$125 million for 3 Players

[TJHoushmandzadeh's Shiny Shoes]

(03-16-2025, 12:55 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: IF these extensions for Chase and Higgins happen, we'll have $125 million in 3 offensive players.

That's new ground in the NFL by far.

It's going to put a premium on drafting.

What are your thoughts on team building?

It’s easier to find a bunch of average players to fit around superstars than superstars to add to average players. It gives us a point of difference over every team.

Ideally this would have been done earlier. People talk about the extra $10m a year that might have saved but not getting Tee signed up early also cost us an extra third round spent on Burton to try and replace him and maybe the 4th round spent on Charlie Jones (although that was really trying to replace Boyd).

Not re-signing Bates cost us a first round pick (Dax) and Geno Stone and Nick Scott’s contracts. His contract he signed in Atlanta looks good value now.

There’s always a premium on building through the draft. That’s the main way of acquiring great players as teams rarely let great players go. Its important that the Bengals hit in the draft this year as I don’t anticipate them drafting this high very often. It is much easier to find a difference maker at 17 than at 30 (and equally finding a solid contributor picking in the 40s than early 60s).

There should be good options at 17 (Nolan? Green?). 49 might be more of a trade back scenario to try and get some extra draft capital. Maybe they go G here as they seem to have painted themselves into a bit of a corner there. 3rd round might be a nice spot for a LBer (this is where we drafted both Logan Wilson and Pratt) but safety might be the value play here. Maybe it’s S in 3rd, LB in 4th or the other way around. The extra pick might then be a TE, RB or 2nd G. I’d expect them to double up at Edge or LB as well.

Ideally they go and get Scherff and Risner before the draft to give them a bit more flexibility.

[THE PISTONS]

(03-17-2025, 12:31 AM)CottonHill Wrote: lol we are cooked. I knew Jamarr would get his but that much more than Jefferson is idiotic.
Tee is an often injured, under 1,000 yard receiver and we are giving him 30 a year? Are you kidding me? They caved to outside pressure and now we haven’t gotten better at all, and are now spending 125 mill on 3 guys, none of which make the team any better and this hasn’t been a playoff team in 2 years.
I see no path to getting much better now, which we had to do. Oh well, at least those 7 games a year that all 3 play will be fun.The offense still isn’t even the best in the division.

And there will be a WR sign at some point that gets more than Chase. That's why early extensions are the best outcome.

[THE PISTONS]

(03-17-2025, 08:52 AM)TJHoushmandzadeh Wrote: It’s easier to find a bunch of average players to fit around superstars than superstars to add to average players. It gives us a point of difference over every team.

Ideally this would have been done earlier. People talk about the extra $10m a year that might have saved but not getting Tee signed up early also cost us an extra third round spent on Burton to try and replace him and maybe the 4th round spent on Charlie Jones (although that was really trying to replace Boyd).

Not re-signing Bates cost us a first round pick (Dax) and Geno Stone and Nick Scott’s contracts. His contract he signed in Atlanta looks good value now.

There’s always a premium on building through the draft. That’s the main way of acquiring great players as teams rarely let great players go. Its important that the Bengals hit in the draft this year as I don’t anticipate them drafting this high very often. It is much easier to find a difference maker at 17 than at 30 (and equally finding a solid contributor picking in the 40s than early 60s).

There should be good options at 17 (Nolan? Green?). 49 might be more of a trade back scenario to try and get some extra draft capital. Maybe they go G here as they seem to have painted themselves into a bit of a corner there. 3rd round might be a nice spot for a LBer (this is where we drafted both Logan Wilson and Pratt) but safety might be the value play here. Maybe it’s S in 3rd, LB in 4th or the other way around. The extra pick might then be a TE, RB or 2nd G. I’d expect them to double up at Edge or LB as well.

Ideally they go and get Scherff and Risner before the draft to give them a bit more flexibility.

In theory, but man the young guys on the defensive line didn't look any better with Trey on that line.

I do think CHase and Higgins help guys like Gesicki and Brown.

[NotBigzo]

(03-17-2025, 01:25 AM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Cry babies that don't believe in coaching or a possible good draft. We drafted Geno Atkins, we can draft other studs with new Defensive coaches.

The fact that you had to go that far back for an example of a nailed defender in the draft….


Im dead


I believe in drafting. I don’t believe in the Bengals drafting.

[TJHoushmandzadeh's Shiny Shoes]

(03-17-2025, 09:21 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: In theory, but man the young guys on the defensive line didn't look any better with Trey on that line.

I do think CHase and Higgins help guys like Gesicki and Brown.

