06-02-2021, 10:34 AM
Good - I'm not sure you'd call it an under the radar signing, necessarily, but Mike Hilton is going to be amazing for this defense. Not only is he a super reliable slot cornerback in coverage, but he's also a really good blitzer. This signing helps both the pass coverage and the pass rush compared to who we had in that role last year. On top of all that, signing one of the better players away from the Steelers feels good. Strengthening us while weakening them at the same time.
Bad - Even tougher, as I think the worst moves we've made have not been under the radar (like letting Lawson leave) but if I had to choose a less prominent bad move, I'd say letting Bernard go. Here's the thing. We have an estimated 25 million dollars in cap space right now. If cutting Bernard's 4 million dollar salary allowed us to sign a big name free agent at an area of need or extend Bates or Hubbard, I'd understand the cut. But we didn't. We just pocketed the money and have not yet done anything with it (or the other 21 million dollars in cap space) yet. Bernard was very important in that he was actually an incredibly good pass blocker and pass catcher. This is what you need in a 3rd down back. Mixon is okay at blocking, but having him out there on a 3rd and long makes me nervous, especially with Burrow coming off an injury caused by poor protection. I also really don't like that, had Bernard been with the team in 2021, he would have broken the record for longest tenure as a Bengals RB (currently sitting at 8 seasons and 115 games, behind only James Brooks 8 seasons and 118 games). I would have liked to see him break that record. And now our 2nd running back is up for grabs among a career journeyman, a 6th round rookie and an undrafted free agent. It just seems silly to me, especially since he immediately signed with the reigning super bowl champs a day or two after we cut him, so there's obviously still the perception of value for him across the league.
Bad - Even tougher, as I think the worst moves we've made have not been under the radar (like letting Lawson leave) but if I had to choose a less prominent bad move, I'd say letting Bernard go. Here's the thing. We have an estimated 25 million dollars in cap space right now. If cutting Bernard's 4 million dollar salary allowed us to sign a big name free agent at an area of need or extend Bates or Hubbard, I'd understand the cut. But we didn't. We just pocketed the money and have not yet done anything with it (or the other 21 million dollars in cap space) yet. Bernard was very important in that he was actually an incredibly good pass blocker and pass catcher. This is what you need in a 3rd down back. Mixon is okay at blocking, but having him out there on a 3rd and long makes me nervous, especially with Burrow coming off an injury caused by poor protection. I also really don't like that, had Bernard been with the team in 2021, he would have broken the record for longest tenure as a Bengals RB (currently sitting at 8 seasons and 115 games, behind only James Brooks 8 seasons and 118 games). I would have liked to see him break that record. And now our 2nd running back is up for grabs among a career journeyman, a 6th round rookie and an undrafted free agent. It just seems silly to me, especially since he immediately signed with the reigning super bowl champs a day or two after we cut him, so there's obviously still the perception of value for him across the league.
![[Image: oN5QAdY.png]](https://i.imgur.com/oN5QAdY.png)
