It appears ESPN thinks Bengals improved after first wave of FA

[Luvnit2]

During the season and game day thread fans call out underperformers and rightly so. Looking back at 2024's roster, Cappa hurt our team. Rankings doing nothing when healthy, but did not play a lot of snaps hurt our team. Stone did not play well especially the first 8 games and hurt our team. Hubbard aged and was not effective and then injured and it hurt the team.

Bengals made bold moves and cut Cappa and Rankins and Hubbard was forced int retirement (he was going to be cut). Another is Moss who was injured, he did not help the team.

Bengals kept 2 vertearns too long in Cappa and Hibbard, recognized it and made moves for 2025. Bengals had a horrble FA in 2024, it hurt the team. In 2024 we lost Reader and it hurt the team.

I look around at a lot of teams who have lost in FA in 2025, yet many fans ignre it. The Ravens are worse, the Eagles worse, the Chiefs worse. The Bengals being slightly better in FA plus 2 starting CB's coming. back from season ending injuries will help us be better.

Patrick is not a household name, but he is better than Cappa was in 2023 and 2024. Slater is not a pass rushing DT, but he is a better replacement for Reader than Rankins. Perrine is a savy vet and very good 3rd down vet.

It appears Stone may survive unless we draft a safety in round 1. I am not thrilled, but hope he plays better in 2025 than than he did in 2024. I have a hunch Moss may not be healthy and Brown is clearly the better RB so I think his days are numbered.

In my humble opinion, if we can sign one more vet guard, Risner, a healthy Hernandez or Scherff, our OL will be much better in 2025. I am hopefuly Higgins can stay healthy and Gesicki no longer has a learning urb with JB and can be a weapon game 1 in 2025 versus how he started in 2024.

On defense, I dont see Trey going anywhere. We lack an inside passing rushing unless Jenkins and McKinnley develop. Our 2 starting LB's (one was hurt in 2024 and. that hurt the defense) started in all of our playff games and the super bowl. I don't see the Bengals trading Pratt. His flaws are fixable, he needs to wrap up first and then try and strip the ball.

ESPN dd not give a lot of reasons and like some of our fans don't have all of the answers. I did find it interesting ESPN showed Burrow and company more respect than some fans who you would think love the team. They are giving them the benfit of a doubt.