Myles Murphy played 40%+ of the Defensive snaps 8 times last season

These are the points conceded in those games

41 (OT) (first game off of IR)
7
14
20
27
6
24 (OT)
17

Ossai played 55%+ of the snaps 5 times
These are the points conceded in those games

24
27
6
24 (OT)
17

McKinnley Jackson played in 25%+ of the snaps 9 times these are the points conceded in those games
7
14
24
34
20
27
6
24 (OT)
17

Compare that to Lawrence Guy (happy birthday Lawrence!) played in 20%+ of the snaps in 4 games. These are the points conceded in those games
38
24
41 (OT)
37

Or Zach Carter who played in 50% of snaps and this is the points we conceded in those games
26
38
24

We had a horrifically bad D when we were running guys out like Guy and Carter for more snaps. When we ran Murphy, Ossai and Jackson out for more snaps we weren’t necessarily great but it wasn’t a disaster. Those are totals this O can beat most weeks.

I wanted them to do more on D but the young guys (other than Carter) showed enough to suggest they belong on a NFL roster. They showed you can win with them if they have the bigger pieces like Trey around them.

What they now need to do is find a Jessie Bates in the second round or a Geno Atkins in the fourth to elevate the D. Do that along with a Logan Wilson or Germaine Pratt type in the third or a Carlos Dunlap in the second and this team can go all the way.

Maybe they even find that D playmaker in the first. This will be the first top 20 pick on D since Dre Kirkpatrick in 2012. A top 20 pick gives you a much better shot at that difference maker in a way picking 30 or 31 won’t.

[THE PISTONS]

(03-17-2025, 12:14 PM)TJHoushmandzadeh Wrote: Myles Murphy played 40%+ of the Defensive snaps 8 times last season

These are the points conceded in those games

41 (OT) (first game off of IR)
7
14
20
27
6
24 (OT)
17

Ossai played 55%+ of the snaps 5 times
These are the points conceded in those games

24
27
6
24 (OT)
17

McKinnley Jackson played in 25%+ of the snaps 9 times these are the points conceded in those games
7
14
24
34
20
27
6
24 (OT)
17

Compare that to Lawrence Guy (happy birthday Lawrence!) played in 20%+ of the snaps in 4 games. These are the points conceded in those games
38
24
41 (OT)
37

Or Zach Carter who played in 50% of snaps and this is the points we conceded in those games
26
38
24

We had a horrifically bad D when we were running guys out like Guy and Carter for more snaps. When we ran Murphy, Ossai and Jackson out for more snaps we weren’t necessarily great but it wasn’t a disaster. Those are totals this O can beat most weeks.

I wanted them to do more on D but the young guys (other than Carter) showed enough to suggest they belong on a NFL roster. They showed you can win with them if they have the bigger pieces like Trey around them.

What they now need to do is find a Jessie Bates in the second round or a Geno Atkins in the fourth to elevate the D. Do that along with a Logan Wilson or Germaine Pratt type in the third or a Carlos Dunlap in the second and this team can go all the way.

Maybe they even find that D playmaker in the first. This will be the first top 20 pick on D since Dre Kirkpatrick in 2012. A top 20 pick gives you a much better shot at that difference maker in a way picking 30 or 31 won’t.

We also played really weak teams late in the year.

Murphy had 0 sacks. Correlating him playing to the defense being better doesn't pass the test.

[jj22]

It's not fair to the rookies to expect starters to help win a championship from rounds 3-6. With 6 picks you guys sound like you are expecting them to all hit. And as we currently stand we need all 6 hit and play. I'm not sure that expectation is the definition of a good draft or realistic.

[THE PISTONS]

(03-17-2025, 12:21 PM)jj22 Wrote: It's not fair to the rookies to expect starters to help win a championship from rounds 3-6. With 6 picks you guys sound like you are expecting them to all hit. And as we currently stand we need all 6 hit and play. I'm not sure that expectation is the definition of a good draft or realistic.

Yes. Might get 1 starter Day 1. And 2 starters over time. Most will be roster fodder.

[XenoMorph]

(03-16-2025, 12:55 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: IF these extensions for Chase and Higgins happen, we'll have $125 million in 3 offensive players.

That's new ground in the NFL by far.

It's going to put a premium on drafting.

What are your thoughts on team building?

Well offense gonna have to score a lot.

I see us losing a lot of high scoring games

Hope the defense can recover or we might be in for a Stafford(lions) type of era

[Au165]

Right now you are betting on a couple things from the defense. Healthy DJ Turner and Dax Hill to play better than their replacements (Fair). Interior DL rookies to get better in year 2 (Fair). Getting MUCH better play out of the safety group (My biggest worry). Finding a rookie edge to start and be productive year 1 (Big Ask) or a wave 2 FA pass rusher to give us 8+ sacks (Fair).

I am actually probably less of a doomsday person about the D than most here as I think a functional veteran opposite of Trey like Za'Darius Smith would give us enough pass rush help along with an ascending Ossai to be average there. I think the guys coming back can give us good enough coverage to be okay. I even think the two interior guys flashed enough later in the year to feel okay. The thing that REALLY bothers me is not doing anything at safety when Holland was had for a super affordable deal. We will see, but one thing to remember is we don't need to go from god awful to good with this team we just need to go from god awful to average and we can win a LOT of games.

