Bengals Free Agency

[packerbacker]

How do you guys like your Free Agency so far? What big additions have you had and what are your big losses? I hope Burrow stays healthy next year. Do you guys hate us as much as your AFC Rivals? On Reddit I see lots of fanbases hoping we crap the bed for a long time. Anyway I hope you guys win a SB. You were the better team than the Rams a couple years ago.

[CottonHill]

I’ve been extremely negative but I feel it’s for good reason.
The Bengals are one of a few teams who don’t actively restructure to make room for more talent. You can’t win in today’s age like that.
We had among the most cap space available and I would say we have gotten slightly worse while the rest of the division for sure, and league in general got better.
The resigning of Sample, Hudson, Williams, and Irwin don’t make us any better. Those guys are depth and special teams guys. The tight ends are 1 dimensional and not particularly good at their strong suit.
I love the signing of Rankins in a vacuum but on the whole, the interior d line is worse which is a biiiig issue.
The secondary signings of Stone and Bell look great but they show bigger underlying issues. They are replacing high draft picks and obviously stopping us from improving in other areas. Furthermore, the Stone signing has a chance to be as bad as the Scott signing. All the indicators are there of a guy playing over his head in a contract year on a loaded defense.
The o line thing appears to be malpractice at this point. If we are having to wine and dine Mekhi Becto , what are we even doing. He is a big massive pile of crap. The right side of our line will be slip if that’s what we go into the year with.
I’m fine with the Mixon to Moss move although it’s lateral at best. The issue was our FO looked to be incompetent in the whole Mixon saga. Release them get saved by a trade. Weren’t doing their due diligence
So with all that cap space we improved our interior pass rush….at the expense of the run defense and improved the secondary, with below average athletes at the expense of our whole roster.
There seems to be zero cohesion or urgency in the FO and gives me zero confidence moving forward. We could’ve easily improved at RT, RG, TE, and have not done so.

[Bengalstripes9]

Seems like the Packers made some good moves.

They upgraded their safety.

Josh Jacobs is certainly a good back.
I'm a bit leary of signing backs to big contracts though.

What concerns me about the Packers is their oline.
But they weren't terrible last year, so maybe they're alright.
Sucks to lose Batieri. He was a beast before injury.

They definitely need some younger players to step up and contribute more to their pass rush and front 7.

...

As far as the Bengals..

They improved their secondary.
Still need a corner or two though.

If they add Tart and a good DT in the draft I think they will have a better rotation this year.
But losing Reader is a big loss.

At RT you go from having a league average right tackle to a giant question mark.
Hopefully they can draft a good lineman in the draft.
They need to start hitting on lineman draft picks because they're counting on a lot of free agent vets they can't keep around too much longer.

Overall I would say the team will end up being about the same this year and needs to stay healthy.
They really need to hit the draft out of the park to set up future success, and a deep run this year.

[SunsetBengal]

(03-15-2024, 06:14 PM)CottonHill Wrote: I’ve been extremely negative but I feel it’s for good reason.
The Bengals are one of a few teams who don’t actively restructure to make room for more talent. You can’t win in today’s age like that.
We had among the most cap space available and I would say we have gotten slightly worse while the rest of the division for sure, and league in general got better.
The resigning of Sample, Hudson, Williams, and Irwin don’t make us any better. Those guys are depth and special teams guys. The tight ends are 1 dimensional and not particularly good at their strong suit.
I love the signing of Rankins in a vacuum but on the whole, the interior d line is worse which is a biiiig issue.
The secondary signings of Stone and Bell look great but they show bigger underlying issues. They are replacing high draft picks and obviously stopping us from improving in other areas. Furthermore, the Stone signing has a chance to be as bad as the Scott signing. All the indicators are there of a guy playing over his head in a contract year on a loaded defense.
The o line thing appears to be malpractice at this point. If we are having to wine and dine Mekhi Becto , what are we even doing. He is a big massive pile of crap. The right side of our line will be slip if that’s what we go into the year with.
I’m fine with the Mixon to Moss move although it’s lateral at best. The issue was our FO looked to be incompetent in the whole Mixon saga. Release them get saved by a trade. Weren’t doing their due diligence
So with all that cap space we improved our interior pass rush….at the expense of the run defense and improved the secondary, with below average athletes at the expense of our whole roster.
There seems to be zero cohesion or urgency in the FO and gives me zero confidence moving forward. We could’ve easily improved at RT, RG, TE, and have not done so.

