02-26-2023, 04:57 PM
(02-26-2023, 03:40 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Probably. But if Schmitz, Avila, or Wypler are staring them in the face in Rd2/Rd3, I think that could change.
In my view, the OL breaks down like this:
OT: 3 guys who are acceptable but nothing more. Williams, Collins, and Carman. 2 of whom are injury prone & overpaid vets. Carman could get better, but seems more comfortable at LT than anywhere else. The other two are only gonna get better if health was the problem. 1 guy who is generally poor but borderline serviceable with help vs non-elite guys (Adeniji). And 1 guy who has had two years to develop and shown nothing (Smith).
OG. 1 guy who is good but not great (Cappa). One guy who was thoroughly 'meh' but is a rookie 4th rounder and could get better (Volson). With Carman at OT and Karras starting at C, there is zero OG depth at the moment with Scharping gone, unless more looks of Adeniji/Carman is gonna pay off (not). Hill can theoretically play G, but is totally unproven at C.
C: 1 guy who is slightly above average but might be better at G (Karras). And 1 guy who is totally unproven (Hill).
OL injuries have cost us the last two Lombardi's in my view. Even if you think a combination of Cappa, Karras, Volson, Collins, Williams, and Carman is good enough to win, our depth is crap. Adeniji, Hill, and Smith.
Furthermore, Collins is hurt and may not be ready to start the year. Both he and Williams make over $20 mil between them. Neither seems like a long term solution at OT. With our impending cap crunch, we need to find LT/RT solutions soon (this year or next).
My ideal offseason would be keeping the D intact (Bell & Pratt back) and using at least 5 picks on O (2 or 3 OL, 1-2 TE, 1-2 WR). Now if we can score a FA for good value that frees up some of those needs, fine.
I don't start many threads but this post saved me from doing so. This is a solid breakdown of assessing what we have. We need to consider each position case by case, I'm tired of takes like Volson being locked in at LG. Financially he slots in as a much needed cheap young starter, but his name isn't in pen.
Because of the issues at tackle and the fact that we have ONE near pro bowl level guy total on the line in Cappa. You'd like to have at least 2. We thought Jonah was that guy and he's locked into a dogfight to even start and possibly immovable due to the contract and injury. Now Collins is questionable, and the smoothest move is adding a cut vet, FA or traded RT as that 2nd "good" OL or even just an average one long term. Those get pricey, so if the right solid vet LG wants to play for Cincy you best believe I'm not turning him away because I want to maximize Volmer. It's not about Volmer but the line. Odds are he starts, but even vs the sake of chemistry we can't be too picky with OL help this offseasons.
My guess is they solid RTs get overpaid, Cincy focuses most of their money on 2024 FAs, but they end up with a versatile fringe starter like maybe Flemming or a cut vet and draft a T at some point. Point is, be ready for any improvement, no matter what is ideal.
