This is the best situation a rookie could step into getting drafted here. We have so many guys who can receive on our team its pretty ridiculous. If we run two tight end sets with bernard in the backfield and a rookie receiver he should do just fine. We all knew weeks ago that MLJ and Sanu were gone, both wanted bigger roles and that wasn't going to happen here. We just couldn't afford what teams were willing to pay them in a week WR free agency. Timing just screwed us.

I also wanted to add that we shouldn't forget about how good hewitt can be if he takes another step forward this year and comes back healthy. He makes them team so much better both in the run and passing game.

We can talk about Hewitt and Burkhead and Tate.....but if we are talking Super Bowl, we could use another AJ Green.  Somebody even better than Jones or Sanu. ...There may not be any AJ Green types in the draft, but if we are really wanting Super Bowl, wouldn't it be awesome to have AJ Green and a # 1 pick WR as the up and coming AJ Green and Eifert at TE. ....Green will be going into his 6th season, and maybe it is time to land another 1st round WR.  ...If a 1st round pick at WR looks like Pro Bowl to go along with Green and Eifert, that is Super Bowl stuff. ...I hope we land a good one.......I think teams worked it out to where draft picks aren't getting the high contracts of before, so it might fit the budget and the future, with play-off wins early on if we get the right WR. ....Speed, hands and size to go fast and go long, not a little guy or a slow guy, but somebody with real 1st round talent. ......Bengals thought early in week Jones was staying. Now, they need to replace him, that simple, and not with RBs and whoever.  We now need a top WR.........can we trade up to get Treadwell, considered the blue chip WR in the draft, and team him with Green and Eifert. .....If the talent is weak at WR in the draft, I can see trading up to get the blue chip guy who won't be there when we draft later.......and I wouldn't mind a later pick of a Henry type of size and speed like that Cody guy projected as a mid rounder.  Come away with some new talent anyway.  

in my opinion having hewitt 100% next year is better than having another AJ green. There is only so many passes to go around, but a guy like hewitt opens up the passing game by allowing us to run the ball.

(03-10-2016, 07:10 PM)BengalChris Wrote: Why do people keep saying that Marvin Jones was the #3 or #4 receiving option? He had the 2nd most catches and receiving yards on the team. Eifert was 3rd and Gio was 4th, Sanu was 5th and Tate was like 99th. LOL

Eifert was thrown to more in the redzone, for obvious reasons.

We'll still need someone who can get open from the WR spot, otherwise, AJ Green is going to double coverage everywhere he goes.

I agree with you.  I said in another thread that people are acting like Eifert puts up Gronk numbers and he doesn't... he had a lot of touchdowns this year, but barely has 1000 receiving yards for his entire career.  Then the response is "but he has been hurt a lot".  That is something else to consider; he has never played an entire NFL season.  I keep seeing "we'll just move Eifert into the slot".  OK, but there is still a matter of another outside receiver, and then you have to hope that Kroft is ready to move into the role that Eifert played this year... as the OP says losing your number two and three wide receiver does hurt.

I don't know if this has already been brought up, cause I kinda got bored with the comments here, but did you see how much effing money they signed for?!?!?!  7 mil per for a slot receiver???  Marvin is getting 13 mil next season...its been real...but I'm out!?

(03-10-2016, 09:12 PM)jason Wrote: A big chunk of that falling sky just hit me in the head.

I don't think it's falling sky so much as it is memories of the 2012 and 2014 seasons, when we were thin at WR.

We (should've) learned then that you can't just throw any scrubs or rookies in at WR and expect results.

Fuller or Coleman in round 1 seems like a lock now.

(03-11-2016, 12:06 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I don't think it's falling sky so much as it is memories of the 2012 and 2014 seasons, when we were thin at WR.

We (should've) learned then that you can't just throw any scrubs or rookies in at WR and expect results.

To be fair when was the last time the Bengals learned anything 

What I am worried about is.. Who will take all the targets that MJ and Sanu got?

2015: Marvin Jones: 103 Targets
2015: Mohamed Sanu: 50 Targets

That's 150ish targets that needs to be distributed...

This is what I'd do if I were the Bengals...

Sign Reuban Randle or someone like Jeremy Kerley.. to be #3 wide receiver and draft a wide receiver in the 1st to be the #2 receiver.

(03-11-2016, 12:11 AM)milksheikh Wrote: What I am worried about is.. Who will take all the targets that MJ and Sanu got?

2015: Marvin Jones: 103 Targets
2015: Mohamed Sanu: 50 Targets

That's 150ish targets that needs to be distributed...

This is what I'd do if I were the Bengals...

Sign Reuban Randle or someone like Jeremy Kerley.. to be #3 wide receiver and draft a wide receiver in the 1st to be the #2 receiver.

