Williams: Why Joe Burrow's expected 2024 return won't solve Cincinnati Bengals' problems

Zac Taylor reiterated the Cincinnati Bengals’ annual goals minutes after a disappointing season ended.

“Win the division and win the Super Bowl,” the coach said in the wake of Cincinnati's 31-14 dismantling of the playoff-bound Cleveland Browns’ backups in the regular-season finale at cold and dreary Paycor Stadium.

It’s important to note Taylor said “win the Super Bowl.” He didn’t say “get there” or “get close.” Perhaps it’s most important the front office take note of Taylor’s words.

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The Bengals brass simply can’t chalk up this season to losing Joe Burrow to an injury in mid-November. They might have still made the playoffs with Burrow, but they almost certainly weren’t going to win it all. They weren’t built to win the Lombardi Trophy, even with a fully healthy franchise quarterback.

Burrow’s injury unmasked and exposed all the Bengals’ flaws. It should be a wake-up call to ownership and the player personnel folks to step up and do much better than they did last offseason. Do better at evaluating potential free agents and prospective draft picks. Do better at who they bring back and let walk away.

A starting point to fixing the roster: The Bengals cannot live by the belief most of their problems will be solved when Burrow returns.

Burrow fixes a lot, no doubt. But can he stay healthy? The Bengals should operate as if he may not after two of his four NFL seasons have been cut short by major injuries. Burrow has also missed most of training camp the last two seasons because of other health-related issues.

Next: Focus on fixing the trenches.

The offensive and defensive lines just aren’t good enough, particularly the interior of both. The Bengals couldn’t run the ball and they couldn’t stop the run. Blame some of it on the Bengals’ ongoing struggles in recent drafts with both position groups.

And the Bengals almost certainly will lose two of their more productive players in the trenches from the 2023 season to free agency in offensive tackle Jonah Williams and defensive tackle DJ Reader. Injuries to veteran players were also part of the problem on the defensive line. Reader missed the last three games with a torn quad. Defensive end Sam Hubbard, who just finished his sixth season, is showing a lot of wear and tear.

The injuries forced the Bengals to rely on younger defensive linemen to step up. Joseph Ossai and Myles Murphy, both early round draft picks in recent years, weren’t up to the task.

It's critical the Bengals make these fixes when looking around the league. For all the hype about the NFL being quarterback-driven, the run game still matters on both sides of the ball.

Go look at the playoff-bound teams. Most of them are good at running the ball and stopping the run. The No. 1 seeds Baltimore and San Francisco entered Sunday ranked first and third in the league in rushing. Ten of the top 14 teams in run offense after the Sunday afternoon games are headed to the playoffs.

Eight of the top 12 teams in run defense are heading to the postseason. Seven of the top nine teams in sacks are playing on.

You get the drift.

With Burrow, a drastically improved team in the trenches is a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Without Burrow, a drastically improved team in the trenches is at least likely heading to the playoffs.

Let the Browns, who had the luxury of resting most of their starters on Sunday, serve as a shining example. They lost their starting quarterback and running back to season-ending injuries. They’re still heading to the playoffs because they are strong in the trenches. They can run the ball. They can stop the run.

The Bengals’ running-game woes aren’t just on the offensive line. They must part ways with aging running back Joe Mixon this offseason, something they should’ve done last year. The Bengals entered Sunday ranked last in the NFL in rushing. They finished 29th last season.

It’s fair to say the Bengals lacked a plan for how to move on from Mixon. They let everyone know that when they restructured Mixon’s contract in the summer, giving Cincinnati an out in his deal after this season.

Here’s hoping the front office doesn’t get too enamored by Mixon running all over the Browns’ second- and third-stringers on Sunday, when he went for a season-high 111 rushing yards and accounted for two touchdowns.

Change has always been hard for the Bengals. They’re probably not going to magically start drafting better in the trenches. They’re going to continue to spend under the salary cap. But something has to meet Taylor’s Super Bowl goal.

Burrow can’t block and tackle, too.

Contact Enquirer columnist Jason Williams by email at  jwilliams@enquirer.com.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Joe Burrow's 2024 return won't be enough for Cincinnati Bengals