NYE Mock

[*ochocincos*]

Cut:
- Sheldon Rankins - Only $2 mill dead cap, frees up $10.5 mill.
- Alex Cappa - Only $2.25 mill dead cap, frees up $8 mill.
- Geno Stone - Only $1.5 mill in dead cap, frees up $6.5 mill.

With these cuts, that adds another $25 mill in cap for Bengals to work with, bringing their estimated 2025 cap to $84 mill.

Re-sign:
- Mike Gesicki - Dude has done about as well as you'd hope for in this offense as the 3rd option in the passing game. Gesicki also shouldn't command a bunch more $$ even though he did have more production. He's worth keeping around for an extra year or two at no more than $7 mill APY.

Free Agency:
- Chase Young, DE NO - Despite already being on his 3rd team in 5 years, Young has 22 sacks through 59 games, averaging 6.3 sacks in a full season. He's only 25 years old still, and he should come at somewhat of a bargain, so Mike Brown takes the gamble of him reaching his potential.

- Milton Williams, DT PHI - Those who wanted MW back in the 2021 draft could finally get their wish. Williams, like Young, is 25 years old, and he's having his best season as a rotational DT, putting up 5.0 sacks with 1 game left to go. Williams should come at a reasonable price and between him and Young should bolster the pass rush with quality veterans.

- Dalton Risner, OG MIN - Long tenured, proven OG who has vast starting experience at both LG and RG. While technically he would replace Cappa on the roster, he may potentially move to LG depending on what they would do in the draft (see below).

- Darius Slayton, WR NYG - While I would love Higgins back, I'm not sure it happens. If they can't work out a deal with Higgins, I decide to go with a much cheaper veteran WR who I think could put up 800+ yards in CIN's offense in Darius Slayton, who has put up 700+ yards 4 out of 6 years in NYG's crappy offense with terrible QB play.

- Josh Jones, OT BAL - Swing tackle to back up OBJ and Mims. Replaces Trent Brown on the roster.

- CB - There are plenty of solid FA CBs to add if Hilton is not re-signed. Mike Hughes, Adoree Jackson, or Shaquill Griffin come to mind as someone to bring in who should be more budget-friendly.

Draft:
1) Malaki Starks, FS Georgia - Currently the top-ranked safety in the draft and will likely go somewhere in the teens or early 20's. Starks shows the skill set, speed, and athleticism to be a difference maker at FS. Whether Bengals choose to cut Stone or keep him on his last year of his contract in case they don't want to force Starks into starting role immediately, Starks is a great add and should set up the Bengals for 4-5 years at FS.

2) Tate Ratledge, OG Georgia - This dude seems exactly like the kind of OL that Pollack falls in love with. A glass eater who has a championship pedigree. Ratledge is versatile enough to play both LG and RG. He and Risner could really upgrade this IOL.

3) DeMonte Capehart, DT Clemson - Versatile DT who can play both DT spots. Strong run stopper who also showcases athleticism and power. With better coaching to teach him some more techniques rushing the passer, he could become a 3-down DT who can affect the pass like he does the run. At minimum, he should be a good run defender and help bolster the NT position with McKinnley Jackson.

4) Jack Nelson, OL Wisconsin - Versatile, big OL who has played plenty of reps at RT and OG. He also has played in zone schemes, so he could be a great fit in Bengals scheme. With Risner and Ratledge added, Nelson adds versatile depth and future starter potential. Replaces Ford.

5) Riley Mills, DL Notre Dame - Versatile DL who primarily aligns at 3T but can also play base end. He is pretty athletic for his size, and he's been getting better every season. There is some coaching he needs to better develop pass rush plan and technique, but the motor and athleticism are there, which are core foundational things needed and a big reason why he has done well at ND.

6) Jonah Coleman, RB Washington - Hoss of a RB who can pound the rock and catch passes out of the backfield. He has good speed for his size (5'9", 230 lbs), but he's not a blazer. One thing the Bengals struggle with is being able to get the tough yards on the ground, and Coleman can help bring that.

[SunsetBengal]

(12-31-2024, 05:15 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Cut:
- Sheldon Rankins - Only $2 mill dead cap, frees up $10.5 mill.
- Alex Cappa - Only $2.25 mill dead cap, frees up $8 mill.
- Geno Stone - Only $1.5 mill in dead cap, frees up $6.5 mill.

With these cuts, that adds another $25 mill in cap for Bengals to work with, bringing their estimated 2025 cap to $84 mill.

