Bengaly are FA once bit, twice shy

[BengalFanInNJ]

Free agency should be used to fill hole(s) when you are one or two players away from making a Super Bowl run. The best case is when you have a need and there's a good to very good player coming off his rookie contract. He's still young and has proven to be successful. He doesn't have to be a huge name though.
They signed some second-tier guys who ended up being solid. Oliver Gibson, John Thornton and Bobbie Williams come to mind. They weren't great, but did contribute.

The Bengals missed out on what I believed to be a "perfect scenario" when they didn't try to sign Alex Mack. Center was a glaring need, Mack was available AND he played in the division. Any time you can improve your team AND weaken a division rival is a win-win. Look, Leveon Bell is not leaving the Steelers but can you imagine if he did and played for the Bengals? Same thing with Antonio Brown and Terrelle Suggs. The Browns did this with Eric Steinbach and ended up having a damn good line even though the team wasn't that great.