Though the unexpected SB run fell 1 play short, it has resulted in the most anticipated off-season since, maybe ever. In the 80's & 90's we we not really players in FA. Neither Carson nor Andy won a PO game. Burrow is the real deal and we have a top 10 defense. We have cap space with Burrow on a rookie deal. So, how have we done so far?

Here is the list of moves we have made so far. I will try to keep it updated. Let me know if I goof something up.

What we have done:

I. Signed Sealed, Delivered
1. La'el Collins, RT. 3 years, $30 million (reportedly).
2. Alex Cappa, RG. 4 years, $35 mil. 2022 hit: $6.75 mil.
3. Ted Karras, C/G. 3 years, $18 mil. 2022 hit: $5 mil.
4. Hayden Hurst, TE. 1 year, $3.476 mil.

II. Re-Signed
1. Jessie Bates, FS. 1 year, $12.9 mil. Franchise tag.
2. BJ Hill, DT. 3 years, $30 mil. 2022 hit: $8.33 mil.
3. Eli Apple, CB. 1 year, $4 mil (reported)
4. Josh Tupou, NT/DT. 2 years, $3 mil. 2022 hit: $1.4 mil.
5. Brandon Allen, QB. 1 year, $1.5 mil.
6. Clark Harris, LS. 1 year, $1.272mil. 2022 hit: $1.047 mil.
7. Michael Thomas, FS. 1 year, $1.035 mil. 2022: $995k.
8. Mike Thomas, WR. 1 year, $1.12 mil. $895k cap hit.
9. Jalen Davis, CB. 1 yr, $1.035 mil. 2022: $895k.
10. Joe Bachie, LB. 1 yr, $825k. 2022: $825k.
11. Trenton Irwin, WR.
12. Stanley Morgan Jr., WR.

III. Signed Elsewhere
1. CJ Uzomah, TE. NY Jets. 3 years, $24 mil.
2. Darius Phillips, CB. Raiders. 1 year, $1.5 mil.
5. Fred Johnson, OT. Cut by Bengals. +$2.4 mil cap space.

IV. Still FAs
1. Larry Ogunjobi, DT.
2. Riley Reiff, OT.
3. Quinton Spain, OG.
4. Kevin Huber, P.
5. Trey Waynes, CB. Released. +$10.9 cap.
6. Trey Hopkins, C. Released. +$5.9 cap.
7. Jordan Evans, LB. Serious knee injury.
8. Fred Johnson, OT. Released. +$2.4 cap.
9. Auden Tate, WR. Ain't coming back.

Whew! That is what we've done. And is a long post. So I will save where we stand for the next post.

OK, so where do we stand?

I go by spotrac instead of Over The Cap. The are both pretty good but make mistakes here & there on the edges. Most of the time spotrac gets their stuff up quicker, so I go there.

They have us with 61 guys signed. With actual numbers for Collins, Apple, Morgan Jr, and Irwin not availabe. Best guessing $10 mil, $4 mil, and $895kx2, and you come out with cap space of $11.76 mil. The Collins number may be a bit high. And this method takes the top 51 salaries instead of picking a viable 53 person roster, so you may get a salary diffetence of $200k in a spot or two, but it is pretty close.

What does that nearly $12 mil need to do? It needs to cover our rookies in the top 51, which should be around $3 mil accounting for displacement. So down to $9 mil. We will want some space for mid-season moves if necessary (Tre Flowers last year). Call it a security blanket. The blanket + a cheap/discount vet to add proven depth at a spot or two. Spain? Hopkins? Waynes? Reiff? Larry O? $4-$5 mil is probably as high as we go on one guy. Unless the others are virtually making vet min (thus adding next to nada due to dispacement). Or if we limit ourselves to one guy making more (Gilmore, Larry O). We also might want to save some riom for final cuts.

If we extend Bates his number might come down some. I have no idea if we can do some contract king-fu to free more space (Hendrickson, Reader?).

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cincinnati-bengals/cap/

Wow. Thank you very much.