[TJHoushmandzadeh's Shiny Shoes]

(03-17-2025, 12:17 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: We also played really weak teams late in the year.

Murphy had 0 sacks. Correlating him playing to the defense being better doesn't pass the test.

Sure, they were some of the weaker Os but we also shipped 44 points to an awful Steelers O.

I don’t care about individual sack numbers if we can average under 17 points, which is what we did in 7 games with Murphy playing 40%+ of snaps

(03-17-2025, 12:21 PM)jj22 Wrote: It's not fair to the rookies to expect starters to help win a championship from rounds 3-6. With 6 picks you guys sound like you are expecting them to all hit. And as we currently stand we need all 6 hit and play. I'm not sure that expectation is the definition of a good draft or realistic.

We don’t need all six to hit. I’m after one star and one good starter. That could be like 2020 (minus Burrow as he was no.1 overall) when we drafted Tee and Logan; 2018 (Bates and Hubbard); maybe 2017 (Mixon and Lawson), 2013 (Eifert and Gio), 2012 (Zeitler and Marvin Jones) but definitely 2011 (AJ and Dalton) and 2010 (Geno and Carlos). We do need some of our recent D picks to step up - particularly at CB. We do need a FA guard. The rookies might not be week 1 starters but I hope they are contributors by the time the playoffs come around.

[Lucius Cincinnatus]

Paying your great to elite young players is hardly a bad thing and we should all be thrilled. We're going to have to draft well regardless and now we know we won't have to target one of the most valuable draft targets that you typically have to use premium draft capital to acquire yet also volatile (Wrs).

[*rfaulk34*]

(03-17-2025, 12:54 PM)Au165 Wrote: Right now you are betting on a couple things from the defense. Healthy DJ Turner and Dax Hill to play better than their replacements (Fair). Interior DL rookies to get better in year 2 (Fair). Getting MUCH better play out of the safety group (My biggest worry). Finding a rookie edge to start and be productive year 1 (Big Ask) or a wave 2 FA pass rusher to give us 8+ sacks (Fair).

I am actually probably less of a doomsday person about the D than most here as I think a functional veteran opposite of Trey like Za'Darius Smith would give us enough pass rush help along with an ascending Ossai to be average there. I think the guys coming back can give us good enough coverage to be okay. I even think the two interior guys flashed enough later in the year to feel okay. The thing that REALLY bothers me is not doing anything at safety when Holland was had for a super affordable deal. We will see, but one thing to remember is we don't need to go from god awful to good with this team we just need to go from god awful to average and we can win a LOT of games.

My guess is they feel they can get a guy in the draft at safety. 

[jj22]

and G, and DE, and DT, and ..... Asking a lot from these 6 picks.

[THE PISTONS]

(03-17-2025, 01:23 PM)jj22 Wrote: and G, and DE, and DT, and ..... Asking a lot from these 6 picks.

I think they won't go DT.

But, we need 1 Guard atleast and that's relying on Volson as the other Guard.

A starting DE.

A slot CB to replace Hilton and that's relying on Hill and CTB to start at CB without an upgrade.

A starting safety to replace Vonn Bell. And that's starting Stone.

Counting on the LB we signed from the Eagles to start.

And counting on Pratt to start and be productive. Pratt and Wilson both appeared to lose a step last year.

And counting on drafted guys like Murphy and Ossai to produce.

[Au165]

(03-17-2025, 01:23 PM)jj22 Wrote: and G, and DE, and DT, and ..... Asking a lot from these 6 picks.

We will sign a guard I am pretty confident still. They don't view DT as a need other than maybe a late flyer guy. 

[jj22]

Even if we sign a Guard it'll be a 1 year bandage. We'd still need to draft the future starter. And we'd still need to draft one if we are only signing 1 FA guard. 

Same with Hill who may take over the slot, but are we picking up his 5th year option? If not we still need the future starter.

[jj22]

(03-17-2025, 01:33 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: I think they won't go DT.

That would suck given the DT class. I still think they need a 3t....

[Au165]

(03-17-2025, 01:38 PM)jj22 Wrote: Even if we sign a Guard it'll be a 1 year bandage. We'd still need to draft the future starter. And we'd still need to draft one if we are only signing 1 FA guard. 

Same with Hill who may take over the slot, but are we picking up his 5th year option? If not we still need the future starter.

Yea, I think we sign one (Guard) and draft one. Probably in the 3rd if I had to guess. Rookie will battle with Ford/Volson for spot opposite FA.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(03-17-2025, 10:32 AM)NotBigzo Wrote: The fact that you had to go that far back for an example of a nailed defender in the draft….


Im dead


I believe in drafting. I don’t believe in the Bengals drafting.

Geno was just an example of a HOF type player the Bengals have drafted. They drafted Jesse Bates and many other good defensive players
as well. To act like it is impossible for them to draft good players is just ignorant and shows you are pretty much dead, brain dead that is.