Re-sign:
- Mike Gesicki - Dude has done about as well as you'd hope for in this offense as the 3rd option in the passing game. Gesicki also shouldn't command a bunch more $$ even though he did have more production. He's worth keeping around for an extra year or two at no more than $7 mill APY.

Free Agency:
- Chase Young, DE NO - Despite already being on his 3rd team in 5 years, Young has 22 sacks through 59 games, averaging 6.3 sacks in a full season. He's only 25 years old still, and he should come at somewhat of a bargain, so Mike Brown takes the gamble of him reaching his potential.

- Milton Williams, DT PHI - Those who wanted MW back in the 2021 draft could finally get their wish. Williams, like Young, is 25 years old, and he's having his best season as a rotational DT, putting up 5.0 sacks with 1 game left to go. Williams should come at a reasonable price and between him and Young should bolster the pass rush with quality veterans.

- Dalton Risner, OG MIN - Long tenured, proven OG who has vast starting experience at both LG and RG. While technically he would replace Cappa on the roster, he may potentially move to LG depending on what they would do in the draft (see below).

- Darius Slayton, WR NYG - While I would love Higgins back, I'm not sure it happens. If they can't work out a deal with Higgins, I decide to go with a much cheaper veteran WR who I think could put up 800+ yards in CIN's offense in Darius Slayton, who has put up 700+ yards 4 out of 6 years in NYG's crappy offense with terrible QB play.

- Josh Jones, OT BAL - Swing tackle to back up OBJ and Mims. Replaces Trent Brown on the roster.

- CB - There are plenty of solid FA CBs to add if Hilton is not re-signed. Mike Hughes, Adoree Jackson, or Shaquill Griffin come to mind as someone to bring in who should be more budget-friendly.

Draft:
1) Malaki Starks, FS Georgia - Currently the top-ranked safety in the draft and will likely go somewhere in the teens or early 20's. Starks shows the skill set, speed, and athleticism to be a difference maker at FS. Whether Bengals choose to cut Stone or keep him on his last year of his contract in case they don't want to force Starks into starting role immediately, Starks is a great add and should set up the Bengals for 4-5 years at FS.

2) Tate Ratledge, OG Georgia - This dude seems exactly like the kind of OL that Pollack falls in love with. A glass eater who has a championship pedigree. Ratledge is versatile enough to play both LG and RG. He and Risner could really upgrade this IOL.

3) DeMonte Capehart, DT Clemson - Versatile DT who can play both DT spots. Strong run stopper who also showcases athleticism and power. With better coaching to teach him some more techniques rushing the passer, he could become a 3-down DT who can affect the pass like he does the run. At minimum, he should be a good run defender and help bolster the NT position with McKinnley Jackson.

4) Jack Nelson, OL Wisconsin - Versatile, big OL who has played plenty of reps at RT and OG. He also has played in zone schemes, so he could be a great fit in Bengals scheme. With Risner and Ratledge added, Nelson adds versatile depth and future starter potential. Replaces Ford.

5) Riley Mills, DL Notre Dame - Versatile DL who primarily aligns at 3T but can also play base end. He is pretty athletic for his size, and he's been getting better every season. There is some coaching he needs to better develop pass rush plan and technique, but the motor and athleticism are there, which are core foundational things needed and a big reason why he has done well at ND.

6) Jonah Coleman, RB Washington - Hoss of a RB who can pound the rock and catch passes out of the backfield. He has good speed for his size (5'9", 230 lbs), but he's not a blazer. One thing the Bengals struggle with is being able to get the tough yards on the ground, and Coleman can help bring that.

I'd re-sign BJ Hill over Milton Williams 10/10. Sure, Milton has 5 sacks on the year, but his average tackle production is much less than BJ Hill, who is an all-effort guy and plays like he actually cares about the team he plays for.

The Mock looks pretty good, not very exciting, but fixing a lot of fundamental positions that need fixed.

[*ochocincos*]

(12-31-2024, 06:40 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I'd re-sign BJ Hill over Milton Williams 10/10. Sure, Milton has 5 sacks on the year, but his average tackle production is much less than BJ Hill, who is an all-effort guy and plays like he actually cares about the team he plays for.

The Mock looks pretty good, not very exciting, but fixing a lot of fundamental positions that need fixed.