(03-15-2024, 06:26 PM)Bengalstripes9 Wrote: Seems like the Packers made some good moves.

They upgraded their safety.

Josh Jacobs is certainly a good back.
I'm a bit leary of signing backs to big contracts though.

What concerns me about the Packers is their oline.
But they weren't terrible last year, so maybe they're alright.
Sucks to lose Batieri. He was a beast before injury.

They definitely need some younger players to step up and contribute more to their pass rush and front 7.

...

As far as the Bengals..

They improved their secondary.
Still need a corner or two though.

If they add Tart and a good DT in the draft I think they will have a better rotation this year.
But losing Reader is a big loss.

At RT you go from having a league average right tackle to a giant question mark.
Hopefully they can draft a good lineman in the draft.
They need to start hitting on lineman draft picks because they're counting on a lot of free agent vets they can't keep around too much longer.

Overall I would say the team will end up being about the same this year and needs to stay healthy.
They really need to hit the draft out of the park to set up future success, and a deep run this year.

Wow, up there we have completely dissimilar ways of saying pretty much the same thing.  Oddly enough, I pretty much agree with both.

[Joelist]

Can't agree here.

This Free Agency has been the opposite of disorganized and reactive. The signings all (except Bell who was gravy) fit into a plan and address big problem areas from last season. They are also all very good system fits. I've listed it out before but what the heck...

1) Rankins = Larry Ogunjobi restored. We were in major need of interior pass rush and Rankins and Hill team up to put us back in that hunt.

2) Stone = smart, savvy, leader who is an EXCELLENT cover safety especially in zone. Remember the issue on defense was not us being physically blown off the ball or over matched it was stupid communication lapses, poor angles, misalignment and general broken plays resulting in explosives. The secondary room was just too green last year and Stone and Bell give it a giant infusion of leadership and IQ (and playmaking).

3) Moss = Mixon had a good run here but the last couple of seasons his pass protection foibles and also his very low Yards after Contact / make the first guy miss / too easy to tackle really caught up. Moss is a different type of back - power runner who gives away some breakaway speed but in exchange is MUCH harder to tackle (upper tier skillset), great vision and balance, gets many more yards after contact and is a good pass protector. He is a perfect scheme fit for how we run (and Mixon fits the Texans run scheme better than ours so it's good for both).

4) Gesicki fits in perfectly to the scheme also - he is a mismatch problem for defenses when in slot and I expect that is where he will live.

5) I will miss DJ and hope he does recover fully. But Tart is no slouch, is a NT and fits a plan they seem to be going for on the IDL of having the whole room be at least competent instead of 1-2 above average and the rest dolts. I still expect either the first or second round pick here also.

6) Becton is probably more depth as if we had to Cody Ford can hold the RT fort down but I REALLY think their plan here is going OT in the first.

Restructuring right now was not going to mean much because when the cap shot up like it did so close to Free Agency the effect was a bunch of Tier 1s never hit Free Agency because their formerly cap strapped teams suddenly had space. It is what it is - this has been a Free Agency pool without lots of really elite players and I think the Bengals have played it well, getting players with upside who are also good scheme fits.

[pulses]

(03-15-2024, 07:15 PM)Joelist Wrote: Can't agree here.

This Free Agency has been the opposite of disorganized and reactive. The signings all (except Bell who was gravy) fit into a plan and address big problem areas from last season. They are also all very good system fits. I've listed it out before but what the heck...

1) Rankins = Larry Ogunjobi restored. We were in major need of interior pass rush and Rankins and Hill team up to put us back in that hunt.

2) Stone = smart, savvy, leader who is an EXCELLENT cover safety especially in zone. Remember the issue on defense was not us being physically blown off the ball or over matched it was stupid communication lapses, poor angles, misalignment and general broken plays resulting in explosives. The secondary room was just too green last year and Stone and Bell give it a giant infusion of leadership and IQ (and playmaking).

3) Moss = Mixon had a good run here but the last couple of seasons his pass protection foibles and also his very low Yards after Contact / make the first guy miss / too easy to tackle really caught up. Moss is a different type of back - power runner who gives away some breakaway speed but in exchange is MUCH harder to tackle (upper tier skillset), great vision and balance, gets many more yards after contact and is a good pass protector. He is a perfect scheme fit for how we run (and Mixon fits the Texans run scheme better than ours so it's good for both).

