***NFL Free Agency News & Signings Thread***

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

(03-13-2024, 10:39 AM)ochocincos Wrote: Bengals don't really restructure their contracts whereas other teams do in order to free up more cap, but Bengals still in Top 5-10 in remaining cap.
Spotrac has Stone's cap hit this year at $6 mill.
They have Moss's at $3 mill.
Spotrac has their remaining cap at $47 mill including the above two guys, but it does not factor in Gesicki's $3.25 mill, Sample's 3-year $10.5 mill deal, or Trayveon Williams's contract.
That still will likely keep the Bengals around $40 mill in cap thanks to displacement of the minimum contract amounts for the bottom guys like Jaxson Kirkland.

They have the money to not only add a solid NT and RT, but they should have plenty left over for extensions and the draft too.

Or ADG.

It is far from over, but so far it looks like they are doing what I was afraid they'd do. Shop the bargain bin and overpay for backup level players. The Stone deal is great value. Bravo. 

Sample, Gesicki, and ADG are high end backups and we spent $11 mil there. I'd rather have help in the trenches.

And while the Moss deal saves us around $2.75 mil, I think Mixon is the better player. 

And the complete lack of restructures to free up more space compared to other teams. Not to mention guaranteed money. Our FO are cavemen by comparison.

[*michaelsean*]

So have the Bengals started tweeting all those things they couldn’t wait to tweet?

[XenoMorph]

(03-13-2024, 12:06 PM)michaelsean Wrote: So have the Bengals started tweeting all those things they couldn’t wait to tweet?

Nope i doubt they tweet anything till after 4pm....  when it can be offical

[*michaelsean*]

(03-13-2024, 12:26 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: Nope i doubt they tweet anything till after 4pm....  when it can be offical

Oh thought it started at midnight.

[Nepa]

I was reading a Detroit Lions site today about their signings (and interest in Reader) and saw this: "Orlovsky, the former Lions backup quarterback and current ESPN analyst, said Monday afternoon the Lions would be "as explosive a unit as we have in the NFL" if they added Higgins. He would likely cost them the No. 29 overall pick in April's draft."

I would take the No. 29 pick for Higgins.

[XenoMorph]

(03-13-2024, 12:34 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Oh thought it started at midnight.

League year begins 4:00 PM EST today

[007BengalsFan]

(03-13-2024, 12:08 AM)pulses Wrote: Maybe they are just gonna sign Tart and roll with it and the draft

Teair Tart is not a suitable replacement for DJ Reader.  Tarts's PFF grade last year was 54.0, Reader's was 82.2.  Reader is one of the best run stopping DT's in the NFL, Tart isnt.    Reader is 335 pounds, Tart is 304.

It would be like saying if we lose Tee Higgins lets just pick up Kadarius Toney

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

(03-13-2024, 10:16 AM)Nepa Wrote: Texans have been really active. They have added so far DE Danielle Hunter, RB Joe Mixon, LB Azeez Al-Shaair, DL Denico Autry, DL Foley Fatukasi, CB Jeff Okudah, and punter Tommy Townsend.

Yep. Clear FA winners so far. Falcons also come to mind. 

Wish we'd have signed Townsend. 

I do not get the point of playing hardball with Tee & Reader if you big signing is gonna be Geno Stone at $7.5 APY. With all our space? 

I have been pretty negative on everything save the Stone signing. I think Moss is, at best, a lateral move from Mixon. We could have had Eckler or Swift or Henry for $3-$4 mil more. I don't think Sample or Gesicki are starter level players. Both are one-dimensional guys who give the play away with their presence/absence. ADG is a backup LB. I'd have signed Hudson + Townsend instead of Gesicki. Or let Sample walk, $5 mil this year? 

These are small deals. Nothing backbreaking, cap wise. 

But we have done nothing in the trenches. Reader is not locked up. Higgins has requested at trade (though his leverage is nada). Chido has not been replaced. Boyd has not been replaced. 

Some of it will have to be draft. But in my mind, we still need: DT/NT, DT/3T, RT, WR3, CB4, TE1, and P. IOL upgrades and a stud RB would not hurt, either. 

Now, we do have 4 top 100 picks. Say you pencil in RT at #18, and 3 others with the other picks: WR & CB classes are deep. Take those. We still need NT/DT (Reader), DT/3T, and TE. The TE FA market was poor, so think Sinnott/Johnson/Stover. We still need DTx2. 

There is still help out there. Reader & Armstead at DT. Smith & Brown at OT. Fuller at CB. Rankins at DT. But the Day 2 stuff has me gloomier than after Day 1. 

[Nepa]

Adam Schefter
@AdamSchefter
Trade/Reunion: Ravens are sending starting right tackle Morgan Moses to the New York Jets as part of a pick swap, per sources.

Trade:

?Jets receive: Moses and a 4th-round pick (No. 134 overall).

?Ravens receive: 4th-round pick (No. 112) and 6th-round pick (No. 218).


I guess this is because the Ravens are up against the cap? Basically their starting right tackle for a 6th-round pick and to move up in the 4th.

[Nepa]

Adam Schefter
@AdamSchefter
Trade: the Texans are trading defensive tackle Maliek Collins to the 49ers, per source.

[Nepa]

Well, we've just seen the Jets get a RT by trade and the 49ers get a DT by trade. Maybe the Bengals are working on a trade to get their RT and a DT.