I'm good with bringing Hill back instead, but Milton Williams has 10 more pressures than Hill does.
Williams - 39 pressures on 290 pass rush snaps
Hill - 29 pressures on 392 pass rush snaps

If improving the pass rush is the goal, Williams could be an upgrade over Hill.

What makes the mock not very exciting?
It gets two immediate starters in the draft (Starks, Ratledge) and adds a lot of talent in areas that have deficits.
Bengals won't have the $$ to get a bunch of top-tier FAs, even with the increased cap from cuts.
They might be able to spend more than the players I have allocated, but I was being conservative with the FAs since Bengals will likely be negotiating that first week with Higgins and could miss out on the other elite guys and have to settle for B-tier guys who remain.

To me, Young and Williams are exciting to add to this DL.
Risner is underrated and would be an upgrade on the OL.

The Bengals have the offensive playmakers now, so nothing is really going to be exciting for an add on the offensive side other than a TE like Warren or Loveland.
On defense, I thought about a DL like Nic Scourton or Walter Nolen in Rd 1, but Starks is exciting too and I like the addition of Milton Williams over the safeties that are in FA. I'm not sure anyone is going to get overly excited for Justin Reid, Justin Simmons, or Jeremy Chinn. At least one of those guys could be an upgrade over Stone, but none really moves the needle back to Bates level like Starks could.

[SunsetBengal]

(12-31-2024, 08:11 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I'm good with bringing Hill back instead, but Milton Williams has 10 more pressures than Hill does.
Williams - 39 pressures on 290 pass rush snaps
Hill - 29 pressures on 392 pass rush snaps

If improving the pass rush is the goal, Williams could be an upgrade over Hill.

So what? Look at BJ's 2022 season, where he had like 22 pressures. Not every year is a players best year, whose to say that Williams can replicate this season's stats in any other year of his career? BJ Hill is a known commodity, and he produces steadily. Not paying him to continue doing what he does seems silly, considering he's doing a very good job.

[Luvnit2]

I like your FA class. No way I pay a guy making 2.5 million (Gesicki) who while a good receiver, has some drops and average to poor in line blocker. I say 3 million max.

But Slayton is not a #2 or close to Tee. We need to figure out a way to sign him. Moss should be cut. Hubbard should be cut. These 2 additional cuts will be another 12 million or so. I would much rather keep Tee and use the cut money of the 2 I added, plus the 6 or 8 million from Slayton on Tee.

My question om Hill is due to no strong DT presence alongside him, was he getting more double teams so less production. I like the age of 25 of Brown over BJ 30ish. I think the Eagles sign hm though.

As for 1st pick safety is a good possibility, but if Tyler Warren is sitting there, I like the PS TE a lot. The question becomes if we draft him, will Zac design play packages to take advantage of both his in line blocking skills, FB skills and receiving skills. I am with Sunset, he could transform our offense lining up with Tee and Chase. When is the last time we had an inline TE who can block and dominate LB's and slot CB's. I could see him being JB's Dan Ross. If we do TE versus safety, we need to sign a vet safety and likely let Gesicki walk unless he signs again for 2.5 million again.

[J24]

Love the draft and free agency Ocho!

Serious Question though; how much are you willing to spend on Milton Williams per year?

[J24]

(12-31-2024, 09:04 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I like your FA class. No way I pay a guy making 2.5 million (Gesicki) who while a good receiver, has some drops and average to poor in line blocker. I say 3 million max.

But Slayton is not a #2 or close to Tee. We need to figure out a way to sign him. Moss should be cut. Hubbard should be cut. These 2 additional cuts will be another 12 million or so. I would much rather keep Tee and use the cut money of the 2 I added, plus the 6 or 8 million from Slayton on Tee.

My question om Hill is due to no strong DT presence alongside him, was he getting more double teams so less production. I like the age of 25 of Brown over BJ 30ish. I think the Eagles sign hm though.

As for 1st pick safety is a good possibility, but if Tyler Warren is sitting there, I like the PS TE a lot. The question becomes if we draft him, will Zac design play packages to take advantage of both his in line blocking skills, FB skills and receiving skills. I am with Sunset, he could transform our offense lining up with Tee and Chase. When is the last time we had an inline TE who can block and dominate LB's and slot CB's. I could see him being JB's Dan Ross. If we do TE versus safety, we need to sign a vet safety and likely let Gesicki walk unless he signs again for 2.5 million again.

The eagles have Jason Carter at 3T and have Moro Ojomo in the wings to replace Williams. They probably take the third comp pick for him!