Does anyone know what the story with Kevin Huber is? Are the Bengals not interested in signing him or are his days playing over? He's been a Bengals fan his whole life. As he said in the letter he penned to fans in January:

"I’m from Cincinnati. Grew up in Anderson on the east side. Went to Archbishop McNicholas High on Beechmont Ave. Went to UC. This city — it’s who I am. I’m proud to be from here, I always will be. And standing on our field last week after the game … I felt every bit of that pride. I felt it in my soul."

I don't see a punter on the list.

(03-24-2022, 03:32 PM)Nepa Wrote: Wow. Thank you very much.

Does anyone know what the story with Kevin Huber is? Are the Bengals not interested in signing him or are his days playing over?  He's been a Bengals fan his whole life. As he said in the letter he penned to fans in January:

"I’m from Cincinnati. Grew up in Anderson on the east side. Went to Archbishop McNicholas High on Beechmont Ave. Went to UC. This city — it’s who I am. I’m proud to be from here, I always will be. And standing on our field last week after the game … I felt every bit of that pride. I felt it in my soul."

I don't see a punter on the list.

We kept Chrisman on the Practice Squad for most of the year.  He is signed.   I was trying to keep each post shorter. I will take a swing at the current state of the roster presently. 

Well done, I like how the only players we lost to other teams were Uzo and Darius Phillips. We replaced Uzo with a
more talented former first round pick in Hayden Hurst and this Draft is loaded at Corner so we presumably can have
an upgrade over Phillips to boot or still might make a move for Gilmore or Haden. Just saw the La'el Collins deal is
even less than the reported 3 years 30 mil too.

OK, current state of the roster. Spotrac has 61 guys signed. Obviously, some of those guys (I count 12-13) were prinarily PS guys last year. We have overflow at some spots and shortages at others. And this is with the 61 we have, draft/remaining FAs or a wish list not included.

I. Starters

A. Offense
Burrow; Mixon; Chase, Higgins, Boyd; Hurst, J. Williams, Carman, Karras, Cappa, Collins.

B. Defense
Hendrickson, Reader, BJ Hill, Hubbard; L. Wilson, Pratt; Auzie, Apple, Hilton; Bell, Bates.

C. Special Teams
McPherson (PK), Chrisman (P), Harris
C. Evans/ B. Wilson (KR); Taylor (PR).

Takeaways:

1. We are basically talking about depth from here

On defense, 10/11 starters from a top 10 defense return. With Hill replacing Ogunjobi at DT. Hill rated higher than Larry O last year, and started multiple playoff games, and the SB. People will point to Apple, but he played well after a bumpy start. I think the FO would be comfortable with those 11 starting. We won't pay a FA big money (no space). If one comes on the cheap or we land one in the draft, great. But we don't NEED a starter.

On offense, 4 FAs as starters + Carman for Spain with the rest the same. The three OL FA's all represent upgrades. Collins (Reiff/Prince) and Cappa (Adeniji) the biggest. Karras has legit C/G versatility. Hurst for CJ is a cheaper replacement. Probably a better receiver downfield but not as good an in-line blocker, but at half the price. Carman being the really only unproven guy. He showed flashes last year. If we luck into a stud IOL in the draft, fine, but we don't have to reach for a starter nor pay a FA. Just like on D, we don't need to reach for a starter.

Special teams is a tad more complicated. McPherson is locked in. Harris is back but 38. Huber is a FA, and we have Chrisman signed. I'd expect a competition if Huber wants to return. Now, Evans did a pretty good job returning kickoffs. Wilson was excellent before getting hurt last year. Taylor was on the practice squad all last year. He is signed, but his fringe roster status makes me think we probably draft a guy who can return punts.

2. Biggest worries

1. LG. Carman. Unproven.
2. CB2. Apple. Was improved play last year legit or fluke? 1st round talent.
3. P. Chrisman unproven. Guy semifinalist in college. Huber competition?
4. PR. Taylor not assured a spot on the 53. No other options.

