(03-14-2024, 08:29 PM)Joelist Wrote: Let's remember it isn't Rankins instead of Hill it's Rankins WITH Hill. Last time we had the duo interior pass rush was 2021 when Hill and Ogunjobi gave us 12.5 sacks from the inside. Last year we got Hill's 4.5 and basically nothing else. What Rankins returns to us is the inside pass rush combo we had - and that is no small thing.

Good point.

Trey is double teamed often, now Hill and Rankins will see a lot of one-on-one match ups. 

I also think a healthy Joseph Ossai will surprise some people in 2024 rushing the passer. 

(03-14-2024, 08:32 PM)depthchart Wrote: I believe the Bengals are Contenders but may have been a little "content" with their Roster.

Maybe thinking that the 2023 Roster would have been good enough to win (had Burrow stayed healthy) 

Behaving like the Roster only needed tweaked in 2024 Free Agency.

Certain other Teams appeared to be Bolder in Free Agency to try to boost their Rosters in some way 

versus maintaining one at a somewhat similar level to what it was the year before.

Many of times, big signings have not worked out in FA, there are reasons besides $$ that players get released.. to sustain success in the NFL majority of teams need to score in drafts and extend the right guys and mix some FAs in,, i think that is what the bengals have been doing last few years

(03-14-2024, 07:34 PM)CottonHill Wrote: We are not contenders. Too many AFC teams have surpassed us. We are only above average at two position groups, WR and QB

We had our Franchise QB for 4.5 games last year, a largely not good defence, and almost made the playoffs. Not saying we're the front runners we were two years ago, but the idea we're not even contenders anymore is a real pessimistic one.

Have we done enough to warrant drafting Bowers at 18 if he fell. That I don’t know with it meaning pushing OT and DT needs to day two….

That would have made this FA a success.

Have we lost that luxury?

(03-14-2024, 08:46 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: Many of times, big signings have not worked out in FA, there are reasons besides $$ that players get released.. to sustain success in the NFL majority of teams need to score in drafts and extend the right guys and mix some FAs in,, i think that is what the bengals have been doing last few years

Time will tell if what the Bengals have done and will do will work for the 2024 season.

Sustaining success for years and years with Burrow would be the optimal outcome versus say going all in for a year or two.

(03-14-2024, 07:34 PM)CottonHill Wrote: We are not contenders. Too many AFC teams have surpassed us. We are only above average at two position groups, WR and QB

I’d imagine that you are underselling a few position groups for the bengals. That said, I’d imagine most teams are only “above average” at some position groups.

It doesn’t hurt that one of our above average players is the most important position in football.

The chiefs had mostly average position groups, but they had a few elite pieces within, but mostly mahomes.

(03-14-2024, 08:56 PM)depthchart Wrote: Time will tell if what the Bengals have done and will do will work for the 2024 season.

Sustaining success for years and years with Burrow would be the optimal outcome versus say going all in for a year or two.

True, he isn’t stafford or Brady (Tampa) on the back half of their careers. It’s amazing how quickly both franchises rebounded (Tampa after Brady retired, and LA after they tore it down for one year).

(03-14-2024, 08:14 PM)Synric Wrote: Don't mind me I'm just still a little salty they didn't extend Bates in 2020. 

Bates was/is not worth 17 million a year.

(03-14-2024, 07:34 PM)CottonHill Wrote: We are not contenders. Too many AFC teams have surpassed us. We are only above average at two position groups, WR and QB

What a crybaby.The Bengals,are definately contenders.

(03-14-2024, 08:54 PM)jj22 Wrote: Have we done enough to warrant drafting Bowers at 18 if he fell. That I don’t know with it meaning pushing OT and DT needs to day two….

That would have made this FA a success.

Have we lost that luxury?

Yes.If Bowers is there at 18.Grab him.

I guess you guy's see why I don't like that Cottonhill dude. We aren't even contenders anymore.

Yesterday he was loving the Rankins and Bell moves and now we totally suck.

(03-14-2024, 08:54 PM)jj22 Wrote: Have we done enough to warrant drafting Bowers at 18 if he fell. That I don’t know with it meaning pushing OT and DT needs to day two….

That would have made this FA a success.

Have we lost that luxury?