[*ochocincos*]

(12-31-2024, 09:04 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I like your FA class. No way I pay a guy making 2.5 million (Gesicki) who while a good receiver, has some drops and average to poor in line blocker. I say 3 million max.

But Slayton is not a #2 or close to Tee. We need to figure out a way to sign him. Moss should be cut. Hubbard should be cut. These 2 additional cuts will be another 12 million or so. I would much rather keep Tee and use the cut money of the 2 I added, plus the 6 or 8 million from Slayton on Tee.

My question om Hill is due to no strong DT presence alongside him, was he getting more double teams so less production. I like the age of 25 of Brown over BJ 30ish. I think the Eagles sign hm though.

As for 1st pick safety is a good possibility, but if Tyler Warren is sitting there, I like the PS TE a lot. The question becomes if we draft him, will Zac design play packages to take advantage of both his in line blocking skills, FB skills and receiving skills. I am with Sunset, he could transform our offense lining up with Tee and Chase. When is the last time we had an inline TE who can block and dominate LB's and slot CB's. I could see him being JB's Dan Ross. If we do TE versus safety, we need to sign a vet safety and likely let Gesicki walk unless he signs again for 2.5 million again.

What's your definition of a #2 WR?
As mentioned, Slayton has 700+ yards in 4 of the past 6 seasons with a bad NYG offense.
He's capable of putting up 800+ in a good offense.

With each team having 2+ receivers and 32 teams, I would say anyone in the Top 33-64 would be considered a #2.
The 64th most receiving yards in the NFL right now is Demario Douglas at 587 yards.


Higgins is a WR1-caliber guy, so naturally a guy like Slayton is not going to be at his level. But Higgins is likely going to make $25+ mill from some team.
A true WR2 (not a WR1-caliber like Higgins) is going to come much more affordable and we'll also have to accept some less production.
No way around it.
You aren't going to get a 1000+ yard WR for under $10 mill APY unless it's a draft pick or playing on some prove-it deal.

As for not willing to pay Gesicki >$3 mill because he doesn't block enough or as well, the NFL doesn't pay the highest amounts to TEs because of their blocking ability.
They pay more for guys that are good receivers.
Kelce, Hockenson, Andrews, etc. are making $12+ mill APY because of their great pass catching ability as TEs.
While I wouldn't necessarily put Gesicki right in the mix with their names, $5-7 mill APY felt like a fair but respectable bargain for a guy like Gesicki.
I can't imagine Gesicki would choose to sign back with the Bengals for $3 mill or less unless he had no other offers.
If guys like Uzomah and Hurst could get $7-8 mill APY after playing for the Bengals, I could see Gesicki getting at least close to that number from someone.

Tyler Warren is my favorite TE in this class, but I'd want to change up my mock if I took a TE in the draft.
I'd go Warren Rd 1, Xavier Watts (SAF from ND) in Rd 2 and get another OG in FA like James Daniels.

Last, you mention cutting Moss and Hubbard.
I thought about doing that too, but that's just 2 more guys to have to fill spots for, and the Bengals only have so many draft picks.
I already added 6 outside FAs in the mock, I doubt they would add 8 quality outside FAs even if they had the $$.
If they cut Moss, it would be to likely just retain Herbert, methinks. Not bring in a new person from outside.

We know they're going to reserve ~$10 mill of the cap for extensions, injury reserve, etc. like they always do.
I didn't want to try to guesstimate what all those FAs would/could get, but I would imagine it'd be close to $60 mill with Gesicki included as well, and I left room for potential Higgins re-signing.

[*Synric*]

(01-01-2025, 03:14 PM)ochocincos Wrote: What's your definition of a #2 WR?
As mentioned, Slayton has 700+ yards in 4 of the past 6 seasons with a bad NYG offense.
He's capable of putting up 800+ in a good offense.

With each team having 2+ receivers and 32 teams, I would say anyone in the Top 33-64 would be considered a #2.
The 64th most receiving yards in the NFL right now is Demario Douglas at 587 yards.


Higgins is a WR1-caliber guy, so naturally a guy like Slayton is not going to be at his level. But Higgins is likely going to make $25+ mill from some team.
A true WR2 (not a WR1-caliber like Higgins) is going to come much more affordable and we'll also have to accept some less production.
No way around it.
You aren't going to get a 1000+ yard WR for under $10 mill APY unless it's a draft pick or playing on some prove-it deal.

