Man, 2023 was a weird one for Cincinnati. Honestly, if you look at the Cincinnati Bengals roster 2023 on paper, it looked like a Super Bowl juggernaut. You had the "Big Three" at receiver, a defense that had basically stayed together for years, and a quarterback who was finally supposed to be healthy after an entire offseason of work.
Then reality hit. Hard.
It wasn't just the Joe Burrow wrist injury that ended the season in Week 11. It was a roster in transition. For the first time in years, the Bengals actually looked young—kinda scary young in some spots. They moved on from veterans like Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell, opting for a youth movement in the secondary that led to some serious growing pains. If you're wondering how a team with this much talent missed the playoffs, you have to look at the construction of this specific squad.
The Big Swing: Protecting Joe Burrow (Again)
Every year we hear the same thing: "We have to protect Joe." In 2023, the front office finally backed up the truck for Orlando Brown Jr. They gave him a massive 4-year, $64 million deal to jump ship from the rival Chiefs. It was a statement move. It meant Jonah Williams, a former first-round pick, had to swallow his pride and move to right tackle.
The line looked like this:
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- LT: Orlando Brown Jr.
- LG: Cordell Volson
- C: Ted Karras
- RG: Alex Cappa
- RT: Jonah Williams
On paper? Solid. In practice? It was better, but not perfect. Burrow still took 24 sacks in only 10 games. The running game, led by Joe Mixon (who eventually grinded out 1,034 yards), struggled to find a rhythm early on because the chemistry just wasn't there yet.
That Loaded Wide Receiver Room
We have to talk about the pass catchers. This was likely the last time we'd see Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd together for a full season. Chase was, as usual, a freak of nature. He hauled in 100 catches for over 1,200 yards even with a backup QB for half the year.
But look deeper at the 2023 depth chart and you'll see the future starting to peek through. Andrei Iosivas, the track star from Princeton, and Charlie Jones from Purdue were the new kids on the block. Iosivas actually caught four touchdowns that year, which is wild for a sixth-round rookie in such a crowded room.
The Tight End "Carousel"
After Hayden Hurst left for Carolina, the Bengals tried the Irv Smith Jr. experiment. To be blunt, it didn't really work. Smith struggled to stay on the field and eventually lost reps to Tanner Hudson. Hudson was a revelation. He was basically a practice squad guy who became a security blanket for the quarterbacks, finishing with 39 catches. Sometimes the biggest names on the Cincinnati Bengals roster 2023 weren't the ones making the most important plays.
The Defense: A Youth Movement That Cost Them
Lou Anarumo is a defensive wizard, but even he couldn't hide the lack of experience in the secondary. Replacing Pro Bowl safeties with Dax Hill and Nick Scott was a gamble. It led to a lot of "explosive plays" for the other guys. Basically, the Bengals went from one of the most disciplined units in the league to one that was consistently out of position.
Jordan Battle, a rookie from Alabama, eventually took over for Nick Scott midway through the season. He was a bright spot, finishing with 125 tackles and showing he belonged. But the growing pains were real. The Bengals' defense, which used to be their "clutch" factor, finished near the bottom of the league in yards allowed.
Pass Rush Standouts
If there was one thing that kept them in games, it was Trey Hendrickson. The guy is a motor that never stops. He was the anchor of the defensive line, alongside Sam Hubbard and B.J. Hill. They even drafted Myles Murphy in the first round to add some juice, though he was mostly a rotational piece as a rookie.
Jake Browning and the "What If" Season
When Joe Burrow's season ended in Baltimore, everyone thought the year was over. Enter Jake Browning.
Nobody expected Browning to play the way he did. He finished the year with a 70.4% completion rate. That’s insane. For a few weeks in December, the Cincinnati Bengals roster 2023 looked like it might actually sneak into the playoffs. They beat the Colts, they beat the Jaguars in a primetime thriller—it was fun while it lasted.
But the roster's flaws eventually caught up to them. Without Burrow's ability to navigate the pocket and the defense's inability to stop the run, they stumbled against the Steelers and Chiefs late in the year.
Actionable Insights for Bengals Fans
If you're looking back at the 2023 season to understand where the team is going now, here are the key takeaways:
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- Roster Depth Matters: The 2023 season proved that the Bengals' "stars and scrubs" approach was risky. When the stars got hurt, the drop-off was steep in certain areas like safety and tight end.
- The "Big Three" Era Ended: 2023 was the swan song for the Chase-Higgins-Boyd trio. Moving forward, the team has clearly shifted toward younger, cheaper options like Iosivas to balance the cap.
- Drafting for Need vs. Best Player: The Myles Murphy pick was about the future, but in 2023, they arguably needed more immediate help at defensive tackle or safety.
The 2023 roster will always be remembered as the "Lost Year." It was a group that had all the pieces but couldn't keep the most important one—number 9—upright and healthy. It forced the team to grow up fast, and while the 9-8 record wasn't what anyone wanted, it laid the groundwork for the roster resets we're seeing today.