4) Gesicki fits in perfectly to the scheme also - he is a mismatch problem for defenses when in slot and I expect that is where he will live.

5) I will miss DJ and hope he does recover fully. But Tart is no slouch, is a NT and fits a plan they seem to be going for on the IDL of having the whole room be at least competent instead of 1-2 above average and the rest dolts. I still expect either the first or second round pick here also.

6) Becton is probably more depth as if we had to Cody Ford can hold the RT fort down but I REALLY think their plan here is going OT in the first.

Restructuring right now was not going to mean much because when the cap shot up like it did so close to Free Agency the effect was a bunch of Tier 1s never hit Free Agency because their formerly cap strapped teams suddenly had space. It is what it is - this has been a Free Agency pool without lots of really elite players and I think the Bengals have played it well, getting players with upside who are also good scheme fits.

Cody Ford CANT hold down the RT if you think so you're very delusional.

[CottonHill]

(03-15-2024, 07:22 PM)pulses Wrote: Cody Ford CANT hold down the RT if you think so you're very delusional.

Agreed. If Cody Ford is out there we are in trouble. I’d also like to know which one of our FAs having upside he is referring to?
Definitely not Stone and Rankins. More likely they had their best years last year
Moss, career backu/complimentary back
Gesicki—he’s overrated for a few crazy catches he made a few years back. He doesn’t separate much at all and blocks even less

[Hello to everyone]

If they sign Bechton and this is the line they run out there to start the season I give Burrow 6 games and he will be on IR again. They still have alot of money to spend cap wise but the problem is, is there isn't any good free agents out there of positions of need for them. They did this to themselves they should have been very aggressive at the start for a RT and LG to fix the line. I like the DT they signed but our run defense is worse and it was bad last year. I know freeagency just started but the way its goung its not looking good for this season.

[Joelist]

(03-15-2024, 07:47 PM)Hello to everyone Wrote: If they sign Bechton and this is the line they run out there to start the season I give Burrow 6 games and he will be on IR again. They still have alot of money to spend cap wise but the problem is, is there isn't any good free agents out there of positions of need for them. They did this to themselves they should have been very aggressive at the start for a RT and LG to fix the line. I like the DT they signed but our run defense is worse and it was bad last year. I know freeagency just started but the way its goung its not looking good for this season.

There weren't any good ones at any point in this Free Agency where the price would not have rendered them unable to get anyone else. Even if they sign Becton they will not just have him expect us to go OL in Round 1. 

[packerbacker]

You guys think the Bengals will be back to the playoffs next year?

[jj22]

Playoffs!

[Joelist]

(03-15-2024, 08:42 PM)packerbacker Wrote: You guys think the Bengals will be back to the playoffs next year?

Yes. Even with all the injuries and issues we had on defense we were a dropped TD pass by Boyd versus Houston from making the playoffs last year. We've improved in several areas so of course playoffs. 

[Essex Johnson]

(03-15-2024, 07:47 PM)Hello to everyone Wrote: If they sign Bechton and this is the line they run out there to start the season I give Burrow 6 games and he will be on IR again. They still have alot of money to spend cap wise but the problem is, is there isn't any good free agents out there of positions of need for them. They did this to themselves they should have been very aggressive at the start for a RT and LG to fix the line. I like the DT they signed but our run defense is worse and it was bad last year. I know freeagency just started but the way its goung its not looking good for this season.

Good to Great QBs have had bad lines.. and actually this line is the best line Burrow has had, it finished 16 t0 20th in most metrics... i understand part of a QB is getting hurt but the position is a injury prone position and some QBs are just durable and come over.. if Burrow goes down again you are going to have to start to accept Burrow is not very durable and even with an improved line, he still might get hurt

[CottonHill]

An average line will look fine if the play calls and pre snap reads are there. That’s why I wanted us to sign a bruiser and play under center and off the run more than we do. I’m optimistic Pitcher will mix it up a little. It’s also easier for a qb to check out of calls from under center…..see Peyton Manning and Tim Brady. They checked to slants and quick hitters constantly to keep the d off balance. Joe doesn’t do that near enough and that’s why we see a lot of bad drives back to back in some games.
They did Browning a lot of favors with running, screens, easy throws etc. Trust Joe always but don’t lean on him so much

[*Go Cards*]

(03-15-2024, 08:42 PM)packerbacker Wrote: You guys think the Bengals will be back to the playoffs next year?