Still, I do not think these are BIG worries. We have guys under contract who have proven adequate (or better) at those jobs in the past, with the exception of Carman.

Terrific analysis.

Although I don't know about the statement: "On defense, 10/11 starters from a top 10 defense return." I don't think the Bengals were a top 10 defense.

During the regular season, the defense was 18th in yards allowed and 17th in points allowed.

Yeah, they are in good spot. And it seems like they still have some cap room that they could look at for bringing in another impact player, or depth or towards extending upcoming free agents. I don't think that they can go wrong if they try addressing CB or LG in free agency. I'm excited about their signings so far and adding another impact player would be amazing (and I wouldn't mind if they traded back from pick 31 this year for salary cap purposes if it meant going after another impact player for this season in free agency)

(03-24-2022, 05:03 PM)Nepa Wrote: Terrific analysis.

Although I don't know about the statement: "On defense, 10/11 starters from a top 10 defense return."  I don't think the Bengals were a top 10 defense.

During the regular season, the defense was 18th in yards allowed and 17th in points allowed.

We were 5th at stopping the run last I checked and were the best Defense in the Playoffs IMO.

I think we are a top 10 Defense but points allowed is a telling stat. Middle of the pack in that aspect, this needs to improve big time.

I think it will.

Now, depth is virtually the inverse of the situation with the starters. We don't have proven depth hardly anywhere. At least in terms of being to play a starting role. We mostly have guys who are career backups/special teamers and/or guys who have struggled when given the chance to play larger roles.

Now, we do have bodies, and guys with whom we are familiar, and some have done well in limited roles. By position group, here is what thing look like. I will start with what look to me like the most pressing areas.

I. We need bodies

1. Cornerback. Likely 6-7 53. 1-2 on PS.

Starters: Awuzie, Apple, Hilton (slot).
Backups: ???, ???, Davis (slot).
PS: Brannon

Davis graded out well (69.0) last season, but played just over 50 snaps, almost exclusively in the slot, IIRC. Hargreaves, Phillips ,Flowers & Waynes all played more CB snaps than he did last year. We do not even have a viable backup boundary corner under contract. I'd call Davis CB6.

Bringing back our TE cooler Flowers on a cheap deal is appealing, but is kind of a niche role. He struggles vs quicker guys, would we need to carry 7 CBs if we bring him back? Waynes on a cheap deal? I dream of Gilmore too, but that is gonna require him signing for less AND some other things to go our way to free up more space (Bates extension, a restructure, another vet FA fo real cheap etc).

It seems the draft is the most likely route. I could see 1 or 2 CBs taken. Especially if the 2nd can play CB & S (Daxton Hill) or can return punts (Marcus Jones). Gardner & Stingley surely gone by 31. McDuffie & Booth probably. Either would be hard to pass up if there. Elam has a shot to be there. Gordon & McCreary have good tape but did not test real well. Woolen, who is new to the position, is the opposite. Those guys are reaches at #31 but are probably gone by #63. If we trade back it is a possibility.

2. DT/NT. 5 on 53. 1-2 on PS

Starters: Reader (NT), BJ Hill (DT).
Reserves: Tupou (NT), ???, Shelvin (NT).
PS: zero.

We do not have a functional 3T to backup Hill at the moment. Tupou coukd play 3T in 5 man lines/goal line, but he is really Reader's backup. Shelvin is also a nose, but is not ready to play. If he was, I doubt we bring Tupou back. I could see Shelvin losing his spot as well. He was often inactive on gameday.

I dream of bringing back Ogunjobi for cheap. Like dreaming of Gilnore, it is probably unlikely. He'd have to settle for 40% or less of what the Bears gave him (yearly). Given the injury situation, his value may have fallen enough so he is affordable. Hill starting might be awkward as well. Bringing Daniels or Kerr back seems more like a practice squad level move.

