(03-11-2025, 02:51 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yep. Ossai is a guy with 9.5 sacks in 4 years.

I will say that he did come on last year when given playing time.

(03-11-2025, 02:27 PM)Southpaw Frerotte Wrote: Lol I suppose that's one way to look at it.  I guess one could argue the Bengals should sign Julius Peppers out of retirement, since he's a proven pass rusher in your definition.  

From my view point, it simply looks like the Bengals are trying to run-it-back with a 9-8 team that had glaring holes all over their roster (pass rush included) meanwhile giving their star players a cold shoulder when it comes to contract negotiations.   This offseason has Cockburn written all over it and I just pray this isn't the norm going forward with those two at the helm.  

(03-11-2025, 02:51 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Have you ever heard the expression, "When you are in a hole, stop digging?" 

I think priority #1 was not to lose any of our main/best guys. 

Though it is not the way we wanted, nor the way to maximize cap space, Chase/Trey/Tee are under team control. They cannot leave atm. 

BJ Hill, Gesicki, and Ossai all contributed last year. Hill & Gesticki at good levels. 

The only real contributors we lost are Hilton and ADG. Burks is a cheaper/better ADG replacement. And though Mike is an elite run defending corner, THE elite run defending corner, the coverage is starting to slip. He is still unsigned, BTW. 

Slaton is an upgrade to Jenkins/Jackson as a run stopper. A starter forca good run D in GB for 2 years. 

We cut some dead weight in Rankins, Cappa, Hubbard. 

Upgrading G, nailing the draft, and getting the Tee/Chase/Trey deals right, and a Burrow restructure will allow some more moves, if we want. But I think getting younger/cheaper/more athletic is the way for a lot of D improvements. 

There is still time to get this right.

(03-11-2025, 02:53 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: The first year, he did not play. 5 in the last 7 after he got to start.

(03-11-2025, 11:49 AM)Synric Wrote: Bengals may be in on Teven Jenkins according to Ricky lol.

(03-11-2025, 02:57 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Talk about a radical response out of nowhere. Julius Pepper eh? lol

When people talk like this it is better just not to respond.

But I am a sucker I guess. We have new coaches on the the Defense and on the OL. Us bringing back Ossai doesn't hurt anything, if we 
didn't bring in anyone, that would be bad. Do you disagree?


Spot on Ike.

(03-11-2025, 03:04 PM)Southpaw Frerotte Wrote: So you're in the boat the defensive issues last year were 100% coaching?  We've seen what Ossai can and cannot do.  From my standpoint, it doesn't move the needle on improving our pass rush from last year.  Come to think of it, there's been no roster improvements to our pass rush thus far.  

(03-11-2025, 02:51 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yep. Ossai is a guy with 9.5 sacks in 4 years.

I will say that he did come on last year when given playing time.

(03-11-2025, 03:00 PM)Tomcat Wrote: Niners just released Leonard Floyd and he's had 8+ sacks for 5 straight year. This would be a solid insurance policy for the DL!

(03-11-2025, 03:04 PM)Southpaw Frerotte Wrote: So you're in the boat the defensive issues last year were 100% coaching?  We've seen what Ossai can and cannot do.  From my standpoint, it doesn't move the needle on improving our pass rush from last year.  Come to think of it, there's been no roster improvements to our pass rush thus far.  

(03-11-2025, 01:56 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: He is proven. He has shown he can rush the passer in the NFL. Are you disagreeing with this?

A rookie is not proven. If we didn't bring back Ossai we would HAVE to Draft an End early or we would be incredibly thin even with Trey back.

(03-11-2025, 03:11 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Would really like Floyd in stripes.


All I said was Ossai is more proven than a rookie. Not too hard to understand. Agree, we need to make some moves to improve our pass rush
but Ossai sure doesn't hurt like you are insinuating and a new DL coach and new scheme with the new coaches could certainly help our pass rush.

(03-11-2025, 03:13 PM)Lucius Cincinnatus Wrote: Lol so clearly we have a different bar for what a proven pass rusher looks like. A rookie is clearly not proven. However, in the post that original caught my eye, you didn't mention a rookie. 

Here are players with a similar sack total to Ossai. Tell me if you'd consider them "proven pass rushers"

- Jonah Ellis
- Dondrea Tillman
- Keion White
- K'Lavon Chaisson
- Logan Hall

If we signed one of those players and you tried to say "we brought in a proven pass rusher", you couldn't be taken seriously

(03-11-2025, 03:17 PM)higgy100 Wrote: 100% agree. He was just in a bad bad place in his head a couple years ago. Trey worked with him all last preseason and taught him how to be a pro. He had a good last half of the year and I think he's ready to take a leap.

(03-11-2025, 03:06 PM)coachmcneil71 Wrote: He's actually ascending! That's why him and his agent DM only signed for 1 year 7 mill. They think he's going to break the bank next season, and there's a good chance that he will. PT is not going to be an issue for him. He's going to play a ton of snaps.

(03-11-2025, 03:18 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: I like the upside of White, Chaisson and especially Logan Hall but that is what you are getting really.

It is okay if you didn't want Ossai back. But he was our best pass rusher last year besides Trey which isn't saying much.

You like to argue over the little things without even trying to understand what someone means. That is you, not me.

Ossai is more proven than a rookie and that is what I was implying, but you don't understand implications.

(03-11-2025, 03:29 PM)Lucius Cincinnatus Wrote: Lol. So you like their upside, but somehow Ossai is proven. Got it. 

As I literally just said, I think Ossai back on that contract is good. Two things can be true:

1) Ossai is not a "proven pass rusher as you said"

"Nate (formerly eliminate08)


Love it. Ossai being back really helps as we have a proven pass rusher when he is healthy, better than anyone else we got so far.


2) He is back on a good contract


I don't like to argue about little things. You say something that isn't either isn't accurate or not what you mean, then you get your feelings hurt that I either correct them, or blatantly disagree with an off-base take (i.e, Ossai is a proven rusher")


If you meant more proven than a pass rusher, you should have said it in THIS post

(03-11-2025, 04:08 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: I will say, that whilest I am not in panic mode yet, I am growing increasingly pessimistic that we do anything significant in terms of an outside FA, a big 3 deal, or a Burrow restructure.

(03-11-2025, 03:33 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Haven't watched those players in the NFL, I have watched Ossai, you just brought up stats which never tells the whole story.

Don't tell me what I should or shouldn't have said. Like I said before, get over yourself.