(03-12-2025, 04:34 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: But they can get Jenkins at a value. That’s all that matters

(03-12-2025, 12:28 PM)jj22 Wrote: I think they are too comfortable with players that while may be good (Ossai, Hill), can be upgraded.

But their thought seems to be why upgrade them if they can just bring them back and keep status quo. 

(03-12-2025, 02:32 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I think it's a cost and trust thing.

They could be afraid to roll the dice on an outside vet who may perform like a Sheldon Rankins or Trae Waynes and not be worth the money.
At least with Hill and Ossai, they know what they are getting.
Plus, they are usually setting a hard budget willing to spend and won't typically pay for the top-cost guys who are more trustworthy to perform.

(03-12-2025, 02:32 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: They're not going to pay top dollar for external free agents.

Once the dust settles and the price tags come down because cap space is gone around the league...they'll swoop in.

(03-12-2025, 04:46 PM)jj22 Wrote: Paying "top dollar" for free agents is what got them to the SB and AFCC..... 

Bargain hunting has got them nowhere in the last 30 years.

(03-12-2025, 04:46 PM)jj22 Wrote: Paying "top dollar" for free agents is what got them to the SB and AFCC..... 

Bargain hunting has got them nowhere in the last 30 years.

(03-12-2025, 04:54 PM)TJHoushmandzadehs Shiny Shoes Wrote: It was finding value in free agency in Awuzie, Bell, Hendrickson and DJ Reader.

They all outperformed their deals.

(03-12-2025, 04:46 PM)jj22 Wrote: Paying "top dollar" for free agents is what got them to the SB and AFCC..... 

Bargain hunting has got them nowhere in the last 30 years.

(03-12-2025, 02:20 PM)higgy100 Wrote: No they weren't but OL today weigh 50-60  lbs. more than they did back in the 80's/90's. They're far more athletic as well. Ain't easy to get around /thru those big guys without some Dinty Moore beef stew in their own system.

(03-12-2025, 05:03 PM)J24 Wrote: In their defense the DT and Edge market were not that robust. 
They over value role players and under value stars. Especially when it comes to non primary positions.
There not even paying their own players right now (outside of Burrow). 

Not really true (outside of maybe DJ Reader). in 2021 they really didnt spend a whole lot of money on guys like Chidobe , Larry O, Mike Hilton, and Hendrickson. The Bengals have always gone for the for multiple cheap role guys over one elite player.

(03-12-2025, 02:48 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Completely agree, late as a rookie we saw of bit of what Murphy can do when he was lighter. Like you say, he needs to shed some weight
and get his quicks back and we could see that 1st round talent back. MM gained too much muscle last season and it slowed him down and
you could see it out there. He did beat some OL last season, but he had a much slower first step and he had problems finishing.


All good points. Makes them a little gun shy when you get these Rankins/Waynes signings. We know what we have in BJ Hill and Ossai.

The good news with Ossai is I think he is still ascending as a player. Could be the same with BJ as well and we know he will work his ass off.

(03-12-2025, 07:04 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Important for people to remember/realize that Ossai still isn't even 25 years old.
I know I didn't realize it until someone on Twitter pointed it out.
He may just be hitting his stride.

Out of the DL signings so far, I have the most optimism for his growth when it comes to pass rusher.

(03-12-2025, 07:04 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Important for people to remember/realize that Ossai still isn't even 25 years old.
I know I didn't realize it until someone on Twitter pointed it out.
He may just be hitting his stride.

Out of the DL signings so far, I have the most optimism for his growth when it comes to pass rusher.

(03-12-2025, 07:30 PM)XsandOs Wrote: I agree. I am assuming that Golden talked him about using him in multiple fronts as Edge and OLB.

Ossai get a bad rep for the last play in AFC Championship game, but he played really well in that game.  

(03-12-2025, 07:35 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: He did. Ossai fits Golden's Defense more than Trey too, a little undersized but can stand up and even drop into coverage and be a blitzing LB
if needed. Always liked how Texas used him and that is how Golden I bet uses him. Ossai had a knack for taking really good angles and getting
TFL with Texas. Him being young still means he can learn.

(03-12-2025, 05:10 PM)Au165 Wrote: Not really true. If you go back into the FA's proceeding the SB run we usually paid one elite guy like Reader or Trey and then filled the rest of FA with bargin shopping. People look fondly back at Vonn Bell on that run but he signed 7 days in after the safety market basically dried up. Mike Hilton got a pretty mid tier deal and Awuzie, who wasn't even ranked in the top 101 FA's at the time, we took swings on guys who hadn't worked out at their last stop coming off rookie deals they thought there was upside with. We did sign Cappa who was the 51st rated FA at the time to open FA but then we came back and signed Ted Karras a bit of a journeyman who had come off a kind of disappointing season in NE playing guard (not a 101 top FA that year).

Sure we did have the occasional big signing, because we lacked talent we were paying to an extent, but we actually have made a lot out of those bargain bin guys fueling that run. We remember the guys that worked out but man did we have a ton of misses too Trae Waynes, Xavier Soa'Filo, Riley Reiff, and so on.

(03-12-2025, 08:03 PM)jj22 Wrote: True

(03-12-2025, 02:14 PM)bfine32 Wrote: The thing I always think of when I see Teven's name mentioned. It's who we woulda/coulda/shoulda took when we traded back and got Carman

(03-12-2025, 08:21 PM)jj22 Wrote: It’s the other positions that they needed to upgrade. If anything I was ok with focusing on the Dline throughout the draft. This was the draft to do it. I really don’t have anything bad to say about any of our signings.

And I agree if they sign some guards then that helps.

I think it was a better FA safety class than last offseason. So I hate they opting to run it back with Stone. That’s the head scratcher for me.

And obviously the lack of movement on the big 3.

To be fair you can’t back the brinks truck up for outside talent when you won’t pay your 3 stars. So they are limited even if they could free up more cap. That would be a self inflicted gaffe. 

(03-13-2025, 12:54 AM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: This is how preliminary talks go:

Bengals: Can I buy you a drink?

Ojulari: I have a boyfriend.

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