The draft seems most likely. Davis will be gone when we pick (NT). Wyatt likely as well. Wyatt would be hard to pass if there. Perrion Winfrey possible at 31, but likely a reach. Leal as well. Logan Hall & Travis Jones (more a NT) are reaches at 31 but likely (but maybe not) gone at 63. Mathis from Bama should be there. We could likely get one if we trade down into the mid 30s/early 40s.

3. Offensive Line. 10 on 53. 2-3 on PS.

Starters: J. Williams, Carman, Karras, Cappa, Collins.
Reserves: Smith (OT3-4/G3-4), Prince (OT3-4), Adeniji (G/T), T. Hill ©.
PS: Gaillard (G/C).

We usually carry 10 on the 53 and only have 9 ATM. And I do not feel real good about the reserves we do have. Adeniji started at RG and played OT in college but was not good. Prince filled in admirably for Reiff, but was not that good either. Fixing the right side was priority #1 for a reason. Smith looked like a starter in camp, and has OT/G versatility, but got hurt & did not play much. Hill was extremely troubled by penalties in limited time. All these guys are unproven, unimpressive, or both. I would not feel terribly comfortable with any of them in a big game.

I think we need at least one more OL, maybe more than one. Reiff/Spain/Hopkins for cheap is a possibility. Or another vet cap/camp casualty. The draft is the other mechanism. With LG iffy and Karras' ability to play G, if a stud IOL is staring at us at #31 (Linderbaum, Zion Johnson, Kenyon Green) it is gonna be awfully tough to pass on. I'd go CB/DT over Raimann or Faalele or Smith. The young guys get another year to develop as backups, and a cheap vet still possible. If we don't go OL early, I would not expect a day 2 pick unless more pressing needs (CB, DT) are taken care of. If they are, then maybe a high upside project comes into play (Faalele).

4. Tight End. 3 on 53. 1-2 on PS.

Starter: Hurst
Backups: Sample, ???.
PS: Washington (converted from TE).

TE is not a priority pisition in our offense. But losing CJ hurts. Hurst may be a better receiver but not as good a blocker. He is half the price, though. On a 1 year deal. This could be the last year if the Drew Sample experience as well. We do not have a TE3 s8gned ATM (it would be Washington ATM) and the two guys we have are in the last year of their deals.

TE market was getting thin when we signed Hurst. Draft has got to be the way to go. But that is dicey, too. There is not really a stud TE this year. McBride is a reach at #31 and no way would I pick a TE with CB/DT/OL needing help. And with talented DEs, WRs, and maybe even LBs out there. If not McBride, this pick could be TE3 this year. Ruckert was in a cast recently and the kid from A&M tested so poorly he is plummeting. Rd 3 at the earliest for me. Unless we acquire extra picks. If we have 4 picks in the first 3 I could happily burn one on a TE. Woods may be a day 3 guy, or late day 2.



Everywhere we ar least have bodies signed, though we could always use an upgrade.

(03-24-2022, 02:38 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Though the unexpected SB run fell 1 play short, it has resulted in the most anticipated off-season since, maybe ever. In the 80's & 90's we we not really players in FA. Neither Carson nor Andy won a PO game. Burrow is the real deal and we have a top 10 defense. We have cap space with Burrow on a rookie deal. So, how have we done so far?

Here is the list of moves we have made so far. I will try to keep it updated. Let me know if I goof something up.

What we have done:

I.  Signed  Sealed, Delivered
1. La'el Collins, RT. 3 years, $30 million (reportedly).
2. Alex Cappa, RG. 4 years, $35 mil. 2022 hit: $6.75 mil.
3. Ted Karras, C/G. 3 years, $18 mil. 2022 hit: $5 mil.
4. Hayden Hurst, TE. 1 year, $3.476 mil.

