It's been a long offseason without football, but not to worry, because training camp is about to get started around the league.
After training camp, preseason games will get underway and then the regular season kicks off on September 4.
The Cincinnati Bengals are a team that likely can't wait for the season to begin. The team failed to reach the playoffs in 2024, which was a disappointing result considering the offensive firepower on this roster.
Entering this offseason, the main storyline for the Bengals was the impending free agency of star wide receiver Tee Higgins. Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase are both elite weapons for Joe Burrow, and losing Higgins would've been a massive blow.
The team was able to reach extensions with both receivers, though, and will look to have one of the game's top offenses again.
Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus recently identified the top receiver rooms in the league, and the Bengals came in at No. 3.
Regarding this ranking, Sikkema offered the following:
The duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins does the heavy lifting for the Bengals' receiving corps, but there are few other better pass-catching units. Chase was the triple-crown winner last season and earned an 84.9 PFF receiving grade, which would have been in the elite category had he not dropped 13 passes. Higgins added an 88.3 PFF receiving grade in a contract year.
Chase Brown is a good receiver out of the backfield, posting a 76.8 PFF receiving grade in 2024, while Mike Gesicki had one of his better seasons with 1.55 yards per route run — his best average since 2020. Cincinnati's team-wide 80.3 PFF receiving grade in 2024 ranked seventh in the NFL.
As Sikkema mentioned, Chase and Higgins are an elite one-two punch, but there are a couple of other teams with deeper rooms. Sikkema has the Eagles at the top spot, with the Buccaneers at the second spot.
Still, even if the Bengals' room isn't super deep, Chase and Higgins make up for it. Chase caught a whopping 127 passes for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, while Higgins caught 73 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Behind that duo, Sikkema shouted out running back Chase Brown, who impressed as a pass-catcher last year. Brown caught 54 passes for 360 yards and four touchdowns. Another talented pass-catcher is tight end Mike Gesicki, who caught 65 passes for 665 yards and two touchdowns last year.
Elsewhere, Andrei Iosivas, Jermaine Burton, and Charlie Jones are also on the roster. If any of that trio impresses in 2025, this unit could end up topping the rankings next offseason.