10-16-2019, 03:38 PM
(10-16-2019, 12:55 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Find new starters at the following positions (in priority order):
Offense:
- LT/LG (Reserve Williams for the other)
- RT
- QB
- Future WR1
- RG (after LT, LG, and RT get resolved)
- TE
Defense:
- 2 LBs
- 1 DL
- 2 CBs (one outside, one slot)
- S
ST:
- K
That's 13 positions. You can't realistically expect anyone drafted after 4th round to become a good position player, so that's potentially 3 drafts worth if you only focus on draft. You're looking at 2022 being the earliest the team would become a true contender if the Bengals hit on every draft pick through the first 4 rounds over the next few years.
If the Bengals want to become a true contender before 2022, they need to participate in FA more than getting B-to-C-level veterans.
It's either that or actually get coaches in that can develop late-round talent well on a consistent basis.
The good news is that you can draft a good kicker outside of the first four rounds
I'd also suggest re-signing Dennard as slot corner. He's serviceable and should be affordable.
That would get us down to 11 positions.
Green, Dalton and Ross have trade/compensatory pick value, so that may get a further 3 picks. That would then be 11 picks over 2 drafts to fill 11 holes.
A few solid veterans in free agency, some reclamation projects on former high picks who were no longer fits after scheme changes and maybe some fringe players already on the roster (Darius Phillips/Brandon Wilson/Renell Wren/Fred Johnson/Josh Topou/Michael Jordan/Andrew Brown/Drew Sample) or waiver claims breaking through would allow some flexibility for the inevitable misses - and the rebuild could be done in as little as 2 years.
That may sound optimistic but it is doable: in 2011-2012 over two drafts we picked up 8 starters: Green, Dalton, Boling, Kirkpatrick, Zeitler, Sanu, Marvin Jones, Iloka plus Dunlap and Atkins from the 2010 draft took big steps forwards (we're only in week 6 and Dunlap didn't make his first tackle until Week 7 of his rookie season; Atkins only made one start his rookie year, in Wk 14). The 2011-12 draft haul was boosted by picking top 5 that first year and from trading a former top 5 overall pick and a first round bust but we could be doing that here as well.