As for not willing to pay Gesicki >$3 mill because he doesn't block enough or as well, the NFL doesn't pay the highest amounts to TEs because of their blocking ability.
They pay more for guys that are good receivers.
Kelce, Hockenson, Andrews, etc. are making $12+ mill APY because of their great pass catching ability as TEs.
While I wouldn't necessarily put Gesicki right in the mix with their names, $5-7 mill APY felt like a fair but respectable bargain for a guy like Gesicki.
I can't imagine Gesicki would choose to sign back with the Bengals for $3 mill or less unless he had no other offers.
If guys like Uzomah and Hurst could get $7-8 mill APY after playing for the Bengals, I could see Gesicki getting at least close to that number from someone.

Tyler Warren is my favorite TE in this class, but I'd want to change up my mock if I took a TE in the draft.
I'd go Warren Rd 1, Xavier Watts (SAF from ND) in Rd 2 and get another OG in FA like James Daniels.

Last, you mention cutting Moss and Hubbard.
I thought about doing that too, but that's just 2 more guys to have to fill spots for, and the Bengals only have so many draft picks.
I already added 6 outside FAs in the mock, I doubt they would add 8 quality outside FAs even if they had the $$.


We know they're going to reserve ~$10 mill of the cap for extensions, injury reserve, etc. like they always do.
I didn't want to try to guesstimate what all those FAs would/could get, but I would imagine it'd be close to $60 mill with Gesicki included as well, and I left room for potential Higgins re-signing.

Does Slayton fit? Especially on the boundary where Joe loves to throw back shoulder?

[*ochocincos*]

(12-31-2024, 10:05 PM)J24 Wrote: Love  the draft and free agency  Ocho!

Serious Question though; how much are you willing to spend on Milton Williams per year?

Not really sure what he'd be looking for.
Christian Barmore is making $20 mill APY and has only had one season with >3 sacks (8.5 sacks in 2023).
Rankins himself got signed by Cincy for $12.25 mill APY, so I'd imagine at least $13 mill APY to sign someone like Williams.
I will guess it will be somewhere between $15-20 mill, but who knows?

[*ochocincos*]

(01-01-2025, 03:17 PM)Synric Wrote: Does Slayton fit? Especially on the boundary where Joe loves to throw back shoulder?

I'm a believer in a good offense can (and should) morph to the strengths of the players they got, not require certain styles/sizes/speeds.
He's played nearly 80% of his offensive snaps out wide, so it's not like he has to play the slot.
Dude may not have the size like Higgins, but he has speed and size more similar to Chase (6'1", 194 lbs, 4.39 speed, good agility).
Any team should be able to find a way to get a guy like Slayton the ball.

Who would be a guy in FA who more closely matches Higgins's skill set and size who is under 30 years old who would command $10 mill or less?

[*Synric*]

(01-01-2025, 03:27 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I'm a believer in a good offense can (and should) morph to the strengths of the players they got, not require certain styles/sizes/speeds.
He's played nearly 80% of his offensive snaps out wide, so it's not like he has to play the slot.
Dude may not have the size like Higgins, but he has speed and size more similar to Chase (6'1", 194 lbs, 4.39 speed, good agility).
Any team should be able to find a way to get a guy like Slayton the ball.

Who would be a guy in FA who more closely matches Higgins's skill set and size who is under 30 years old who would command $10 mill or less?

I get the whole use your players in the right way but there route concepts Joe likes from his outside guys. His favorite throw vs cover 1 man is the backshoulder. Chase and Tee are very very good at this on the boundary. 


As for a guy to replace Tee's skillset those are hard to come by... Mike Williams and DJ Chark is a maybe he's more of a lanky stretch the field type. Physical X receivers that win in contested catch situations don't hit Free Agency often. 

[*ochocincos*]

(01-01-2025, 03:36 PM)Synric Wrote: I get the whole use your players in the right way but there route concepts Joe likes from his outside guys. His favorite throw vs cover 1 man is the backshoulder. Chase and Tee are very very good at this on the boundary. 


As for a guy to replace Tee's skillset those are hard to come by... Mike Williams and DJ Chark is a maybe he's more of a lanky stretch the field type. Physical X receivers that win in contested catch situations don't hit Free Agency often. 

Yea I was looking at the potential guys set to hit FA and I don't really care for Mike Williams (anymore) and Chark is not good.

I'd almost rather just roll with Burton or Iosivas outside than sign one of those guys.