II.  Re-Signed
1. Jessie Bates, FS. 1 year, $12.9 mil. Franchise tag.
2. BJ Hill, DT. 3 years, $30 mil. 2022 hit: $8.33 mil.
3. Eli Apple, CB. 1 year, $4 mil (reported)
4. Josh Tupou, NT/DT. 2 years, $3 mil. 2022 hit: $1.4 mil.
5. Brandon Allen, QB. 1 year, $1.5 mil.
6. Clark Harris, LS. 1 year, $1.272mil. 2022 hit: $1.047 mil.
7. Michael Thomas, FS. 1 year, $1.035 mil. 2022: $995k.  
8. Mike Thomas, WR. 1 year, $1.12 mil. $895k cap hit.
9. Jalen Davis, CB. 1 yr, $1.035 mil. 2022: $895k.
10. Joe Bachie, LB. 1 yr, $825k. 2022: $825k.
11. Trenton Irwin, WR.
12. Stanley Morgan Jr., WR.

III.  Signed Elsewhere
1. CJ Uzomah, TE.  NY Jets. 3 years, $24 mil.
2. Darius Phillips, CB. Raiders. 1 year, $1.5 mil.
5. Fred Johnson, OT. Cut by Bengals. +$2.4 mil cap space.

IV.  Still FAs
1. Larry Ogunjobi, DT.
2. Riley Reiff, OT.  
3. Quinton Spain, OG.
4. Kevin Huber, P.
5. Trey Waynes, CB. Released. +$10.9 cap.
6. Trey Hopkins, C. Released. +$5.9 cap.
7. Jordan Evans, LB. Serious knee injury.
8.  Fred Johnson, OT. Released. +$2.4 cap.
9. Auden Tate, WR. Ain't coming back.

Whew! That is what we've done.  And is a long post.  So I will save where we stand for the next post.

Just an FYI, the Bengals originally tendered Fred Johnson for 2.4 million, but he was never cut because the Bengals removed the offer so he never signed it. So, he started a FA and continues to be a FA

(03-24-2022, 03:28 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: OK, so where do we stand?

I go by spotrac instead of Over The Cap.  The are both pretty good but make mistakes here & there on the edges. Most of the time spotrac gets their stuff up quicker, so I go there.

They have us with 61 guys signed. With actual numbers for Collins, Apple, Morgan Jr, and Irwin not availabe. Best guessing $10 mil, $4 mil, and $895kx2, and you come out with cap space of $11.76 mil. The Collins number may be a bit high. And this method takes the top 51 salaries instead of picking a viable 53 person roster, so you may get a salary diffetence of $200k in a spot or two, but it is pretty close.

What does that nearly $12 mil need to do? It needs to cover our rookies in the top 51, which should be around $3 mil accounting for displacement. So  down to $9 mil. We will want some space for mid-season moves if necessary (Tre Flowers last year). Call it a security blanket. The blanket + a cheap/discount vet to add proven depth at a spot or two. Spain? Hopkins? Waynes? Reiff? Larry O? $4-$5 mil is probably as high as we go on one guy. Unless the others are virtually making vet min (thus adding next to nada due to dispacement). Or if we limit ourselves to one guy making more (Gilmore, Larry O). We also might want to save some riom for final cuts.

If we extend Bates his number might come down some. I have no idea if we can do some contract king-fu to free more space (Hendrickson, Reader?).

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cincinnati-bengals/cap/

Don't accuse me of playing Hobson, but we still need a few million for our drafted players (even though they bump other salaries) and most NFL teams leave a cushion of $3-$5 million of unused cap space for injury replacements.

But we still have enough to signs a veteran OT.  I think they already have something in the works by releasing Fred Johnson.  he was making $2.4 million.  For just another couple of million I think they could sign some one much better.  Maybe an old vet on a one year deal.

(03-24-2022, 06:50 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Don't accuse me of playing Hobson, but we still need a few million for our drafted players (even though they bump other salaries) and most NFL teams leave a cushion of $3-$5 million of unused cap space for injury replacements.

But we still have enough to signs a veteran OT.  I think they already have something in the works by releasing Fred Johnson.  he was making $2.4 million.  For just another couple of million I think they could sign some one much better.  Maybe an old vet on a one year deal.

Two things.

