I have suggested in several other threads that the Bengals try to sign Terrelle Pryor as a FA in the offseason. Some people have shown moderate agreement while others will quickly call me an OSU homer. I am a fan of the Buckeyes, but it doesn't come CLOSE to my love for the Bengals. I would draft 100% Michigan players if I was told it would help us win a Super Bowl. And, I want Michigan's coach, but that is another subject entirely.

Here are a few positives to Pryor for the Bengals:

Pryor is the only WR in the NFL that is 6'5" or taller than ran a legitimate 4.38 in the 40 yard dash. Vertical speed and length are something the Bengals are lacking opposite AJ Green.

Pryor would likely command even more money in an NFL contract if he had been playing WR for his entire career.

He hasn't taken as many hits as your average four-year player in the NFL.

He is from the Pennsylvania area, and would likely prefer to stay close to home.

Here are his stats through 11 games this season:

62 receptions 855 yards (13.8 YPC), 4 TDs

Here is AJ Green's numbers from his rookie season(16 games):

65 receptions 1057 yards(16.2 YPC), 7 TD

Despite not having any stability at the QB position, not much of an offensive line to allow him time to get downfield, and only playing in 11 games....you get the picture.

This offense desperately needs a vertical threat to go with AJ, Boyd (slot), and Eifert. I think that player should by Pryor.

I'm going to pass on Pryor. He may be the highest paid WR in FA this year and it'll be based off one year of production on a team that lacked many other weapons. I'd rather pay Kenny Stills to take the top off for less money, or draft Mike Williams to give us an insane 1/2 punch.

(12-01-2016, 10:24 AM)Au165 Wrote: I'm going to pass on Pryor. He may be the highest paid WR in FA this year and it'll be based off one year of production on a team that lacked many other weapons. I'd rather pay Kenny Stills to take the top off for less money, or draft Mike Williams to give us an insane 1/2 punch.

I would support signing Pryor or Stills as a deadly deep threat opposite of AJ. I think either one could be obtained for less than Marvin Jones' 5-year, $40MM deal.

(12-01-2016, 12:13 PM)lostpoet2 Wrote: I would support signing Pryor or Stills as a deadly deep threat opposite of AJ. I think either one could be obtained for less than Marvin Jones' 5-year, $40MM deal.

The kicker is, the Bengals offered Jones basically the same deal.  He wanted to be the number one receiver and so far here is how that has played out compared to last year.

2015  (13 games)
Catches - 65
Yards - 816
TDs - 4

2016 (11 games)
Catches - 42  (He is number 4 on the team)
Yards - 730  (He is number 1 on the team)
TDs - 4   (He is tied for number 2 on the team)

They are in the playoff hunt though.

I've heard guys on the radio talking about Pryor and they seem to think he won't get top WR money. Good money, just not #1 money. I would agree. for that reason and many others, yes, Pryor would be someone I'd target in FA.

PS: I'm a UK fan, so no bias for or against.

Torrey Smith could be a trade target. A 5th rounder for a cheap contract. ( 7mil for years 2017-19 three seasons.) He also has what the Bengals are missing speed. Not just deep speed burst off the line.

(12-01-2016, 01:29 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I've heard guys on the radio talking about Pryor and they seem to think he won't get top WR money. Good money, just not #1 money. I would agree. for that reason and many others, yes, Pryor would be someone I'd target in FA.

PS: I'm a UK fan, so no bias for or against.

Pryor doesn't deserve top WR money, but I think he'll get at least $6 mill per year. Mohamed Sanu, signed for $6.5 mill per year and he's arguably not as good as Pryor.
If a WR in a great passing offense with ~500 yards receiving and 3 TDs can get $6.5 mill a year, I think Pryor (855 yards, 4 TDs in a horrible offense) will likely pull more around $8 mill a year.

As was already mentioned, the Bengals did offer Marvin Jones ~$8 mill a year supposedly, so they COULD be willing to offer that much for a WR, but I don't think they will.
They only dished out $2.5 mill to LaFell, who has actually been a pretty good bargain.
For 2017, they might need (or want) to pay a good amount for Zeitler and/or Kirkpatrick given the state of the OL and CBs.
They also likely have to try and extend Whitworth for another year or two since there's no clear trusted successor at LT (yet).

The Bengals are expected to have about $40 million in cap space heading into FA and the draft (http://overthecap.com/salary-cap/cincinnati-bengals/).
About $10 million is reserved for draft picks and injuries.
With the above potential re-signings, you're looking probably at ~$9-10 mill for Zeitler (based on DeCastro's new contract), about $8-10 mill for DreK (given the prices for FA CBs nowadays), and likely another $8 million or so to Whitworth (he signed $9 million one-year extension last year).
Add all that up and you're looking at only about $5 million or less to work with. Very likely not enough to sign Pryor too unless you didn't re-sign one of the top 3 Bengals FAs.

