KJ Wright

[*ochocincos*]

The glaring weak point on the Bengals defense is clearly the LBs. This coming offseason may be the chance for them to do a complete revamp. In order to do that, I think they can/should draft a LB within the first two rounds and then also get a proven veteran in FA.

The FA I want most at LB is KJ Wright.
He's had triple-digit combined tackles each season from 2014-2017, and he has ideal size and enough range to be a modern day 3-down LB. He's also had at least 3 PDs each full season he's played (sitting at 2 right now, but he's only played 3 games all year due to nagging knee injury).
He's only one year older than Vontaze Burfict, will be 30 next year. I think he has another 2-3 years of good production left.

In terms of expected salary, the top 3 4-3 OLBs make just above $11 mill a year average. Burfict is actually the third-highest paid 4-3 OLB.
I think KJ Wright is deserving of right around that $11 mill a year range.
To help absorb that cost, I think it would make sense to cut/trade Burfict (whom Wright would replace) and save $6.8 mill in cap space in 2019 and $8.9 mill in 2020. That would essentially be just an additional cap hit of ~$6 mill over the course of two seasons...not a big hit to the cap at all.

I think the only other "upper tier" FA LBs I'd like to see instead of Wright would be Anthony Barr or maybe Deone Bucannon, but I don't see the Bengals going for Bucannon at LB if they aren't willing to move someone like Shawn Williams there, who is roughly the same size.
Barr, to me, is more of a modern day SAM who could fill that Peter Boulware role that Marvin seems to like but the price for Barr will probably be way too high for how Barr would be used in Cincinnati.

If the Bengals decided to go after a LB in FA, who would you want?