Will We See Any Cuts Before FA Opens?

[Murdock2420]

(03-11-2021, 06:29 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: To each their own, but I just can't get on board with this.

1.) Have the Bengals ever restructured someone's deal?  (I'm sure they have but none are coming to mind).  Remember this is an organization that fully believes "you honor the contract you signed".  Could this be the first time they used their leverage and forced guys to take pay cuts?  Maybe, but I'm not holding my breath.

2.) I'm really not sure you want some these guys back even at lesser amounts.  Either it's time to move on and bring in someone else or it's not. 

I mean, are we building something here, or are we just slapping a new coat of paint on?  What answers do Geno Atkins, Bobby Hart, and Gio Bernard provide for this beyond 2021, if they even provided any for this year?  What about 2022, 2023, 2024?

Shouldn't we be getting younger in spots if we can?  Shouldn't we be looking for talent we can build off of for years to come?  Shouldn't we get guys experience in this system for when we can hopefully start seriously competing in years 3, 4, and 5 of Burrow's rookie deal?

None of these guys do much for me.  They're not that great, and they're not putting this team over the hump in 2021 to win a ring, so what good are they?  You're telling me a team that won 6 games over 2 years is going to be screwed trying to replace guys like these?

Why keep bringing back the same guys?  

Hart absolutely has no business being brought back.

Geno and Gio, I would bring back on re-structured deals.

I get that both are starting to be older players, and yes we need to get younger and upgrade but you can only upgrade so many positions in one draft class and one FA period.

Both of this guys are still above average players (I know Geno looked bad, but I'm going to give him the benefit of that shoulder injury being the issue). If you re-structure and keep them both for another season it means you aren't looking for a back-up RB and another interior DL this season when you need to get better across the line and will need an edge rusher, and a CB to replace Alexander and one to replace WJIII not too mention we need some more guys in the WR room and TE room.

So while neither guy is probably part of the true long term options, they are both certainly worth keeping in the short term if you can get their cap numbers down.