12-03-2020, 02:14 AM
(12-02-2020, 11:47 PM)ochocincos Wrote: The tag doesn't "free up" $18 mill. The Bengals only currently are expected to have about $42 mill after rollover is brought into cap, as cap is expected to drop to $175 mill for the whole league. AJ's $18 mill is not factored into that $42 mill.
The Bengals have 30 upcoming FAs including:
WJ3
Carl Lawson
Shawn Williams
AJ Green
John Ross
Mike Thomas
Alex Erickson
Quinton Spain
Alex Redmond
Josh Bynes
Randy Bullock
Kevin Huber
Clark Harris
Brandon Wilson
Xavier Williams
Mackensie Alexander
Leshaun Sims
Obviously, we probably don't want most back, but the point is that's A LOT of roster spots to fill. So that cap is going to get eaten fast, as you can't fill all those spots with just draft picks and the guys coming back from IR/opt out.
About $10 mill will be reserved for draft picks and injury reserve, so the Bengals really only have about $30 mill to work with. Their internal FAs are going to eat into that quite a bit. They may not have the ability to sign a big-name FA unless they make a big cut or two. Guys like Atkins, Hart, Uzomah could (or should) be on the chopping block.
With all that said, I will happily embrace the addition of Sewell and even a guard in Rd 2, but know that the defense is likely going to stay bottom of the barrel for another year. At least if Anarumo is in charge of it with no significant upgrades in FA or the draft.
If the Bengals use the franchise tag on Green for 2021 what happens to that $42M?
