Jonah Williams

[SunsetBengal]

(12-29-2023, 05:12 PM)ochocincos Wrote: If I'm putting myself in the mindset of the Bengals braintrust, I think they're thinking this:
- This team was responsible for getting to the Super Bowl and two AFCCGs. You don't get there by replacing a good number of players. You try to keep the team as intact as possible within budget.
- These are the guys we know and helped get the team where it is, so we're higher on them than the fans probably are.
- With Burrow's big contract about to hit, we have to be mindful of what we can fit in budget these upcoming next few years.

So I think they'll look to only change out a few spots like they did this past year.
If they can fit it in the budget, they'll try to have as few departures of impending FAs as they can. Specifically Higgins, Reader, and even Jonah.
They'll fill the departures with probably a couple cost-appropriate vets and a couple high draft picks.
Most/all draft picks will end up being depth guys out of the gate and groomed to take over in future year(s), just like Murphy was selected.

That is true, there is only so much money to work with.  

With the advent of Free Agency and the Salary Cap, the NFL has done some great things during my viewing lifetime.  It would be nice to see them take things a step further and institute positional salary caps.  Not capped in terms of dollars, but as in a percentage of the cap for their respective team.  We're now seeing QBs eating 20% and more of a team's salary cap, and the best position players commanding 10-15%, of a number that is supposed to spread across 53 players.  With so many front offices becoming adept at cap manipulation and making money seemingly 'disappear', it seems time for the league to go a step further to ensure that level playing field.