Are we being realistic with Free Agency expectations?

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(02-20-2022, 11:06 PM)Go Cards Wrote: the Bengals would have never paid DeCastro to stay 6 seasons not being a OT and Sanu was used that way here with AJ being the man already. 

and I was one of them screaming for DeCastro. 

Yet it still does not change that this was the last good OL taken by Bengals that was healthy and we did not have to wait on and an extra WR came with the deal. Thought it worked out fine for Bengals personally and they went 10-6 in their first season as Bengals improving on the previous seasons results by a reaching double digit wins. 

But guess we can just keep swinging like we have been though, maybe one day we will hit some OL again. 

Even if that's true (I am not convinced it is) they didn't pay Zeitler to stay 6 seasons either. Meanwhile in his first 5 seasons DeCastro was still a 2x Pro Bowl, 1x 2nd Team All-Pro, 1x 1st Team All-Pro.

That still doesn't get evened out because of a WR who averaged 450 yards/3 TDs per year. In the 4 years after Sanu, Kroft had a 400 yard season, LaFell had 850 and 550 yard seasons, Uzomah had a 450 yard season, Auden Tate had a 575 yard season, Alex Erickson had a 525 yard season, and John Ross had a 500 yard season.

Next you're going to say the Chris Perry trade down was fine because they also got Stacy Andrews. Steven Jackson pshaw.

The answer is to swing less and just buy more. The Bengals clearly don't have the ability to scout and develop good OL regularly. So just buy them.