(02-29-2016, 08:32 PM)BengalChris Wrote: Eifert would be a great extension. Zietler would also be a nice one to get done. Gio, for all intents and purposes can wait. I don't see any reason to sign a backup RB to an early extension unless it's very team favorable.

Kirkpatrick will need to earn his payday from next season's play, IMO.

(02-29-2016, 09:09 PM)BengalChris Wrote: Adam Jones CIN, 2 years, $6.5m AAV [top cover corners are expensive and $6.5M is cheap]
Reggie Nelson CIN, 2 years, $4.5m AAV
Marvin Jones CIN, 4 years, $6m AAV
Emmanuel Lamur CIN, 2 years, $2m AAV [I expect the team to wait on this one if they plan to draft a cover LB.]
Eric Winston CIN, 1 year, $1m AAV [probably still better than Fisher, like last year.]
The above adds up to $20m, which is probably our upper limiting on spending for this year's free agents. We'll still need a returner. This leaves about $16M for rookies, other team's free agents, injury signings and rollover to 2017 and working out an extension for Eifert.

Leon Hall (somewhere else - MIA, NE, Pitts or BAL) 2 years, $3m AAV
George Iloka (somewhere else), 4 years, $6.5m (7m with incentives) AAV [someone is going to pay him for his potential and that will put him outside what the Bengals will pay. Shawn Williams is an unrestricted FA after 2016, FYI.]
Vincent Rey (somewhere else where he can start), 3 years, $3.5m AAV
Wallace Gilberry (somewhere else - to a team that wants to create a DL rotation), 2 years, $2m AAV
Mohamed Sanu (somewhere else - BAL, JAX, CLE, SF) 3 years, $3.25m AAV [he'll go somewhere where he can get more targets and more $'s.]
Andre Smith (somewhere else - a team with OL problems like JAX, TENN, SF, BAL), 3 years, $5m AAV

Brandon Thompson (nowhere until recovers - I really don't see anyone signing him except us and since he's never really done all that much and is coming off an ACL, I really think he'll be on the sidelines for now.)
Brandon Tate (our part time returner will be out of the league or may be signed by a team as an injury replacement at some point.)
Pat Sims (out of the league by end of training camp)

Cap saving moves we could make would be:
1. Call the Hunt experiment a done and send him packing.
2. Sign Zietler to an extension which would reduce his salary this year from $8M to about $6M per year. He might do this for more guaranteed money in the contract. At $8M for 2016 Zietler and DeCastro are the highest paid OGs in the league.

(02-29-2016, 10:34 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I was reading an article that claimed Gio should come cheap. They said that backs of his type (receiving backs that get 1000+ total yards but aren't relied on heavily as runners) aren't really getting paid much right now. I'm thinking he makes somewhere around 3-4 million per. People will be surprised.

(03-01-2016, 01:22 AM)BengalChris Wrote: 3-4M is about right. Decided to look up some numbers.

Darren Sproles $4.5M
Mark Ingram $4M
Danny Woodhead $3M

Locking up Gio this year isn't critical as meeting those type of contract numbers isn't anything that's going to cause cap trouble. It's really if the team is willing.

Woodhead had 80 catches for 755 yards and 6 TD receiving compared to Bernard's 49 catches for 472 yards and 0TDs receiving. Woodhead carried the ball 98 times for 336 and 3TDs compared with Bernard's 154 carries for 730 yards and 2TDs. Total yards are about the same, but TDs are way off.

And, if Hill gets his act together there will be fewer carries for Bernard.

For me, the team just doesn't use Bernard very well for extended stretches.

(03-01-2016, 04:36 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I think Bernard is a key element to this team and he's another weapon for us that won't cost much, so I really hope we lock him up.

That said, it does seem like Bernard disappears from the game plan at times. 

(03-01-2016, 05:16 PM)Bengal Dude Wrote: Bernard is basically what Chris Perry was supposed to be.