The NFL's "legal tampering" period begins today. The time where teams are allowed to negotiate and agree to deals in principle with players who are set to hit the open market.

Please place all news, rumors and such in here.

(03-13-2023, 09:38 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: The NFL's "legal tampering" period begins today.  The time where teams are allowed to negotiate and agree to deals in principle with players who are set to hit the open market.

Please place all news, rumors and such in here.

Just to get it out of the way before all the news/rumors start coming in, I just wanted to say this is probably my favorite part of the offseason.
Talking the draft is fun, but the FA signings help give a way better roadmap for who the Bengals might draft (at least position-wise).
FA also is what gets the fans most excited or frustrated based on who the Bengals sign.

(03-13-2023, 10:18 AM)ochocincos Wrote: Just to get it out of the way before all the news/rumors start coming in, I just wanted to say this is probably my favorite part of the offseason.
Talking the draft is fun, but the FA signings help give a way better roadmap for who the Bengals might draft (at least position-wise).
FA also is what gets the fans most excited or frustrated based on who the Bengals sign.

I agree. I love FA. 

(03-13-2023, 10:18 AM)ochocincos Wrote: Just to get it out of the way before all the news/rumors start coming in, I just wanted to say this is probably my favorite part of the offseason.
Talking the draft is fun, but the FA signings help give a way better roadmap for who the Bengals might draft (at least position-wise).
FA also is what gets the fans most excited or frustrated based on who the Bengals sign.

I find it even more fun since FA for the Bengals is currently a roster retooling practice as a team built to win the Super Bowl.

(03-13-2023, 10:18 AM)ochocincos Wrote: Just to get it out of the way before all the news/rumors start coming in, I just wanted to say this is probably my favorite part of the offseason.
Talking the draft is fun, but the FA signings help give a way better roadmap for who the Bengals might draft (at least position-wise).
FA also is what gets the fans most excited or frustrated based on who the Bengals sign.

Free agency used to mean nothing to me, because the Bengals were NEVER big players in free agency's first (or often second) wave. 

In my time as a fan (2005 onward), the biggest free agents we'd had before 2020 were, like, Laveranues Coles (over 30, on his 4th team and pretty washed up), Antonio Bryant (probably our biggest free agent bust ever. Maybe Waynes can top him now, not sure), Pacman Jones (Bargain bin addition because of his history and we technically didn't even sign him from another team because he played in the CFL the year before he joined us) and Terence Newman (cut by the Cowboys and just looking for a familiar face in Zimmer. Signed him for less than a million dollars. He was okay though).

It's been a ton of fun in the last 3 years though. I am hoping that continues today

Over or under 1.5 “agree in principle” signings today?

(03-13-2023, 10:39 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: Over or under 1.5 “agree in principle” signings today?

I'll go under. We'll see the "agree in principle" signings unfold tomorrow.

(03-13-2023, 10:39 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: Over or under 1.5 “agree in principle” signings today?

I'm going to go with under. I don't expect us to be huge players in the first wave this year. We have a lot of money that is tied up by Burrow and (hopefully) Higgins and Wilson that we should be cutting soon. Early money is the best way to get top free agents, so I think we'll be many players' 2nd or 3rd option, which would take longer than today for them to go through their options and get to us.

I hope I'm wrong though! I would love it if we signed a top of the market RT today.

(03-13-2023, 10:41 AM)TecmoBengals Wrote: I'll go under. We'll see the "agree in principle" signings unfold tomorrow.

Last year Cappa and karras were both signed within like 30 minutes of the window opening.

(03-13-2023, 10:42 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: I'm going to go with under. I don't expect us to be huge players in the first wave this year. We have a lot of money that is tied up by Burrow and (hopefully) Higgins and Wilson that we should be cutting soon. Early money is the best way to get top free agents, so I think we'll be many players' 2nd or 3rd option, which would take longer than today for them to go through their options and get to us.