With that said though, Maualuga can be cut with no dead money and save $3.7 million. Pat Sims for another $1 million.

(12-01-2016, 01:00 PM)bengalguy71 Wrote: The kicker is, the Bengals offered Jones basically the same deal.  He wanted to be the number one receiver and so far here is how that has played out compared to last year.

2015  (13 games)
Catches - 65
Yards - 816
TDs - 4

2016 (11 games)
Catches - 42  (He is number 4 on the team)
Yards - 730  (He is number 1 on the team)
TDs - 4   (He is tied for number 2 on the team)

They are in the playoff hunt though.

Yes, that's why I brought it up.  If we were willing to pay Jones this money to be a #2, we should be willing to pay one of those guys at hopefully a slightly lower rate.

(12-01-2016, 12:13 PM)lostpoet2 Wrote: I would support signing Pryor or Stills as a deadly deep threat opposite of AJ. I think either one could be obtained for less than Marvin Jones' 5-year, $40MM deal.

Good point. I'd take Pryor for $8 (or less) over Marvin for $9.

(12-01-2016, 03:55 PM)Synric Wrote: Torrey Smith could be a trade target. A 5th rounder for a cheap contract. ( 7mil for years 2017-19 three seasons.) He also has what the Bengals are missing speed. Not just deep speed burst off the line.

Torrey Smith would make a fine #2 with speed, and $7 million per is a solid price for a good #2 with deep speed.

(12-01-2016, 04:08 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Pryor doesn't deserve top WR money, but I think he'll get at least $6 mill per year. Mohamed Sanu, signed for $6.5 mill per year and he's arguably not as good as Pryor.
If a WR in a great passing offense with ~500 yards receiving and 3 TDs can get $6.5 mill a year, I think Pryor (855 yards, 4 TDs in a horrible offense) will likely pull more around $8 mill a year.

As was already mentioned, the Bengals did offer Marvin Jones ~$8 mill a year supposedly, so they COULD be willing to offer that much for a WR, but I don't think they will.
They only dished out $2.5 mill to LaFell, who has actually been a pretty good bargain.
For 2017, they might need (or want) to pay a good amount for Zeitler and/or Kirkpatrick given the state of the OL and CBs.
They also likely have to try and extend Whitworth for another year or two since there's no clear trusted successor at LT (yet).

The Bengals are expected to have about $40 million in cap space heading into FA and the draft (http://overthecap.com/salary-cap/cincinnati-bengals/).
About $10 million is reserved for draft picks and injuries.
With the above potential re-signings, you're looking probably at ~$9-10 mill for Zeitler (based on DeCastro's new contract), about $8-10 mill for DreK (given the prices for FA CBs nowadays), and likely another $8 million or so to Whitworth (he signed $9 million one-year extension last year).
Add all that up and you're looking at only about $5 million or less to work with. Very likely not enough to sign Pryor too unless you didn't re-sign one of the top 3 Bengals FAs.

With that said though, Maualuga can be cut with no dead money and save $3.7 million. Pat Sims for another $1 million.

When I said top WR money, I meant more like $10 million per, which seems to be roughly the going rate for a #1 WR. So I think between 6.5 and 8 million sounds about right.

I don't think we should be looking at DeCastro's contract as a sign of what Zeitler will get. Zeit has never quite been on DeCastro's level and Zeit really had a rough 2016. I think Zeit will turn out like Andre Smith in that people thought they'd get huge contracts, but they were/will be surprisingly affordable.

I feel the same way about DreKirk...to a lesser extent. I do think he'll get a serious payday, but probably closer to 7-8 million than 10+.

Ultimately, I think this team will be able to make at least a couple good additions. I'd target a RT and a speedy WR in FA. I'd look at speedy LBs, C and a pass rusher at the top of the draft.

(12-01-2016, 04:08 PM)ochocincos Wrote: They only dished out $2.5 mill to LaFell, who has actually been a pretty good bargain.


The Bengals are expected to have about $40 million in cap space heading into FA and the draft (http://overthecap.com/salary-cap/cincinnati-bengals/).
About $10 million is reserved for draft picks and injuries.
With the above potential re-signings, you're looking probably at ~$9-10 mill for Zeitler (based on DeCastro's new contract), about $8-10 mill for DreK (given the prices for FA CBs nowadays), and likely another $8 million or so to Whitworth (he signed $9 million one-year extension last year).
Add all that up and you're looking at only about $5 million or less to work with. Very likely not enough to sign Pryor too unless you didn't re-sign one of the top 3 Bengals FAs.

There is no way I would sign Zeitler for anything near that amount.  Put Fisher at LT, Boling at LG, Bodine (or a previously mentioned draft pick) at C, and Whit at RG, and (Ugh) Ogbuehi at RT. 

Zeitler isn't worth near that kind of dough.  He walks, and becomes a 3rd round compensatory in 2018, hopefully. 