Maybe someone like Egbuka, Tre Harris, or Jayden Higgins would be worth taking on Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft to try to fill that role.

[*Synric*]

(01-01-2025, 03:45 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Yea I was looking at the potential guys set to hit FA and I don't really care for Mike Williams (anymore) and Chark is not good.

I'd almost rather just roll with Burton or Iosivas outside than sign one of those guys.

Maybe someone like Egbuka, Tre Harris, or Jayden Higgins would be worth taking on Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft to try to fill that role.

I'm a big Jayden Higgins fan as a Tee replacement. Physical receiver strong hands uses his length smoother than quick plays avove the rim not afraid to play inside and take hits to move the chain.

Egbuka would be an amazing TB replacement for Joe.

[*ochocincos*]

(01-01-2025, 03:48 PM)Synric Wrote: I'm a big Jayden Higgins fan as a Tee replacement. Physical receiver strong hands uses his length smoother than quick plays avove the rim not afraid to play inside and take hits to move the chain.

Egbuka would be an amazing TB replacement for Joe.

If they went WR in the draft though, I'd hope they'd address IOL/TE/DL in FA so all the immediate big needs could be addressed without requiring immediate contributions from a Rd 3 or later pick.

I think I personally though just have liked Darius Slayton and felt he would have been fine as a WR2 in Burrow's offense, especially as a budget option.

[Luvnit2]

(01-01-2025, 04:16 PM)ochocincos Wrote: If they went WR in the draft though, I'd hope they'd address IOL/TE/DL in FA so all the immediate big needs could be addressed without requiring immediate contributions from a Rd 3 or later pick.

I think I personally though just have liked Darius Slayton and felt he would have been fine as a WR2 in Burrow's offense, especially as a budget option.

Surprise, he is not a budget option.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/market-value/_/id/29219/darius-slayton

16.3 million a year, same as Spotrac has for Tee Higgins

[*ochocincos*]

(01-01-2025, 05:49 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Surprise, he is not a budget option.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/market-value/_/id/29219/darius-slayton

16.3 million a year, same as Spotrac has for Tee Higgins

I can't imagine that will happen anywhere close given he signed a 2-year, $12 mill deal for 2023-2024 after having put up 3 out of 4 seasons with 700+ yards.
His production has not increased since then, so I can't imagine his salary will more than double on a new deal.

If it's $15+ mill, no thanks.
I'll just draft a guy or spend the extra for Higgins.

There's also arguably no way Higgins goes for that low.
If Bengals can get him for $20 mill or less APY, they should be able to make that happen.

[puddycat]

(01-01-2025, 05:49 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/market-value/_/id/29219/darius-slayton

16.3 million a year, same as Spotrac has for Tee Higgins

And 16.2M for "old man" Keenan Allen, my choice for a rent-a-receiver.  These 3 guys are not equal.

[pulses]

(01-01-2025, 05:59 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I can't imagine that will happen anywhere close given he signed a 2-year, $12 mill deal for 2023-2024 after having put up 3 out of 4 seasons with 700+ yards.
His production has not increased since then, so I can't imagine his salary will more than double on a new deal.

If it's $15+ mill, no thanks.
I'll just draft a guy or spend the extra for Higgins.

There's also arguably no way Higgins goes for that low.
If Bengals can get him for $20 mill or less APY, they should be able to make that happen.

Just take Jayden Higgins in 2 and be done with it.

[*ochocincos*]

(01-01-2025, 10:03 PM)pulses Wrote: Just take Jayden Higgins in 2 and be done with it.

What's going to be the challenging thing for the Bengals is the number of players they have/should replace.
Even if they have ~$80 mill in cap by cutting some guys we want/expect them to cut, it may evaporate quickly if they have to sign 10+ veterans.
They're going to have the following people to potentially replace:
- Tee Higgins
- Mike Gesicki
- BJ Hill
- Mike Hilton
- Trent Brown
- Joseph Ossai
- Cam Sample
- Jay Tufele
- Vonn Bell
- Khalil Herbert
- Trayveon Williams
- Tanner Hudson (McLachlan may take his place)
- Cody Ford
- ADG
- Joe Bachie


And then guys we (some at least) want to see cut to free up cap:
- Alex Cappa
- Geno Stone
- Sheldon Rankins
- Sam Hubbard
- Zack Moss

That's 20+ people potentially, and the Bengals only have 6 draft picks.
That would be a lot of new FAs to bring in to replace or sign to new, likely (somewhat, at least) more expensive deals.