I hope I'm wrong though! I would love it if we signed a top of the market RT today.

If we include our own guys, I say we see 3 signings (in principle) today.

(03-13-2023, 10:19 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: I agree. I love FA. 

 
well,,,I do now but not in past when Bengals did pretty much ZERO to really improve
Looking to retaining some guys like Hurst and Bell and signing at least one legit Edge guy and possibly a RB or OT.  

(03-13-2023, 10:42 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: Last year Cappa and karras were both signed within like 30 minutes of the window opening.

Yeah that was quite the anomoly. 

Aside from who we will sign, it will be interesting to see what happens to Bates, Bell, and Hurst. Will they be resigned today?

I think Bates is headed to ATL if the almighty internet rumors prove true.

I sure hope this talk of the Bengals mostly just focusing on only signing their own, extending their own, and not looking outward in FA was just talk.

Can't imagine being this close to a Super Bowl and choosing to just be content and sit on your hands while all your competition gets better.

(03-13-2023, 10:53 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: I sure hope this talk of the Bengals mostly just focusing on only signing their own, extending their own, and not looking outward in FA was just talk.

Can't imagine being this close to a Super Bowl and choosing to just be content and sit on your hands while all your competition gets better.

Especially when you have the top 5 most cap space in the league. 

(03-13-2023, 10:56 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Especially when you have the top 5 most cap space in the league. 

well we got some spots to fill...   After getting to the AFCCG 2x in a row they might not think they need much improvement but better depth for injuries.

But still many spots you could find improvement in.   You just dont see the bengals announce much during this time as they generally dont make announcements till the deal is done (which it cant be till the 15th)

(03-13-2023, 10:53 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: I sure hope this talk of the Bengals mostly just focusing on only signing their own, extending their own, and not looking outward in FA was just talk.

Can't imagine being this close to a Super Bowl and choosing to just be content and sit on your hands while all your competition gets better.

X2

I'm praying the no free agency talk was just smoke and mirrors. We have to fix the Oline.

Just saw a clip on twitter from Adam Shefter's podcast, Patrick Peterson mentioned he'd be interested in playing for the Bengals. Was the first team he spoke on then added the Cowboys.

Not sure it's a great fit with CTB being penciled in the start, but it'd be hard to say no if he'd agree at a team friendly amount.

I haven't talked to anyone this year like I had before last year, so this is more gut than sources. I think we spend the tampering period letting our guys test the market then negotiating with them after they see what their market is. I then think once FA actually opens we will bring in some outside guys in waive two either as depth or even replacements.

I do think there is a chance that Bell follows Bates out the door but this safety class has enough interesting pieces I think we could plug another FA in and be okay. Hurst will probably get a solid deal elsewhere but I think they'd like a chance to talk to him once he has seen his market. Pratt is one where they have a number in mind and if he gets more I think they will move to a FA (very deep LB FA group). Any play at OL will come after the intial run when the value makes more sense.

(03-13-2023, 11:33 AM)Au165 Wrote: I haven't talked to anyone this year like I had before last year, so this is more gut than sources. I think we spend the tampering period letting our guys test the market then negotiating with them after they see what their market is. I then think once FA actually opens we will bring in some outside guys in waive two either as depth or even replacements.

I do think there is a chance that Bell follows Bates out the door but this safety class has enough interesting pieces I think we could plug another FA in and be okay. Hurst will probably get a solid deal elsewhere but I think they'd like a chance to talk to him once he has seen his market. Pratt is one where they have a number in mind and if he gets more I think they will move to a FA (very deep LB FA group). Any play at OL will come after the intial run when the value makes more sense.

Malik mentioned on Bengal Jim's podcast last night a top tier RT said if the Bengals called, he'd sign for below market price but we aren't.

If I had to speculate, this would be about McGary:
- Topish tier RT
- Coming from a team not in/close to SB contention
- Wouldn't fit our team exactly as he's a better run Block RT instead of Pass.