Good point with the targets, but that great divide looks a little more reasonable if you consider Eifert (72) and Gio (66) should have a have a slight increase by virtue of Andy trusting them more than a rookie.  One of them have to be singled.  We could see an increase of old school balanced looks (2TE or TE and FB), so Kroft and Hewitt may get a few extra looks.  Kerley makes tons of sense in the slot as a cheap cut vet signing with his history with Andy.  Still wouldn't rule out an old WR when teams spend their money up, or a greedy FA stuck looking for a one year showcase deal.  A rookie may only need say 50-60 targets after all that shakes down.   

(03-11-2016, 12:28 AM)phil413 Wrote: Good point with the targets, but that great divide looks a little more reasonable if you consider Eifert (72) and Gio (66) should have a have a slight increase by virtue of Andy trusting them more than a rookie.  One of them have to be singled.  We could see an increase of old school balanced looks (2TE or TE and FB), so Kroft and Hewitt may get a few extra looks.  Kerley makes tons of sense in the slot as a cheap cut vet signing with his history with Andy.  Still wouldn't rule out an old WR when teams spend their money up, or a greedy FA stuck looking for a one year showcase deal.  A rookie may only need say 50-60 targets after all that shakes down.   

To be honest, I want us to find that Emmanuel Sanders type of guy.

The Robin to Batman (A.J. Green), I really think we should go after Josh Doctson, Will Fuller, Corey Coleman (either one) in 1st round.

(03-10-2016, 07:27 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Jones was the top rated WR in free agency.  And despite what a lot of people here claim I think he has the skill set to be a #1 WR.  So I was not too surprised that he got $8 mil a year.

I also like Sanu a lot more than many people here, but no way he is worth $6.5 mil per year.  

Add in the fact that we already have a #1 WR and I wonder how fans would have felt if we paid $14.5 million a year for a #2 and #3.

This.  

I think we'll target Fuller in the draft.

I'd offer Aiken from Baltimore 4 million a season and give them our second rounder. As much as they've struggled to find young weapons then we go take the best they've had in years.

I think freaking out over losing a 3rd and a 5th rd WR is laughable. They will be replaced and perhaps with even more capable WR's.

(03-11-2016, 01:43 AM)coachmcneil71 Wrote: I think freaking out over losing a 3rd and a 5th rd WR is laughable. They will be replaced and perhaps with even more capable WR's.

Freaking out would be losing a 5th round safety, but lets forget about when they were drafted and focus on who they are.  Both these WR's were "over"paid and I'm surprised Cincy was willing to go as high as they did for Jones.  It is reasonable for us to be uneasy losing their production, but they are replaceable as opposed to replacing a Pacman or Iloka right now.  Hopefully they draft a WR that can contribute quickly and hopefully they DO NOT draft need and pass on a Billings type. 

(03-11-2016, 12:09 AM)Aquapod770 Wrote: Fuller or Coleman in round 1 seems like a lock now.

Swap out Fuller for Josh Doctson and you have something here.  Doctson or Corey Coleman would be sweet.

I made it my new facebook status.

The comments that these were 3rd round and 5th round WRs is silly, because where they were drafted doesn't matter.  Some 1st round picks in NFL history were lousy and huge busts and a Joe Montana not a top pick has a hand full of Super Bowl rings.  So just forget where they were drafted and accept that we just lost our # 2 and # 3 WRs, which is a huge loss.  The Bengals really tried to keep Jones and the Bengals did not want to lose both of them.....To talk about where they were drafted is silly.  What other teams paid them is not important, except it shows other teams could care less where they were drafted. .....What is important is that Bengals have lost their # 2 and # 3 WRs, and that's all that matters. Bengals can not just put RBs and FBs in there as some mentioned. Bengals must go out now and get some top WR talent to fill the void, because right now Bengals don't have enough WR talent to field a competitive team.  .......Green and Eifert give us a top WR and a top TE, but that is pee wee football formation stuff. We will need more than a WR and a TE.   These top WRs we just lost must be replaced in F/A or the draft with top talent, not cheap fill in talent. If they don't, NFL defenses will be all over Green and Eifert not letting them get open, and everybody will be wondering why Dalton is having such a bad season. This isn't rocket science and our needs at other positions now falls way behind our needs at WR.  Our QBs must have these WRs replaced with top talent for our QBs to win ball games.

It did hurt.

The good news is the vast majority of the fans knew that we were most likely losing both. There were a few holdouts who thought we could afford 8 million more at WR, or they thought Jones would take a massive pay cut to stay home.

But just looking at the free agent class of WRs told a lot of fans everything they needed to know. There was no way we were getting either back at a fair price. They got overpaid like crazy and I'm glad our front office didn't fall into the classic trap of overpaying now and suffering later (maybe by not having the money to re-sign Eifert next off season, for example.)

I wish we could have kept Jones, but not at 8 million per year. That probably would have meant we didn't re-sign Iloka this season or Eifert next season.

Overall, it was what was best for the team.