When a team is stringing together winning seasons, operational practices are immune to criticism. Such was the case with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2011-2015 when the team made five straight postseasons, largely thanks to a small handful of quality draft classes.
But, as the team faces their fourth consecutive year with a losing record here in 2019, familiar criticisms are coming back out of the woodwork. The team’s ownership has seemed to be an easy target once again, given the myriad of issues that have plagued the beginning stages of the Zac Taylor era.
One area that has received increased criticism volume is in the team’s inactivity in outside free agency.