Dream Free Agents to Bolster Roster Before Draft

[*SHRacerX*]

(01-13-2019, 04:15 AM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: Just wanted to make a little dream scenario before the real moves start happening.

Our free agents are pretty underwhelming. So playing our usual game and hoping for comp picks should not be a plan this year. I think we let the new coach get some key pieces.

Spotrac says we have almost $50 million to spend for 2019. We have none of our own free agents to put big money into. And I love AJ. But the foot is starting to worry me. Dumping big money into WRs usually doesn't work out. So I am holding off on giving him a big extension.

*First we do the necessary thing and bolster the OL with proven players so our offense can hit the ground running.

1. Trent Brown - OT Patriots - He is a mammoth OT. 6'8" 380. At 25 years old he has a lot of good years left. Broke in to the league as a RT. Patriots robbed the 49ers in a draft day trade last year and he has been the Patriots starting LT this year. We pony up some big bucks for our new starting RT.

11.5 mil this year. 4 year 46 million. Starting tackles are expensive.

2. Mitch Morse - C Chiefs - Yep a C. Putting Price back where he played most of his college ball and plugging him in at RG. Improvement at C and improvement at RG. Chiefs have managed a high powered offense with Morse at C. Starting OL looks like Glenn, Boling, Morse, Price, Brown.

8 mil this year. 4 year 32 million.

*Then we turn our attention to LB.

3. Thomas Davis - LB Panthers - Old man Davis. Our D needs a new leadership voice. A tougher than nails 13 year vet still playing at a high level who lays it all on the line is the type of leader this D needs.

5 mil one year.

4. Deone Bucannon - LB Cards - Former college safety first round pick who has converted to LB. His career started out promising. But he hasn't lived up to the first round expectations. Not the best against the run. But we could use a LB who can cover and run. Chess piece type. Here we go. He was on his 5th year option in 2018 and the Cards tried to trade him and found no takers. So he shouldn't get that type of money. Short 2 year deal.

4 mil this year. 2 year 8 million.

5. Preston Brown - Our Free Agent - We still need a thumper in the middle. I think it was just a down year for Brown. We need to bring him back.

4 mil this year. 3 year 15 million

*Then we do something about our TE depth by hurting a couple division foes and taking their guys.

6. Tyler Eifert - Our Free Agent- He comes back again. If he accepts an incentive laden deal.

2 mil this year worth up to 8 with incentives based on games played catches and TDs.

7. Nick Boyle - TE Ravens - Quality blocker. Hard nosed throw back TE.

3 mil this year. 3 year 9 million.

8. Jesse James - TE Steelers - Nothing spectacular. A solid TE. Has played 16 games each of the previous 3 seasons. Crazy right?

4 mil this year. 3 year 12 million.

*Icing on the cake

9. Henry Anderson - DT Jets - I like Glasgow. I like Billings. I like Ringo. I don't think either of the 3 is a true stud though. I want to put a stud next to Geno while he still has some good years left. Henry Anderson was a monster as a rookie but tore his ACL late in the year. It made his second year rocky and he said he was never healthy. His 3rd year he was the 15th ranked run stopper but it was again cut short when he got another fluke injury, this time a laryngeal fracture (yea some kind of weird neck/throat shit). The Colts then traded him to the Jets for cheap. He had the best year of his career this year. 12th most pressures in the league from the interior and 7 sacks. Dude is a brute. At 6'6" 300lbs I have wanted him on my team since watching him beat guys up at Stanford. Only 27, I think this is a player on the rise. He is going to get some coin.

8 mil this year. 3 year 24 million.

49.5 million total for 2 of our own and 7 outside free agents who are going to contribute a ton. Then we would be able to use the draft to go best player available. And hopefully be aggressive with the boatload of picks we are going to have and make some moves in the draft or use the late picks to acquire some vets that will come in and contribute right away.

I "bolded" my agreements.  I think Dennard needs signed, as does Hart as a back up at the very least (or extra TE).  I love the idea of Anderson and Bucannon.  Boyle was a guy I wanted on draft day (he was taken a pick after we took Uzomah) and I was pissed because Uzomah was another athlete that didn't know the position, but he has worked his way in to a good starting role, so I would sign him as well.

A TE corps of Uzomah, Boyle, and Eifert would be outstanding with either Cethan Carter or Mason Shreck rounding out the 4 so they may have special teams contributors as well.

If you were able to pull these off (I didn't want Davis because I want a young striker at LB that can be the future centerpiece of this defense), you could let the draft come to you and go after another DT or DE (depth always seems to be an issue here), get the badass LB we so desperately need (White) and even go after quality players to compete at Safety, CB, and G/OT.

I would be ecstatic if this would happen.