01-31-2023, 03:39 PM
(01-30-2023, 10:23 AM)samhain Wrote: As far as guys that aren't coming back, there are some pretty obvious ones. Bates and Pratt are probably inking big contracts somewhere else. Their replacements are in-house and can be backfilled with young players in the draft. The Bengals do a solid job drafting linebackers and safeties, so I'm less concerned about these departures.
Guys that could go are Boyd, Mixon, maybe Jonah and perhaps Bell.
I'd hate to see Vonn go in the same year as Bates. Mixon's cap number, if I remember right, comes with a lot of dead cap. Joe's been a great Bengal, but replacing a running back is less difficult than replacing other offensive weapons. Teams with 50 million dollar qbs churn young running backs. They don't pay big bucks to established ones on 2nd and 3rd contracts.
Jonah is a tough one. If Carman can convince the staff that he can be trusted, I think Jonah can walk. Williams is going to get paid a lot of money just because of the position he plays, and I'm not sure he provides the value you want for that level of commitment.
Boyd's deal seems like a pretty reasonable one for a player of his caliber. If there's a way to keep him, you make it happen. You aren't getting a better player for 8.5 mil per year. On the other hand, the league had a glut of receiver talent. You can get dudes for less that might not be 1s or 2s, but would be just fine as 3rd options. Receivers get paid, but possession receivers less so.
Hurst will be a tough one as well. We all like him and he likes being here. If someone is going to shell out big bucks for him, then he probably needs to go and secure his financial future while the iron is hot. The Bengals aren't an offense that leans on a TE, so paying one big money makes little sense.
Hurst caught 52 balls and missed 3 games. Not sure what to tell you if don't think he wasn't a vital part of the offense and what made some of the downfield passing so vital. He had to stay in quite a bit to block against KC. He's been a huge part. Yes, I agree there are many decisions to be made and we're just fans putting in our 2 cents.