And you mentioned Lafell's contract, which they won't have to pay next season.  

I really think they should pursue Pryor.  Whenever a team takes away AJ, this team has no offense.  Lafell is nice, but can't generate the separation to make this offense stupid explosive.  I think Pryor could.  

(12-01-2016, 08:47 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: There is no way I would sign Zeitler for anything near that amount.  Put Fisher at LT, Boling at LG, Bodine (or a previously mentioned draft pick) at C, and Whit at RG, and (Ugh) Ogbuehi at RT. 

Zeitler isn't worth near that kind of dough.  He walks, and becomes a 3rd round compensatory in 2018, hopefully. 

And you mentioned Lafell's contract, which they won't have to pay next season.  

I really think they should pursue Pryor.  Whenever a team takes away AJ, this team has no offense.  Lafell is nice, but can't generate the separation to make this offense stupid explosive.  I think Pryor could.  

Probably right about Zeitler's contract, but teams do overpay in the first week of FA. Everyone would have said the exact same last year regarding Sanu getting $6.5 mill a year, but sure enough he did.
If you have Whitworth, you keep him at LT. He's still rated as one of the best in the league right now. If you're going to risk performance at LT, you may as well not sign Whitworth back.

When I mentioned LaFell's contract, I only used it as an example. His $2.5 mill is not counted in that $40 mill cap space and I didn't include it in my estimates.

I'm not saying we shouldn't pursue Pryor. I think he'd be a good WR addition. However, I simply don't think he signs here because he will get snatched up within the first week (if the Browns don't re-sign him before the deadline) and get paid ~$8 mill a year. I think the Bengals prioritize their own FAs in the first week or two (as they have typically done in the past) and then look to outside FAs after the initial rush to bargain shop. I think out of all the weak spots on the Bengals, WR2 is less worrisome than OL, CB, DE, or even LB.

Shake n Blake Wrote:Ultimately, I think this team will be able to make at least a couple good additions. I'd target a RT and a speedy WR in FA.

I was actually looking at RT FAs after I posted this because they typically are cheaper than a good WR and the pool is not that bad this year. Notable RTs that could be on the market are Sebastian Vollmer, Riley Reiff, Gosder Cherilus, Cameron Fleming, Ricky Wagner, and even Andre Smith. While Pryor would be nice, I actually wouldn't mind a scenario where the Bengals sign an upgrade at RT in FA to allow Ogbuehi and Fisher more time to develop and get a replacement for LaFell in the draft.

Or draft Westbrook from Oklahoma.

Pryor just seems like a diva to me. We already have enough of that going on with some of our defensive players. I do not want to go back to the days of Chad and T.O.

Don't get me wrong. I think he could perform well in our offense, but he has only been an NFL WR for not even a full season yet. How long until teams figure him out? I wouldn't want to be sinking the money into a number 2 receiver when it could be used to address more crucial positions. Not to mention that Dalton forces the ball to Green most of the time anyway regardless of the coverage on him.

(12-02-2016, 12:11 PM)CincyWestside Wrote: Pryor just seems like a diva to me. We already have enough of that going on with some of our defensive players. I do not want to go back to the days of Chad and T.O.

Don't get me wrong. I think he could perform well in our offense, but he has only been an NFL WR for not even a full season yet. How long until teams figure him out? I wouldn't want to be sinking the money into a number 2 receiver when it could be used to address more crucial positions. Not to mention that Dalton forces the ball to Green most of the time anyway regardless of the coverage on him.

Figure him out?  6'5" with 4.28 speed.  Not that difficult to figure out that he's going to be hard to cover.  Not to mention the gadget option of the double pass, Pryor hitting AJ Green deep.

If the price was right maybe, but not for 8+ mil a year.

(12-02-2016, 12:26 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Figure him out?  6'5" with 4.28 speed.  Not that difficult to figure out that he's going to be hard to cover.  Not to mention the gadget option of the double pass, Pryor hitting AJ Green deep.

Man does that ever sound enticing. Like Mo Sanu on steroids. Much faster and bigger, plus a better passer to boot. Can double as a 3rd QB. I'd say he'd be a value at $8 million per. That's just 5.5 more than we paid LaFell, and he'd bring so much more to the table.

(12-02-2016, 10:06 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Man does that ever sound enticing. Like Mo Sanu on steroids. Much faster and bigger, plus a better passer to boot. Can double as a 3rd QB. I'd say he'd be a value at $8 million per. That's just 5.5 more than we paid LaFell, and he'd bring so much more to the table.

And that is roughly the same as we offered Marvin Jones last year.  

Keep dreaming

(12-03-2016, 04:08 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: And that is roughly the same as we offered Marvin Jones last year.  

Well it's a million less and I think Pryor is having a better season in a worse situation.

I'm all for Pryor

This team has to sign 2 or 3 top tier FA's to have any chance at next season. And draft well, and have Billings and Jackson etc. work out.