Yes I caught a glimpse of the NFL script  , and Burrow hoists the Lombardy at the end. 

Good luck to your Packers unless they're playing the Bengals of course. 

[Ell Prez]

(03-15-2024, 07:15 PM)Joelist Wrote: Can't agree here.

This Free Agency has been the opposite of disorganized and reactive. The signings all (except Bell who was gravy) fit into a plan and address big problem areas from last season. They are also all very good system fits. I've listed it out before but what the heck...

1) Rankins = Larry Ogunjobi restored. We were in major need of interior pass rush and Rankins and Hill team up to put us back in that hunt.

2) Stone = smart, savvy, leader who is an EXCELLENT cover safety especially in zone. Remember the issue on defense was not us being physically blown off the ball or over matched it was stupid communication lapses, poor angles, misalignment and general broken plays resulting in explosives. The secondary room was just too green last year and Stone and Bell give it a giant infusion of leadership and IQ (and playmaking).

3) Moss = Mixon had a good run here but the last couple of seasons his pass protection foibles and also his very low Yards after Contact / make the first guy miss / too easy to tackle really caught up. Moss is a different type of back - power runner who gives away some breakaway speed but in exchange is MUCH harder to tackle (upper tier skillset), great vision and balance, gets many more yards after contact and is a good pass protector. He is a perfect scheme fit for how we run (and Mixon fits the Texans run scheme better than ours so it's good for both).

4) Gesicki fits in perfectly to the scheme also - he is a mismatch problem for defenses when in slot and I expect that is where he will live.

5) I will miss DJ and hope he does recover fully. But Tart is no slouch, is a NT and fits a plan they seem to be going for on the IDL of having the whole room be at least competent instead of 1-2 above average and the rest dolts. I still expect either the first or second round pick here also.

6) Becton is probably more depth as if we had to Cody Ford can hold the RT fort down but I REALLY think their plan here is going OT in the first.

Restructuring right now was not going to mean much because when the cap shot up like it did so close to Free Agency the effect was a bunch of Tier 1s never hit Free Agency because their formerly cap strapped teams suddenly had space. It is what it is - this has been a Free Agency pool without lots of really elite players and I think the Bengals have played it well, getting players with upside who are also good scheme fits.

It’s really easy to live in Lala land when you only look at the positives. All of the players we signed are fine players. I wouldn’t say Geisiki, Stone, moss, Rankins are bad players. They are good players. But the off-season isn’t just about who you add, it’s about who you lose and who you replace them with. I’ve said this like 5x already

We upgraded at S no don’t. RB idk, could be a wash. DT, no because we need a run stuffer.

We lost Chido, Jonah, Reader. All 3 of them play way more important positions than RB, TE, S.

After tagging Tee, we had $50M in cap space and the only external free agents we brought in was Stone 7M apy, rankins 13M apy, bell 1M apy, geisiki 3M apy. We missed the playoffs. You’re telling me the difference between us and a Super Bowl is Stone, Geisiki, and Rankins? Those are the pieces that are going to bring us the Lombardi? We spent way too much money on stupid back ups and rotational players. We have cap space. The worst part is we have money to spend but no one worthy (that fits a need) to spend it on. And we didn’t even resign tee long term! We lost our starting RT, DT, CB and soon to be #2 WR. With 70M in cap space. How in the heck is that possible. We should have signed Rankins and reader to bolster the line. Not swap 1 for 1. We should have upgraded Jonah tj a better RT, not go backwards with Cody Ford. We should have upgraded over Chido. Now we’re relying on Turner and CTB who both can’t cover all that well. CTB can at least tackle, but he’s our #1 corner. I don’t think he’s a #1 cover corner. This off season has gone about as bad as it could have.

[Hello to everyone]

(03-15-2024, 10:48 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: Good to Great QBs have had bad lines.. and actually this line is the best line Burrow has had, it finished 16 t0 20th in most metrics... i understand part of a QB is getting hurt but the position is a injury prone position and some QBs are just durable and come over.. if Burrow goes down again you are going to have to start to accept Burrow is not very durable and even with an improved line, he still might get hurt

Oh I already accept Burrow is not durable, he has had two season ending injuries already. Thats why I want them to improve the line and they have tried but the problem is, when they improve one area they let another go to krap and the line pretty much stays the same, just lacking in another position from last year. You can't tell me this is a better line than last year with Cody Ford being your RT. Whats sad is I don't know if Becton is an improvement, They both have been turnstiles and with the pass rushers alone in the north well Burrow won't be very durable.
KC has given Mahomes above average lines every year he has played and it shows, Bengals keep playing with fire and they keep getting burned.