First, Collins' cap hit is only around $4.2 mil. I had budgeted $10 mil. So our starting point is now $17.6 mil, not $12. 

Secondly, I specifically mentioned that in the post. It is around $3 mil. And that is in the unlikely event they all make the team and only displace the lowest earners on the roster. 

Total cost of our 7 picks: $7,491,199. 
Displacement of 7 lowest paid players in the top 51: $6,146,310
Difference: $1,334,889 

Most of they guys likely to be waived have no dead cap. Or very small ones. If we pick a S and waive Brandon Wilson (who makes $2.5 mil instead of the $800k-$900k most of the displaced make) the draft class nets out at under $1 million. 

Only the first ($2.29 mil) and second ($1.1 mil) make significantly more than the guys they are displacing. And not really on the 2nd ($200-$300k).

(03-24-2022, 06:40 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Now, depth is virtually the inverse of the situation with the starters.  We don't have proven depth hardly anywhere. At least in terms of being to play a starting role. We mostly have guys who are career backups/special teamers and/or guys who have struggled when given the chance to play larger roles.

Now, we do have bodies, and guys with whom we are familiar, and some have done well in limited roles. By position group, here is what thing look like. I will start with what look to me like the most pressing areas.

I.  We need bodies

1.  Cornerback. Likely 6-7 53. 1-2 on PS.

Starters: Awuzie, Apple, Hilton (slot).
Backups: ???, ???, Davis (slot).
PS: Brannon

Davis graded out well (69.0) last season, but played just over 50 snaps, almost exclusively in the slot, IIRC. Hargreaves, Phillips ,Flowers & Waynes all played more CB snaps than he did last year. We do not even have a viable backup boundary corner under contract. I'd call Davis CB6.

Bringing back our TE cooler Flowers on a cheap deal is appealing, but is kind of a niche role. He struggles vs quicker guys, would we need to carry 7 CBs if we bring him back? Waynes on a cheap deal?  I dream of Gilmore too, but that is gonna require him signing for less AND some other things to go our way to free up more space (Bates extension, a restructure, another vet FA fo real cheap  etc).  

It seems the draft is the most likely route. I could see 1 or 2 CBs taken. Especially if the 2nd can play CB & S (Daxton Hill) or can return punts (Marcus Jones). Gardner & Stingley surely gone by 31. McDuffie & Booth probably. Either would be hard to pass up if there. Elam has a shot to be there. Gordon & McCreary have good tape but did not test real well. Woolen, who is new to the position, is the opposite. Those guys are reaches at #31 but are probably gone by #63. If we trade back it is a possibility.

2.  DT/NY. 5 on 53. 1-2 on PS

Starters: Reader (NT), BJ Hill (DT).
Reserves: Tupou (NT), ???, Shelvin (NT).
PS: zero.

We do not have a functional 3T to backup Hill at the moment. Tupou coukd play 3T in 5 man lines/goal line, but he is really Reader's backup. Shelvin is also a nose, but is not ready to play. If he was, I doubt we bring Tupou back. I could see Shelvin losing his spot as well. He was often inactive on gameday.

I dream of bringing back Ogunjobi for cheap. Like dreaming of Gilnore, it is probably unlikely. He'd have to settle for 40% or less of what the Bears gave him (yearly). Given the injury situation, his value may have fallen enough so he is affordable. Hill starting might be awkward as well. Bringing Daniels or Kerr back seems more like a practice squad level move.

The draft seems most likely. Davis will be gone when we pick (NT). Wyatt likely as well. Wyatt would be hard to pass if there. Perrion Winfrey possible at 31, but likely a reach. Leal as well. Logan Hall & Travis Jones (more a NT) are reaches at 31 but likely (but maybe not) gone at 63. Mathis from Bama should be there. We could likely get one if we trade down into the mid 30s/early 40s.

3.  Offensive Line. 10 on 53. 2-3 on PS.

Starters: J. Williams, Carman, Karras, Cappa, Collins.
Reserves: Smith (OT3-4/G3-4), Prince (OT3-4), Adeniji (G/T), T. Hill ©.  
PS: Gaillard (G/C).

