03-13-2019, 05:28 PM
(03-13-2019, 01:47 PM)depthchart Wrote: I was Bobby Hart's biggest critic a year ago when the Bengals first brought him in from the Giants.
I expected a Cedric 2.0 type of performance from Hart and while he did not perform at a great or even very good level, he did appear to provide more stable protection than the Cedric/Fisher combo that preceded him.
Hart is what I would call barely good enough to start (could get a worse player and should try to find a better player) if you are the GM.
Hart is only 24 years old and should be coming in to his "man strength" over the next few years as he heads towards his physical prime & peak.
He was durable in 2018, starting all 16 games which is a positive factor.
The Bengals would have the ability to move on from him from a contract standpoint fairly easily after one season.
** The sticking point for me here is:
How does this impact how the Bengals will Draft the Offensive Tackle position in 2019 & beyond ?
Are Glenn & Hart the penciled in 2019 starters with a feeling of contentment by the Bengals ?
Have the Bengals dropped the Left & Right Tackle positions from being say a Top 2 round possibility or even a Top 3 round possibility ?
Will they just pass on say a rookie Left Tackle that could be a solid 10 year plus option forcing Glenn to Right Tackle & Hart to the bench ?
Would they pass on say a rookie Right Tackle that could be a solid 10 year plus option forcing Hart to the bench ?
Will they simply Draft a mid round to late round Tackle prospect or two to develop while passing on the Top early round Offensive Tackle talent in the 2019 Draft ?
I tend to think they will pass on using Higher round picks on the Offensive Tackle position now and this is my sticking point.
If I had to guess, I would expect no more than one Offensive lineman to be taken within the first 3 rounds in 2019 and that would likely be a Guard. (If that)
On the PRO side: they can fill other holes/positions early
On the CON side: O-line tackle upgrades remain neglected
My fear is that the Bengals are content with the Glenn/Hart bookends and this may cause them to let an early round upgrade slip right on past them in the 2019 Draft.
Their PLAN still has time to fully unfold but it is hard to be Stoked right now...
It's simple, this signing gives them options. If we let Hart go, regardless of the coaches saying they like him, we would have zero right tackles on the team, and would have to reach for one. There are going to be quality OT's into the 3rd round of the upcoming draft. Having Hart in place gives the Bengals the option of going OT, or getting the DT from Clemson, or a Linebacker in the early rounds... all of which are needed. It's a sound strategy regardless of the endless hand wringing going on around here.....
