02-28-2022, 09:26 PM
(02-25-2022, 11:56 PM)fredtoast Wrote: We have two free agents on the O-line (Spain and Reif). I would re-sign Spain. I don't think he is that great, but I think we can get him at a decent price. I would not re-sign Reif, but I would sign a RT at $10M+ for one year. Hopkins is not horrible, but I feel he is overpaid. I'd like to sign a young Center for $10-12 million and cut Hopkins $7 million. Carman and Smith deserve a year to develop, but I would sign another vet like Miller/Su'a-Filo ($2-$3 million) for depth.
TE...Resign CJ if he is not too expensive ($7-$8 million)
D-line...I am a really big fan of Ogunjobi, but I don't think we will be able to afford him. We are paying a ton of money to Reader, Hendrickson, and Hubbard. We may have to cut back the spending a bit at DT. The only problem is that Hill and Tupou played over 900 snaps. That is the equivalent of another full-time player. I am saying 2 guys at combined about $8 million.
Safety...I am also a huge fan of Bates, but he may be too pricey. Just taking into account the players listed above I only have $15 million left and we still need a starting CB.
At this point I believe we have to release Waynes. That frees up another $10 million giving us $25.
We are still 5 players short of 51 so that means at least $3.5-$4 million.
We have to pay our high draft picks, but most rookies that make a roster displace a higher paid veteran, so they actually save money. And picking at 31 makes a big difference. Our first round pick will make about $3 million a year. So I guess the net draft cost is $2-$3 million.
Every team in the league sits on a little space in case they need to sign new players as injury replacements. Say $3 million.
That leaves $15 million for a starting safety and starting CB. And CBs are not cheap.
This is where the accounting comes is. All of the numbers I have listed above are "yearly average". Since free agents get a lot of cash in their pockets from signings bonuses they don't mind taking small salaries their first season, especially the larger contracts. If we sign 4 players to contracts of $7+ million (RT, TE, Saf, CB) we should easily be able to create $6-$8 million in cap space. Not that much if you sign the RT to a one year deal like I suggest.
Don't count on any starters from the draft. Take O-line if possible. But picking at 31 it is often best to just go BPA and start developing starers for the future. You can't always build your team through free agency. You have to create a pipeline that has young players ready to be a starter when we need to replace one.
Over The Cap has an interactive salary cap calculator.
https://overthecap.com/calculator/cincinnati-bengals/
Why don’t you try playing around with it.