We usually carry 10 on the 53 and only have 9 ATM. And I do not feel real good about the reserves we do have. Adeniji started at RG and played OT in college but was not good. Prince filled in admirably for Reiff, but was not that good either. Fixing the right side was priority #1 for a reason. Smith looked like a starter in camp, and has OT/G versatility, but got hurt & did not play much. Hill was extremely troubled by penalties in limited time. All these guys are unproven, unimpressive, or both. I would not feel terribly comfortable with any of them in a big game.  

I think we need at least one more OL, maybe more than one. Reiff/Spain/Hopkins for cheap is a possibility. Or another vet cap/camp casualty. The draft is the other mechanism. With LG iffy and Karras' ability to play G, if a stud IOL is staring at us at #31 (Linderbaum, Zion Johnson, Kenyon Green) it is gonna be awfully tough to pass on. I'd go CB/DT over Raimann or Faalele or Smith. The young guys get another year to develop as backups, and a cheap vet still possible. If we don't go OL early, I would not expect a day 2 pick unless more pressing needs (CB, DT) are taken care of. If they are, then maybe a high upside project comes into play (Faalele).

4.  Tight End. 3 on 53. 1-2 on PS.

Starter: Hurst
Backups: Sample, ???.
PS: Washington (converted from TE).

TE is not a priority pisition in our offense. But losing CJ hurts. Hurst may be a better receiver but not as good a blocker. He is half the price, though. On a 1 year deal. This could be the last year if the Drew Sample experience as well. We do not have a TE3 s8gned ATM (it would be Washington ATM) and the two guys we have are in the last year of their deals.

TE market was getting thin when we signed Hurst. Draft has got to be the way to go. But that is dicey, too. There is not really a stud TE this year. McBride is a reach at #31 and no way would I pick a TE with CB/DT/OL needing help. And with talented DEs, WRs, and maybe even LBs out there. If not McBride, this pick could be TE3 this year. Ruckert was in a cast recently and the kid from A&M tested so poorly he is plummeting. Rd 3 at the earliest for me. Unless we acquire extra picks. If we have 4 picks in the first 3 I could happily burn one on a TE. Woods may be a day 3 guy, or late day 2.



Everywhere we ar least have bodies signed, though we could always use an upgrade.

You're missing a couple TEs: Wilcox, Moss

We're good on Nose Tackles we need at least 1 more 3 Tech

We need at least 2 CBs.

I look for those to bee addressed early in the draft. But affordable FAs:

Malik Jackson/DT
Tyeler Davidson/DT
AJ Boyue/CB
Jason Verrett/CB

OK, thanks for the replies and corrections. New post with Fred Johnson fix and the news that Collins' cap hit is south of $4.2 mil this year. 


My best guestimate is now around $17.6 mil in current cap room.

I.  Signed  Sealed, Delivered
1. La'el Collins, RT. 3 years, $21mil +$7 mil bonuses. 2022 hit: $4.2 mil. 
2. Alex Cappa, RG. 4 years, $35 mil. 2022 hit: $6.75 mil.
3. Ted Karras, C/G. 3 years, $18 mil. 2022 hit: $5 mil.
4. Hayden Hurst, TE. 1 year, $3.476 mil.

II.  Re-Signed
1. Jessie Bates, FS. 1 year, $12.9 mil. Franchise tag.
2. BJ Hill, DT. 3 years, $30 mil. 2022 hit: $8.33 mil.
3. Eli Apple, CB. 1 year, $4 mil (reported)
4. Josh Tupou, NT/DT. 2 years, $3 mil. 2022 hit: $1.4 mil.
5. Brandon Allen, QB. 1 year, $1.5 mil.
6. Clark Harris, LS. 1 year, $1.272mil. 2022 hit: $1.047 mil.
7. Michael Thomas, FS. 1 year, $1.035 mil. 2022: $995k.  
8. Mike Thomas, WR. 1 year, $1.12 mil. $895k cap hit.
9. Jalen Davis, CB. 1 yr, $1.035 mil. 2022: $895k.
10. Joe Bachie, LB. 1 yr, $825k. 2022: $825k.
11. Trenton Irwin, WR.
12. Stanley Morgan Jr., WR.

