11-15-2019, 02:08 PM
(10-07-2019, 05:14 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Prepare to no longer see AJ Green and Tyler Eifert on this roster. The Bengals have a great opportunity with the amount of cap they should have and can free up that they could (keyword) go get a nice crop of upper-tier FAs like the Rams did a few years ago and kick off this rebuild properly.
Here's a way I would go about it...
Cap - $58.7 mill (+$10-12 mill in rollover = $70 mill)
Release:
Andy Dalton ($17.7 mill)
Cordy Glenn ($9.5 mill)
Preston Brown ($4 mill 2020, $5 mill 2021)
Randy Bullock ($1.6 mill)
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$102.8 mill in cap space
Re-sign:
Trey Hopkins – 3 years, $21 mill (Give more if needed to keep)
Andrew Billings – 3 years, $18 mill (Give more if needed to keep)
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$89.8 mill remaining
FA:
Cory Littleton, LB LAR (3 years, $45 mill) – Rangy Pro Bowl LB who is entering his prime.
Shaq Thompson, LB CAR (3 years, $30 mill) – Another rangy LB who is entering his prime. Thompson and Littleton would be staples of this defense for (at least) the next few years.
Anthony Castonzo, LT IND (3 years, $45 mill) – They need a proven OT starter. I’d like Bulaga if Castonzo doesn’t hit FA but not for the same contract.
Amari Cooper, WR DAL (4 years, $72 mill) – The Bengals have shown willingness to spend on WR. Go get that elite WR to replace AJ Green since Ross isn’t reliable enough yet.
Greg Zuerlein, K LAR (3 years, $15 mill) – Finally the Bengals get a kicker with a big leg.
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$26.8 mill remaining
Plenty of cap to sign all the above and it would be the equivalent of what the Rams did when McVay came in. Even if the Bengals only got a couple of these guys, it’d be a big improvement.
Draft:
1)Tua Tagovailoa, QB Alabama – A new franchise QB who is incredibly accurate, decisive, and can scramble to extend plays. Tagovailoa is arguably the safest QB in the draft.
2)Tristan Wirfs, OT Iowa – OT replacement for Bobby Hart, pushing Hart to the bench where he belongs.
3)Evan Weaver, LB Cal – Came to Cal as a DE but converted to LB and has been a monster all over the field since last season. With Littleton, Thompson, and Pratt all ahead of him, it would allow Weaver more time to refine his talents while contributing periodically in all facets of the defense.
4)Logan Stenberg, OG Kentucky –Stenberg is a great option at OG who can drive off the ball and provide good pass protection.
5)Quartney Davis, WR Texas A&M – This is a deep WR class, so taking a WR this late should be better than most years. Davis is a good route runner with quickness that will be great to pair with Tua and complement Cooper, Boyd, and Ross.
6)Josh Metellus, S Michigan – Safety depth. Good size, could play either spot.
7)Jace Whittaker, CB Arizona – CB depth. Dude seems to be blossoming into a ball hawk. Should have good speed too (sub-4.5).
This, I believe, would set up the offense for the next few years and allow the focus to be put on the DL and DBs in 2021 offseason.
While I like the outside FA, I just don't see those dollar amounts being realistic, at least for us. Cooper will get over $20 mil a year if he hits the open market. We would have to make him the highest paid WR in the league to land him. We would probably have to offer Littleton a Mosely type deal to get him in stripes. The deal you have for Costanzo would probably be around what it will take to get Bulaga based on what James and Brown got this past off-season.