I feel like they will go as close to BPA as they can.  They tend not to draft for immediate need in round 1.  Not since the no-brainer Chase and Burrow drafts.  Regardless of what happens in the remainder of FA, I'd be unsurprised if they took a corner, pass rusher, or receiver.  
Asking anything but a top 3 OT prospect to start vs this division and it's pass rushers is incredibly risky.  Even the can't miss guys miss relatively regularly.  They might end up in a situation where even if they take a guy at 18, he needs to wait a bit to get on the field.  

(03-14-2024, 08:46 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: Many of times, big signings have not worked out in FA, there are reasons besides $$ that players get released.. to sustain success in the NFL majority of teams need to score in drafts and extend the right guys and mix some FAs in,, i think that is what the bengals have been doing last few years

IMHO, the main reason so many free agents do not work out is that the NFL has the tampering periods backwards. 

Currently teams can talk to agents during the legal tampering period but cannot talk with players until 3 days later when the new league year begins.  This means that all the talk is about dollars and contract structures instead of communicating with the player's fit and what his role would or could be.  As soon as the new league year begins the race is on to sign players.

If teams could talk to players first for 3 days, then talk to agents about contracts, I believe teams would sign players that could be better fits for their schemes & existing personnel. 

(03-14-2024, 08:54 PM)jj22 Wrote: Have we done enough to warrant drafting Bowers at 18 if he fell. That I don’t know with it meaning pushing OT and DT needs to day two….

That would have made this FA a success.

Have we lost that luxury?

I don't think we have. Our Oline and Dline "needs" are of the lesser variety. We have the penatrating DT and we have the LT. We need a big-bodied 0-Tech and a RT.

I personally think BJ has the sand to play the A-Gap but others don't. RT is definately a need but RTs can be had later in the draft. 

The penatrating DTs and the LTs are the premium picks

(03-14-2024, 09:20 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: I guess you guy's see why I don't like that Cottonhill dude. We aren't even contenders anymore.

Yesterday he was loving the Rankins and Bell moves and now we totally suck.

(03-14-2024, 06:53 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: That was meant as a joke. Grampahol is another member on here who plays up the fact that he is much older than most of the other members.  What you wrote reminded me of something that he might say in a similar situation.  No harm intended, hope that no offense was taken as I enjoy your input and I like him as a fellow fan.

I don’t take offense lol, we’re all die hard bengals fans. We show it in different ways. I’ll admit, I’m more critical because I’ve invested so much energy in to them, and have been burned so many times. I’ve been a member of this board for 3 years, but I’ve been a reader of the board (back when it was through the main website) when Carson Palmer was drafted.

I feel like this was a kind of predictable free agency period. The Tart/Rankins idea was talked about quite a bit on the Bengal podcast circuit. Giesicki has been discussed as a target for two years. Even I saw Moss as a potential fit. Stone was a surprise to me. He was a guy I really wanted for them. Even so, his deal was reasonable.

They went quantity over quality. I'm not mad. Hell, I remember the Titus Adams/Ed Hartwell fa year. Not to mention the year we added Maybin. Or Harvey. Or Jamaal Anderson, not the running back. They're plugging holes with solid players. At least they are giving it a real effort.

One thing I dislike is the lack of ability to obtain a high-impact difference maker. They are a contender in the final year of any of the big three being reasonably affordable. I'm all for sustained success, but seeing them go all out this year would have been exciting.

(03-14-2024, 09:29 PM)Brownshoe Wrote:

Fantastic. 

Dinner at Jeff Ruby’s tonight for all the new guys and hopefully soon to new guys. It worked before so fingers crossed it gets Tart and Becton’s deals done


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(03-14-2024, 09:26 PM)casear2727 Wrote: IMHO, the main reason so many free agents do not work out is that the NFL has the tampering periods backwards. 

Currently teams can talk to agents during the legal tampering period but cannot talk with players until 3 days later when the new league year begins.  This means that all the talk is about dollars and contract structures instead of communicating with the player's fit and what his role would or could be.  As soon as the new league year begins the race is on to sign players.

If teams could talk to players first for 3 days, then talk to agents about contracts, I believe teams would sign players that could be better fits for their schemes & existing personnel. 

That makes sense. Usually job interviews first start out getting to know someone then you talk money.