Bengals rumors: Cincinnati linked with getting Joe Burrow help amid Tee Higgins' free agency uncertainty 

The Cincinnati Bengals failed to make the playoffs and are in an intriguing position heading into the offseason. The team has to figure out what it's going to do with unrestricted free agents wide receiver Tee Higgins and tight end Mike Gesicki.

The offense needs a spark to help quarterback Joe Burrow take that next step and be a juggernaut offensively in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman of The Athletic put together a mock draft and discussed that Cincinnati could be targeting wide receiver Luther Burden III as its first-round selection with the 17th pick.

"You’d love to be able to give Joe Burrow more help elsewhere, but Cincinnati has made some interesting personnel decisions and could be in the market for a receiver again.

"Burden is another player in this class who has top-10 talent but might have a wide range in Round 1 — in his case, not just because of his smallish frame but also because his 2023 season was much better than his 2024."

Burden III played three seasons with the Missouri Tigers. In 38 games, he had 192 receptions for 2,263 yards (14.1 yards per catch) with 21 touchdowns as well as 34 rushing attempts for 234 yards (6.9 yards per carry) with four touchdowns.

What do the Cincinnati Bengals need to do this offseason?

The Cincinnati Bengals have a few different positions to address if they want to find their way back into the postseason. Their defense needs to improve, as the Bengals were 25th in the NFL with 25.5 points allowed per game.

One way they can improve is by addressing the secondary. We saw what happened to the Philadelphia Eagles after they drafted Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell last year to bolster the secondary. With the ability to take away the passing game, they can win a bunch of games going forward.