[Joelist]

Rats are possibly also in process of losing Clowney it seems.

https://x.com/MikeGarafolo/status/1767883713298260080?s=20

[jj22]

JET's and Niners see the FA market is washed for RT and DT's....

Bengals I'm sure see it too, but will they adapt their plan?

[Bengalfan4life27c]

It's easy to be Texans they dont have to pay the QB a ton. Less bad decisions recently, Heck guys are getting head coaching jobs on offense without even calling plays. Nick Scott and Irv Smith were bad but Gesicki and Stone are upgrades

[Soonerpeace]

(03-13-2024, 12:58 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Yep. Clear FA winners so far. Falcons also come to mind. 

Wish we'd have signed Townsend. 

I do not get the point of playing hardball with Tee & Reader if you big signing is gonna be Geno Stone at $7.5 APY. With all our space? 

I have been pretty negative on everything save the Stone signing. I think Moss is, at best, a lateral move from Mixon. We could have had Eckler or Swift or Henry for $3-$4 mil more. I don't think Sample or Gesicki are starter level players. Both are one-dimensional guys who give the play away with their presence/absence. ADG is a backup LB. I'd have signed Hudson + Townsend instead of Gesicki. Or let Sample walk, $5 mil this year? 

These are small deals. Nothing backbreaking, cap wise. 

But we have done nothing in the trenches. Reader is not locked up. Higgins has requested at trade (though his leverage is nada). Chido has not been replaced. Boyd has not been replaced. 

Some of it will have to be draft. But in my mind, we still need: DT/NT, DT/3T, RT, WR3, CB4, TE1, and P. IOL upgrades and a stud RB would not hurt, either. 

Now, we do have 4 top 100 picks. Say you pencil in RT at #18, and 3 others with the other picks: WR & CB classes are deep. Take those. We still need NT/DT (Reader), DT/3T, and TE. The TE FA market was poor, so think Sinnott/Johnson/Stover. We still need DTx2. 

There is still help out there. Reader & Armstead at DT. Smith & Brown at OT. Fuller at CB. Rankins at DT. But the Day 2 stuff has me gloomier than after Day 1. 

Issac I like your post but I think we will find out Gesicki is a fantastic get. Bill Belichick on the Bengals’ new tight end: “The player that’s part receiver and part tight end. Those are the kind of guys that, do you treat them as a receiver or do you treat them as a tight end?”

“Guys like (Mike) Gesicki, players like that. They’re really not tight ends, they’re really not receivers. They’re good players. Those are the types of players that really create the conversation because they can split out, detach from the formation, be in tight end locations but they’re very good receiving tight ends at that position relative to what your normally see there.”

“Those are, I’d say, the hard game plan questions to answer with those type of hybrid players.” More from a 2022 Bill Belichick interview: “Gesicki is a problem.”

“He’s a hard guy to cover. Long. He’s a good, crafty route runner. He’s slick, but he can get down the field. Very good hands, makes some acrobatic catches. Has enough quickness to separate. That’s another hard guy to cover on third down, well on any down. But when you talk about those possession downs, he’s effective.”

[BengalsLUFC]

We’ve been linked with Armstead.

I’ll believe it when I see it.

[Nepa]

(03-13-2024, 02:00 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Issac I like your post but I think we will find out Gesicki is a fantastic get. Bill Belichick on the Bengals’ new tight end: “The player that’s part receiver and part tight end. Those are the kind of guys that, do you treat them as a receiver or do you treat them as a tight end?”

“Guys like (Mike) Gesicki, players like that. They’re really not tight ends, they’re really not receivers. They’re good players. Those are the types of players that really create the conversation because they can split out, detach from the formation, be in tight end locations but they’re very good receiving tight ends at that position relative to what your normally see there.”

“Those are, I’d say, the hard game plan questions to answer with those type of hybrid players.” More from a 2022 Bill Belichick interview: “Gesicki is a problem.”

“He’s a hard guy to cover. Long. He’s a good, crafty route runner. He’s slick, but he can get down the field. Very good hands, makes some acrobatic catches. Has enough quickness to separate. That’s another hard guy to cover on third down, well on any down. But when you talk about those possession downs, he’s effective.”

Yeah, I'm delighted by Gesicki. Definitely a good weapon for Burrow and can cause nightmares for opposing defenses. But another one-year signing!  If he goes back to form this year, he will go the route of Hurst and Uzumah and sign for big bucks on another team next year.

[Bengalstripes9]

https://x.com/_MLFootball/status/1767958386061058521?s=20

REPORT: The #Bengals have a strong interest in star defensive lineman Arik Armstead.


...If he is healthy that would certainly be a good signing. If not...

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(03-13-2024, 12:38 PM)Nepa Wrote: I was reading a Detroit Lions site today about their signings (and interest in Reader) and saw this: "Orlovsky, the former Lions backup quarterback and current ESPN analyst, said Monday afternoon the Lions would be "as explosive a unit as we have in the NFL" if they added Higgins. He would likely cost them the No. 29 overall pick in April's draft."

I would take the No. 29 pick for Higgins.

I would take that in an instant for Tee, good stuff hope this happens and also that we know more about Reader's injury than anyone 
and that is the reason we are letting him go to Detroit because he cannot workout and he comes back to us.

[Sled21]

(03-13-2024, 12:38 PM)Nepa Wrote: I would take the No. 29 pick for Higgins.

Imagine trading Higgins for a 1st rounder and getting John Ross.