[Soonerpeace]

(03-16-2024, 02:25 AM)Ell Prez Wrote: It’s really easy to live in Lala land when you only look at the positives. All of the players we signed are fine players. I wouldn’t say Geisiki, Stone, moss, Rankins are bad players. They are good players. But the off-season isn’t just about who you add, it’s about who you lose and who you replace them with. I’ve said this like 5x already

We upgraded at S no don’t. RB idk, could be a wash. DT, no because we need a run stuffer.

We lost Chido, Jonah, Reader. All 3 of them play way more important positions than RB, TE, S.

After tagging Tee, we had $50M in cap space and the only external free agents we brought in was Stone 7M apy, rankins 13M apy, bell 1M apy, geisiki 3M apy. We missed the playoffs. You’re telling me the difference between us and a Super Bowl is Stone, Geisiki, and Rankins? Those are the pieces that are going to bring us the Lombardi? We spent way too much money on stupid back ups and rotational players. We have cap space. The worst part is we have money to spend but no one worthy (that fits a need) to spend it on. And we didn’t even resign tee long term! We lost our starting RT, DT, CB and soon to be #2 WR. With 70M in cap space. How in the heck is that possible. We should have signed Rankins and reader to bolster the line. Not swap 1 for 1. We should have upgraded Jonah tj a better RT, not go backwards with Cody Ford. We should have upgraded over Chido. Now we’re relying on Turner and CTB who both can’t cover all that well. CTB can at least tackle, but he’s our #1 corner. I don’t think he’s a #1 cover corner. This off season has gone about as bad as it could have.

I’m with you. I think the front office is too focused on not making a mistake in FA. With Chase’s contract looming and Joe’s contract they are way too skittish. I’ve said this before. It’s like a poker player in a draw poker night with his group. He’s the guy who never bluffs. He folds when the stakes get too high but when he’s got his big hand he goes all in. He never wins big but never loses his shirt. Yes they have methodically improved their weak areas at TE, S, and partially DT. But they should have got a vet RT and kept Reader. Keeping Reader was vital. Overpaying or not. We talk and they talk about the culture but losing Mixon,Boyd,and Reader has to hurt.

[Sled21]

People tend to go nuts when they watch other teams with glaring needs everywhere making all the FA signings. The Bengals have a few glaring needs, but not many. We picked up a better rushing 3T to swap inand out with Hill. We picked up a solid pass catching TE. A cheaper RB. A better safety to replace Scott. Basically, our only needs now is a RT and a NT. We have the whole draft to get those. We have 4 picks in the first 3 rounds. I'm quite happy.

[Soonerpeace]

(03-16-2024, 11:02 AM)Sled21 Wrote: People tend to go nuts when they watch other teams with glaring needs everywhere making all the FA signings. The Bengals have a few glaring needs, but not many. We picked up a better rushing 3T to swap inand out with Hill. We picked up a solid pass catching TE. A cheaper RB. A better safety to replace Scott. Basically, our only needs now is a RT and a NT. We have the whole draft to get those. We have 4 picks in the first 3 rounds. I'm quite happy.

On paper yes but we thought we fixed things last year. Scott & Smith I was worried about and it was indeed the case. Scott because if he’d been worth a flip the Rams would have kept him and likewise Smith by the Vikings. Now I feel really good about Gesicki. I think he’s going to be a huge new dimension in the offense. Stone I’m less sure but we’ve got guard rails there with Bell and Hill. Rankins? He’s going to better in the pass rush but without D J the rush defense petrifies me. This division necessitates a good one.

If this free agency hasn’t taught our team anything then heaven help them. Free Agency is a bad business to rely on. We see how much guys get overpaid. And you can’t sign or keep guys because of it. The discussion seems to center on our small scouting department. But if you are going to survive in today’s NFL world with having to pay a few key players mega bucks you’d better find starters from your draft. And… I don’t mean placement holders. I mean Dax Hill has played 2 years and we are trying to find him a spot. Volson is not even a place holder. I seriously hate using KC as the Achilles of Front Office mastery but they got Creed, Trey Smith, and Pacheco all 3 key components at KC.

Going forward if we don’t get the draft fixed we won’t continue this success regardless of Joey Franchise.