03-09-2022, 05:27 PM
Injuries happen. But the Bengals have no business complaining about injuries last year. We lost a couple of players to COVID and then we lost Rieff toward the end of the year. That's it. When Reiff was playing, Hopkins was not playing well. That meant we had 2 (or three if Spain had a bad day) starting players who weren't playing well next to each other. It was a problem.
I don't see a world where everyone on our line is an above-average player on their second or third contract. The Chiefs had two rookie starters last year. The Bengals have to pick their spots. No one wants to overpay; let's not forget Trae Waynes. But also don't forget DJ Reader, who only played 5 games last year, but was amazing this year.
Free agency, like the draft, is a chance to improve your team. This year, those free agency opportunities are along the IOL, CB2s, Safety, WR1 and some good QB backups. If you are looking at DT3, CB1, or RT, you're probably going to overpay. Finally, there are also cut-down days to shore up your weaknesses.
My hope is to start the season without question marks starting over question marks and surrounded by question marks. We need solid players who don't become worse because they are next to someone having a bad day. IMO that's not just at the top of the market.
Lastly, I only entertain the idea of replacing Hopkins with another free agent because 1) He's a 6M cap hit. 2) He's 30 and in the last year of his contract. So can he be replaced by a better player on a longer contract for similar money? I don't know if he should be re-signed next year if he plays lousy, or because he's average, or because he plays great. He's either cheap and bad, mediocre and moderately expensive, or good, older, and pricey. There are some good centers in FA this year. That doesn't always happen.
I don't see a world where everyone on our line is an above-average player on their second or third contract. The Chiefs had two rookie starters last year. The Bengals have to pick their spots. No one wants to overpay; let's not forget Trae Waynes. But also don't forget DJ Reader, who only played 5 games last year, but was amazing this year.
Free agency, like the draft, is a chance to improve your team. This year, those free agency opportunities are along the IOL, CB2s, Safety, WR1 and some good QB backups. If you are looking at DT3, CB1, or RT, you're probably going to overpay. Finally, there are also cut-down days to shore up your weaknesses.
My hope is to start the season without question marks starting over question marks and surrounded by question marks. We need solid players who don't become worse because they are next to someone having a bad day. IMO that's not just at the top of the market.
Lastly, I only entertain the idea of replacing Hopkins with another free agent because 1) He's a 6M cap hit. 2) He's 30 and in the last year of his contract. So can he be replaced by a better player on a longer contract for similar money? I don't know if he should be re-signed next year if he plays lousy, or because he's average, or because he plays great. He's either cheap and bad, mediocre and moderately expensive, or good, older, and pricey. There are some good centers in FA this year. That doesn't always happen.
