How much does our compensatory pick strategy play into pending free agents in 2016?

[Daddy-O]

(02-09-2016, 04:24 PM)leonardfan40 Wrote: I think you guys are reading into the first paragraph too much and not enough into the 2nd one. I don't think the op is suggesting not signing OUR players for the comp picks, but suggesting that the players we lose we may be hesitant to replace via FA because we value the future picks more than over paying an outside FA.

This is probably what will happen and the bengals have a long history of doing this, it's part of the building through the draft philosophy. We are clearly going to lose a few of our guys and I do not expect the bengals to sign many if any outsiders to replace them. We will continue to find replacements in the draft like always.

I don't expect an "all in" type of push by the front office and Marvin. We are in good shape to compete for a championship next season as long as we keep a few of our key FA's and draft well

And this "building through the draft" philosophy is a good one, and the Bengals generally do well.  You have to nail the drafts if you want to play it like this, not necessarily in the early rounds but you have to make hay in the mid to late rounds also.  The Bengals have done well here but it's a gamble to think you'll continue to find the Geno's, Iloka's, MLJ's and Burfict's late.  A gamble that seems to pan out every year when we see another late rounder step into a starting role, only to become a valued free agent a few years later.