The Bengals recently hired Marion Hobby to be their d-line coach. And it was a good hire. But, after another bad year by the defense, we still don’t know why we’re supposed to believe firing Nick Eason will fix everything.
Cincinnati’s defensive strength was in the secondary, headed by Jessie Bates having the best performance by a safety on the year. The linebackers were inconsistent contributors, but that position saw a lot of upheaval, including three rookies being added.
It was the defensive line that was the real disappointment. The issues, however, were not necessarily about development.