFL record 66-yarder. Unfortunately for Little, the kick only exists on video, not in the record books. However, I get the feeling this won’t be his last chance to make NFL history, especially now that he’s shown the ability to do so.
Little-known Cam was a rookie for the Jaguars last year, who quietly buried 27 of 29 field goals, including 5 of 6 from 50 yards or more. Tack on 27/27 on PATs, and we have yet another budding star in Jacksonville.
