Seems like a lot of people are saying that the only thing they want to see us do is re-sign Reggie Nelson.  They seem to be forgetting the hole left by Wallace Gilberry.  I am much more confident that Shawn Williams can step in and play at safety than I am that Hunt or Clarke can fill Gilberry's role.  And I want Hardison to get bigger and become a full time DT instead of being a DT/DE hybrid.

If we don't re-sign Gilberry there are some other cheap alternatives out there.  Both Antonio Smith (6'3", 274) and Henry Melton (6'3", 280) have been to the Pro Bowl.  I don't know if Jeremy Mincey (6'4", 265) has ever played inside at DT, but he is still available.  Tony McDaniel is built like a 4-3 DE (6'7", 295) but has always played DT.

Hardison may blossom into a very good player.  it is not unusual for a player to make huge strides from their rookie season to their second, but guys who have been around a while like Hunt (3 years) and Clarke (2 years) are probably not going to suddenly get a lot better.

It's not been forgotten. I'm a fan of Gillberry and really hope he signs. I don't have much doubt he will. The longer he goes unsigned, the better the chance we get him back.

Gilberry was a very pleasant surprise with how he played after being picked up, but watching him last year led me to believe that he's gotten long in the tooth. For a guy who is supposed to be a 3rd down specialist, having 3.5 sacks over the past two years doesn't seem very good. I'd really like to take a look at some advanced stats to see if he's still getting pressures. I'm also curious as to how effective he's been when lined up inside. I can distinctly remember a few instances last year when teams would run right at him for a first down. Basically I want to know if he's performing as poorly as the stats and my eyes are implying.

Doubt the Bengals offered Gilberry more than a veteran minimum. He may return, but would have no incentive to return until the last minute. The draft is also very good on the D-line. Bengals have all the leverage, we rescued Gilberry once already in the past so he knows where his bread is buttered.

I think it is time to see what we have in Clarke and Hunt. Those two (respectively) were picked fairly high in the draft and has been wasting away on the bench. I think it is time to see what those two have to offer instead of resigning Gillberry. If they are both offered a bigger role without anyone in their way, I think it will light that fire they both need to become bigger players in this game.

Hopefully a DE that our coaches deem as suitable will fall to our laps in the draft. Otherwise, the team may indeed have a hole in the roster. I'm sure there is a plan.

I don't think it's forgotten. I think it's just a DL blessed draft. Restock and cut stock.

(04-02-2016, 05:39 PM)Benton Wrote: I don't think it's forgotten. I think it's just a DL blessed draft. Restock and cut stock.

Exactly, what those business types call a buyers market.

(04-02-2016, 05:39 PM)Benton Wrote: I don't think it's forgotten. I think it's just a DL blessed draft. Restock and cut stock.

Yeah, Dingleberry went from 14 sacks over his first two seasons, to 3.5 sacks over his last two.

Time to move on and inject some young new talent.

(04-02-2016, 05:39 PM)Benton Wrote: I don't think it's forgotten. I think it's just a DL blessed draft. Restock and cut stock.

Yup, what's more of a hole in the roster is kicker. Time to finally get someone who can be at least in the top half of the league in FG % rather than in the 20s. Being able to occasionally hit 50+ without the wind at your back would be nice too.

I expect to see Hardison rushing from the inside on passing downs this year, along with a new DE in the draft.

I'm pretty sure they're going to see if Hardison can fill that role.

Gilberry to Detroit.

It's officially Smith and Lamur vs Jones and Gilberry twice a year in the NFCN.

It is a hole now for sure.

Need to look at a DE early. I would not be against a DE in the first, WR in the 2nd and DT in the 3rd now.

Ogbah, Dodd and Calhoun are definately options for us. I personally think all three would fit in our 4-3 rotation very well too.

Like Ogbah the best but not by much, they are all fine pass rushers and can stop the run.

The Gilberry thing has been puzzling a bit. We keep two guys on the roster (Hunt and Clarke), who's career contributions have been less than a year from Gilberry. You'd think we could have found a better use for those roster spots.

(04-06-2016, 02:20 AM)BengalChris Wrote: The Gilberry thing has been puzzling a bit. We keep two guys on the roster (Hunt and Clarke), who's career contributions have been less than a year from Gilberry. You'd think we could have found a better use for those roster spots.

They are both still under contract for peanuts.  No need to release then before training camp.  

We could probably scoop up Bjorn Werner for league minimum to fill that Gilberry role. I love the Germanator

(04-06-2016, 02:55 AM)fredtoast Wrote: They are both still under contract for peanuts.  No need to release then before training camp.  

Those peanuts could have been used to sign Gilberry and those two used up two roster spots last year. That's what doesn't make sense. It's not like either of these guys is going to suddenly become quality football players or anything. We already know exactly what they can't do, which is play DL on an NFL level.
 

(04-09-2016, 05:25 PM)BengalChris Wrote: Those peanuts could have been used to sign Gilberry and those two used up two roster spots last year. That's what doesn't make sense. It's not like either of these guys is going to suddenly become quality football players or anything. We already know exactly what they can't do, which is play DL on an NFL level.
 

Clarke was only in his secnd season last year.  it would have been silly to cut him before even giving him 2 years to develop.

And just because Clarke and Hunt are not great players that does not mean there were better ones sitting around unemployed last year that we could have signed to replace them.

As for Gilberry, the Bengals have shown in the pst that they have a apretty good idea of when to move on from players like him ( see: Rucker, Fanene)