Ask Jim Owczarski

[jowczarski]

Thanks, as always!

However, they would count against the cash spend of a team. Teams are required to spend a certain amount of money per the CBA and this includes all dollars spent.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but the top 51 salaries are used to determine cap spend and all inclusive (all salaries, bonuses in any given year) for the team cash spend to insure each team spends their fair share.

I should have clarified that. Yes, before the season begins the league counts the top 51 against the cap (the Bengals always work with 53 though – they don’t wait until week 1). The practice squad guys is how they determine their “true” money available in that they factor that spending into available cash. So yes, they don’t count against the NFLPA / NFL salary cap, but they count against the cash flowing out. Hope that helps?


Have you heard any word on who the coaches really like in the draft? Any positions?

Not really. They keep that stuff close to the vest and honestly, the way they approach their board is they go in with 24 names for that first round selection (and 55 for the second round and so on..). So let’s just say Myles Jack falls all the way down (like Ogbuehi last year) they’re jumping on that even if they don’t feel they needed a LB at that spot. When I was at the combine other team’s writers and even other pro personnel people really marveled at the Bengals ability to stick to their board /conviction and go best player available, which makes them somewhat unpredictable.

And I saw on twitter that Dalton was endorsing Docston at his Pro Day, do you think that has any indication/influence on the Bengals draft room?

I don’t think he has any, to be honest. But Tobin/Lewis/Brown clearly have a good relationship with Patterson at TCU and the kind of guys coming out of there. I’m sure they’d ask Andy if the kid could handle some things in terms of terminology (if it's similar at all), or maybe how he ran some routes…but they can see all that in tape.

Finally, the Bengals are known to want to try and lock up their star players before their final season, any word about them talking to Zeitler, Eifert, or Gio?

Eifert’s option getting picked up was a formality, of course. It would behoove the Bengals to want to lock him up this summer because the tight end market is exploding – but it would probably behoove him to wait til 2017 like A.J. Green after he puts up (potentially) another Pro Bowl season. As far as the others – yes, they will entertain those conversations. I think Gio and Hewitt would be the priorities of the group of FAs coming up at the end of 16.

Any word on what Hardison is doing this off season? Is he bulking up to be a full time DT or developing edge skills to be a DT/DE hybrid to replace Gilberry?

I’m not sure how Hardison has done this offseason, but you are exactly right on his role and how they view him. He’s what made Gilberry expendable. The knee injury during the year really set him back in terms of competing for a rotation spot last year and then at that point, they weren’t about to mess things up. He definitely will be competing with DeShawn William and any draft picks with Pat Sims to fill in for Domata and give Geno a breather. As far as DE, that’s wide open too – figure this is now or never for Clarke and Hunt (especially since they could draft one). Not sure Hardison fits that well out there, but