Wilson was a great pick by the Bengals and I was somewhat impressed with HC Zac Taylor as the season wore on. Too soon to get a caste meter reading on him but there were signs he won't become a full hog caste clone. Below are a few promising signs.
1-Drafting Logan Wilson to replace Nick Vigil, who had a very good season with 111 tackles.
2-Career high receptions for Alex Erickson with 43 catches which was second on the team.
3-Sam Hubbard had a quietly superb second year. Playing mostly DE Sam had 8.5 sacks and 10 TFLs. Plus he made 76 tackles. Why is that important? That was the
most tackles made by a DE in the entire NFL. In fact only one other DL had a few more tackles more than Sam. A well rounded player.
Having two budding white stars on defense in Hubbard ( who was continually knocked before his 2018 draft) and Logan Wilson helps sweeten the pot.
Onto another team which featured a rookie coach. Quite simply why the hell should I trust Kliff Kingsbury? I didn't much care for him at Texas Tech and was disgusted by his performance last year. He turned dynamo WR Andy Isabella into a place mat.
Yet like Tampa Bay if by some miracle things turn out better in 2020 there are some key cogs in place. I am not even cautiously optimistic but below is a best case scenario.
1-Big DE Zach Allen was MIA last year. I assume it was an injury but I looked at a fresh depth chart and Allen is penciled in as a starter. They also have a back up LB in Dennis Gardeck who saw some snaps last season.
2-Their draft was not especially inspiring but two good outcomes. LB Evan Weaver should figure in on the rotation as he is an instinctual defender who knows how to tackle, a rarity these days. And they did
not draft a wide receiver which gives Isabella some breathing space.
3- Hopefully they figure out that Isabella is an asset. Duh. The NFL doesn't like to draft white speedsters. And when they rarely do they offer them few opportunities to shine. And when by miracle they do enter into the picture it is usually after several years of anonymity and even then usage is spotty. Think Taysom Hill and the hell he had to go through just to become a once in a while gadget player. Isabella got a raw deal last year. Hopefully they pay attention to him the second go around.
4-Two very good tight ends in Maxx Williams and Dan Arnold.
5-Speaking of Taysom Hill the NFL is notoriously a copy cat league with one caveat. If the winning "experiment" involves an athletic white player chances are it won't be followed up with zeal. It makes sense to keep QB Chris Streveler on the roster as their third QB. He is a hyper athlete and can play special teams and like Hill could be positively utilized as a Swiss army knife. Isn't Kingsbury the new wiz kid with the brilliant offensive mind? Sure
only if it involves black players. And as seen last season it did
not work. Streveler has been listed as making the 53 man roster on some sites. See below one of them. I like this depth chart and the notes which are positive towards the white players. Isabella is listed as the third WR.
https://www.revengeofthebirds.com/2020/5/4/21246259/cards-53-12-early-projection
I'll give "all talk no deliverance" Kingsbury one more year to wash away the caste stench from last year. His chance of some redemption is right in front of his nose. Will he finally see the light? Probably not but I'll be keeping tabs.
