Report: Bengals are interested in Warford

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(05-13-2020, 02:20 AM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Torn on this one.

I think he IS an upgrade, but does have red flags. Slow, not a good pass protector. Not real mobile. Elite run blocker.

I do not know enough about him, or our scheme to know if he is a schematic fit.

I do know I'd prefer a T to a G. Or a T and a pass catching TE.

In terms of cap, even at $7 mil (and I hope he'd be cheaper), we could sign him, extend Mixon & AJ, & still have $8-10 mill in space pretty easily. Sitting around $17 mil in space after signing the rookies. Worford at $7 takes us down to $10. But we probably cut Redmond as a result, freeing up more than $2 mil. Back at $12 or so. If we get a long term deal with AJ done, it likely comes in below $17.8 mil per year. Just spitballing, but say $13.8. That ticks us up to $16 million. Mixon makes just under $2 mil now, say he gets a $7 mil bump to $9 mil per. That leaves us $9 million worth of room. Give or take a mil or two. If you want to free up another mil or so, let Sims walk and go with 2 of Brown/Rose/Swann as our 5th-6th CBs.

2019 was Warford's worst year in pass protection but has mostly graded out as one of the better pass protecting guards in the NFL. 

Apparently in 2019 he struggled early in the year because he came into the season overweight and with poor conditioning but looked like himself in the second half of the season. Larry Warford is a very good interior offensive linemen and with a deal like Harts (3 years for 21m) he could be a steal for the Bengals... If he can stay in shape during the offseason so an incentive-laden deal would probably be best.