6. Cincinnati Bengals
Michael Johnson’s return to Cincinnati after an off season in Tampa Bay really helped the Bengals improve from a pass-rush standpoint. They finished in the top 10 of the NFL in sacks (42) after putting up a league-worst 20 the previous season.
Johnson, Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins combined for 29.5 sacks, providing Cincinnati with the necessary pass rush to help out an increasingly competent secondary.
Moving on from Leon Hall being the face of this unit, the likes of Dre Kirkpatrick, Adam Jones, George Iloka and Shawn Williams all played at high levels. Add in sophomore first-round pick Darqueze Dennard and rookie William Jackson III, and this unit should be vastly improved from a season ago.