III.  Signed Elsewhere
1. CJ Uzomah, TE.  NY Jets. 3 years, $24 mil.
2. Darius Phillips, CB. Raiders. 1 year, $1.5 mil.
5. Fred Johnson, OT. Cut by Bengals. +$2.4 mil cap space.

IV.  Still FAs
1. Larry Ogunjobi, DT.
2. Riley Reiff, OT.  
3. Quinton Spain, OG.
4. Kevin Huber, P.
5. Trey Waynes, CB. Released. +$10.9 cap.
6. Trey Hopkins, C. Released. +$5.9 cap.
7. Jordan Evans, LB. Serious knee injury.
8.  Fred Johnson, OT.
9. Auden Tate, WR. Ain't coming back.

(03-24-2022, 05:03 PM)Nepa Wrote: Terrific analysis.

Although I don't know about the statement: "On defense, 10/11 starters from a top 10 defense return." I don't think the Bengals were a top 10 defense.

During the regular season, the defense was 18th in yards allowed and 17th in points allowed.

(03-24-2022, 05:23 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: We were 5th at stopping the run last I checked and were the best Defense in the Playoffs IMO.

I think we are a top 10 Defense but points allowed is a telling stat. Middle of the pack in that aspect, this needs to improve big time.

I think it will.

Interesting that the last 9 games we averaged 18 points a game points allowed. Didn’t go back and look at all teams their last 9 games but if for the year we’d given up 18 we’d be first. I was told that they will draft the BPA at #31 and that’s really their philosophy period. I think that most of these are likely not to be there at #31 but I could see Booth, Elam, Dax Hill, Linderbaum, Zion Johnson, or possibly a DT. I look for a DT at #63. Most of the good DT’s will go before their pick then there’s a drop off so I think they’ll pass. If Winfrey’s there at #63 they’d take him but he’s likely gone. #31 is too high for him.

I think that it will be a corner. Like I said unless a really good DT, OL are there unexpectedly

(03-24-2022, 07:32 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Interesting that the last 9 games we averaged 18 points a game points allowed. Didn’t go back and look at all teams their last 9 games but if for the year we’d given up 18 we’d be first. I was told that they will draft the BPA at #31 and that’s really their philosophy period. I think that most of these are likely not to be there at #31 but I could see Booth, Elam, Dax Hill, Linderbaum, Zion Johnson, or possibly a DT. I look for a DT at #63. Most of the good DT’s will go before their pick then there’s a drop off so I think they’ll pass. If Winfrey’s there at #63 they’d take him but he’s likely gone. #31 is too high for him.

I think that it will be a corner. Like I said unless a really good DT, OL are there unexpectedly

Yeah, we were really good down the stretch on D, like the best in the NFL and this draft is stacked with Defensive talent and 
we took care of the OL to select whoever we want.

Give up the Moss dream. Kid's shot

If at #31, there isn't an obvious BPA who falls to us that we like (Linderbaum, Zion, Green, Wyatt, Booth, McDuffie, Hill, Dean, maybe even Ojabo/Jameson Williams), then I think if we can get a good trade down deal, we do it.

I'd love to finagle an extra pick before the end of day 2.

1) CB
2) DT
3)-4): Pick 2 from DE, WR, TE, OL, S.

Cross some stuff off depending on how the finish of FA goes.

I think in the draft we truly go BPA available, but if its a tie I'm betting we focus on defense a little more as FA focused on the offense. I would love:

1) Roger McCreary- CB (Auburn)

2) George Pickens-WR (UGA)

3) Zachary Carter- DT (Florida)

- these 3 would strengthen the roster overall depth before we hit day 3!!!