Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
The NFL offseason has arrived, and several teams have a lot to prove if they want to get back into the competitive fold next season.
Now that Super Bowl LVII is in the books, the NFL offseason has arrived, and the league begins its next chapter that will conclude in Las Vegas.
It’s easy to look at teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs and say they have their work cut out for them as they try to defend their respective crowns.
However, in case people forgot, other teams are also trying to write a script. Nonetheless. the league’s script says everyone starts at 0-0 once the season ends. What happens afterward remains to be written.
That said, a few specific bunches need to use this off-season to either get them over the final edge or restore credibility. Here are five of them right now.
NFL offseason: 5 teams with most to prove in 2023
5. Cincinnati Bengals
Two straight years in the AFC Championship Game. Trash talk has doomed them for two consecutive years, once in the Super Bowl and this past year. Maybe the Tigers need to stay quiet instead of roaring.
Whatever the case may be, keeping everyone is impossible. More importantly, many of their young stars will eventually have to be paid. Joe Burrow needs an extension soon, as does Tee Higgins. The defense needs better players, simply. Additionally, some of their contracts are coming up (Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, etc.). Their offensive line also needs work; see the AFC title game.
Thankfully, retaining both their offensive and defensive coordinators will provide continuity. But this bunch needs to find a way to get their first Lombardi trophy before everyone leaves. Also, they might want to stay quiet from here on out as silence is golden (Eli Apple, Mayor Aftab Pureval, etc.)