PHOENIX -- Expect a bright spotlight to be on the Bengals backfield this season, especially from Fantasy owners. Our hope is Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard will shine after both were duds last year.
Start with Bernard, who is coming off a torn ACL suffered in Week 11 last season. Coach Marvin Lewis said at the NFL’s annual meeting Tuesday that Bernard is “doing well” in his recovery, and the hope is Bernard is ready for Week 1.
All the reports on Bernard’s rehab have been positive, but he could still be eased into action this season, including a potential stint on the PUP list during training camp. He enters this year as a low-end No. 3 Fantasy running back at best, and he’s only worth drafting with a mid- to late-round pick until we know the status of his knee.
Prior to his injury, Bernard struggled with 91 carries for 337 yards and two touchdowns, including a career-low 3.7-yards per carry. He also added 39 catches for 336 yards and one touchdown before getting hurt.
Bernard’s potential absence could be good for Hill, but he is coming off his second consecutive down season in 2016. Despite finishing as the No. 19 Fantasy running back in standard leagues, he was too touchdown dependent.
Hill had 222 carries for 839 yards (3.78-yards per carry) and nine touchdowns and 21 catches for 174 yards. He had seven games with double digits in Fantasy points in 15 games (he missed Week 17 with a knee injury), including three after Bernard got hurt.
But Hill also had just two games with more than 100 rushing yards and three games with more than 4.0 yards per carry. He only averaged 3.56-yards per carry in 2015, and this is a bad pattern for two seasons in a row. As a result, Hill is only worth drafting in Round 6 at the earliest in standard leagues and Round 8 at the earliest in PPR.
Part of the reason for the running game’s struggles was inconsistent offensive line play, although Pro Football Focus ranked the Bengals at No. 13 in 2016, which is middle of the pack. But now that offensive line likely got worse this year with left tackle Andrew Whitworth (Rams) and right guard Kevin Zeitler (Browns) gone as free agents.
The Bengals brought back former right tackle Andre Smith as a free agent, and he’s expected to replace Zeitler at right guard. And Cedric Ogbuehi, a former 2015 first-round pick from Texas A&M, will hope to replace Whitworth at left tackle. It’s a potential downgrade, which should hurt the entire offense, including Hill and Bernard.
Lewis said the entire team has to be better at running the ball for Hill and Bernard to succeed.
“It’s everything,” Lewis said. “When you’re not successful, it’s a combination of things. We have to do a better job coaching, a
better job blocking and also for the runners, do a better job of being on the right track with their vision.”
We’ll see how the offensive line does with the new faces this year. And we’ll also see if the Bengals add another running back for competition.
Cincinnati has to replace the departed Rex Burkhead, who signed with the Patriots as a free agent. But the Bengals also could look for an upgrade over Hill or an alternate to Bernard if he’s not ready for Week 1.
That would clearly alter our view on Hill and Bernard, and we’ll adjust accordingly after the NFL Draft. For now, it’s hard to trust the Bengals backfield heading into the season, unless you get them at the right price in your Fantasy league.
