3 Bengals starters who won’t survive the season and why

The Cincinnati Bengals come into the season was some seriously high expectations. Remember, just a few short years ago, this team was in the Super Bowl.

They now have Joe Burrow back and healthy as well as Ja'Marr Chase nearing a record contract extension. Their defense is loaded with talent as well. Everybody in Cincinnati is under the belief that this team should be contending for the AFC North title, the AFC Championship and eventually the Super Bowl.

But if they want to get there, they have to put the best players on the field. Right now, whether by injury or experience, they're missing a few key players. Which Bengals Week 1 starters won't survive the season in the starting lineup?

3 Bengals starters who won’t survive the season and why

3. DT Sheldon Rankins

As many of you reading this know, the Bengals suffered quite the embarrassing loss at the hands of the New England Patriots to open the season. The Patriots likely won't be favored by the odds in just about any game this season. That team could finish the season with a record of 3-14 and nobody would be surprised.

The Patriots beat them with the ground game, specifically on the back of their top rusher Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson is typically a between-the-tackles runner and the Bengals had no answer for him on the ground. Stevenson ran for 120 yards at nearly 5.0 yards per carry against the Bengals defense.

The player that's most responsible for these inside runs, whether it be eating double teams or securing tackles, is the defensive tackle, specifically the nose tackle.

That puts Sheldon Rankins in question going forward. Rankins got good pressure on Brissett, but he was getting bullied in the running game. Zach Carter flashed some solid potential as a rotational piece on the line. If Carter continues to play this way, he will take the spot from Rankins in no time.

For Rankins, he will need to be better in the run game against a few tough backs over the next month or two if he wants to save his job.

2. WR Trenton Irwin

Okay, I digress. This pick was a layup.

Trenton Irwin was only starting this week because Tee Higgins is hurt, and Jermaine Burton has struggled a bit in camp and the preseason. The Bengals wide receiver room is pretty cut and dry. It looks as follows:

Chase is the obvious number one option, no explanation is needed. Tee Higgins, when healthy, is the obvious No.2 option, again, no explanation is needed. Andrei Iosivas is the third option and the team's main slot guy. He didn't look the best in Week 1, but he's a freak athlete that Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow are both very high on.

Jermaine Burton will slot in as the next best option as the season goes on. He hasn't shown that he's truly ready for the spotlight just yet, but he's incredibly talented and he will show that more as the weeks go by.

That leaves Irwin as the rotational fifth option once everybody is healthy and in sync. But, who knows? Maybe Irwin could surprise some people while Higgins is out and earn himself more reps. I doubt it though. This Bengals wide receiver room has a good bit of talent that's just better than he is.

1. OT Trent Brown

Going into training camp, everybody in Cincinnati was excited about the team's top draft pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, Amarius Mims. I mean, the man is absolutely massive. He's about 6-foot-8 and well over 300 pounds while running a 40-yard dash of 5.07 seconds at the NFL Combine. That time is laughable for 95 percent of NFL players, but for somebody of Mims' size, it's absolutely incredible.

But Mims got injured before he could earn his starting spot at tackle this season. He missed Week 1 while the Bengals started Orlando Brown Jr. and Trent Brown as their two offensive tackles. Mims was never officially named the starter, but that's the way everything was trending until he was hurt. Plus, Cincinnati didn't draft him so high just to sit him.

But this week, Mims is back at practice. He's back hitting the sleds while slowing progressing back into being a full participant.

Trent Brown also didn't look great in the Week 1 loss. This would be a much harder point to make if both starting tackles looked awesome in the opener. But Brown specifically wasn't great.

Once Mims is back and a full go, I expect the position battle between him and Brown to heat up very quickly. I can't imagine seeing Brown starting at the midseason mark.