Trying to outscore everyone actually IS a game plan but only if you commit to it.

[Soonerpeace]

I expect the Bengals to move on from Pratt in some fashion. Maybe traded for an extra pick, pick swap, or something. It would be my guess he’s done with us and we him. I expect a linebacker or guard first round & second round. Trey’s situation dicey. Needing to replace him this year could change all that. They got tired of musical chairs at TE and I believe they have guards too.

The Bengals succinctly and ridiculously have to do better in the draft. Right now that’s why they are barely above .500 the last 2 years. Sure Joe’s injury in ‘23 was a killer. But they’ve drafted poorly in the first 3 rounds the last 4 years. Mostly miss.

‘21 Chase Carman Ossai
‘22 Hill CTB Carter
‘23 Murphry Turner Battle
‘24 Mims Jenkins Burton

Out of 12 picks 2 were nailed and the others unlikely second contract offers. It’s awful. Sure some have been contributors or some starts but marginal what was needed.

[TJHoushmandzadeh's Shiny Shoes]

(03-28-2025, 09:33 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: That is a novel idea, but which 6 defenders currently on the roster are we upgrading with rookie replacements? (I'm just saying that you have to have a place to put them on the roster)

I only have 12 locks on the D side of the ball

DT (4) Slaton, Hill, Jenkins, Jackson
DE (3) Hendrickson, Murphy, Ossai
LB (1) Wilson
CB (3) CTB, Turner, Hill
S (1) Battle

Burks and Anderson are also probably 95% towards being locks because of ST.

Someone like Newton is likely 95% of the way there but if Golden thinks his college CB Morrison is a future CB1 and he’s there in the 2nd having Newton on the roster isn’t going to stop them drafting Morrison and Newton could yet be beaten out in camp by DJ Ivey/Marco Wilson and Jalen Davis.

FWIW my locks on O

QB (2) Burrow, Browning
RB (2) Brown, Perine
WR (5) Chase, Higgins, Gesicki, Iosivas, Jones
TE (1) All (IR)
T (3) Brown, Mims, Ford
IOL (1) Karras

Patrick has the inside track for an iOL spot but if he stunk out camp they wouldn’t feel obliged to keep him for $200,000 of dead money. He’s 95% there.

Chuck Sizzle is probably fortunate to be in this position but I’m struggling to envisage a scenario where he gets cut. I suppose Burton would have to show up on time and an undrafted FA beat him out as a returner.

[Sled21]

(03-27-2025, 09:12 PM)QueenCity Wrote: Sign 1-2 more guards in FA

Then draft 6 defensive players....

This. Our offense is in need of Guards, and not much else. We already signed the best of what we had (Ford) and brought in Patrick. If they can sign one or two more, the whole draft is open for defense. Could we use a better TE, maybe, but Mike G, Hudson, and Sample are fine. 

[Soonerpeace]

(03-28-2025, 12:14 PM)Sled21 Wrote: This. Our offense is in need of Guards, and not much else. We already signed the best of what we had (Ford) and brought in Patrick. If they can sign one or two more, the whole draft is open for defense. Could we use a better TE, maybe, but Mike G, Hudson, and Sample are fine. 

Scott Peters has a player he wants to draft. Don’t know who it is. But they will draft a guard very early. They are done in FA and saving money for keeping Trey. IMO any way. Golden has a linebacker he wants as well. But if Trey is not signed and here for just 1 more year they will go DE.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(03-27-2025, 06:41 PM)Housh Wrote: Iv seen a lot of posts and conversations on here and X urging us to have a plan on how to build the roster.

I often see ppl jokingly say we have to score 35 a game.

That sounds crazy until you do a quick skim of the roster and realize we have Chase, Burrow, Brown and Tee. To me committing to that means you are taking offense at 17 and it means you’ve alerted your defensive coordinator that that’s the gameplan.


If you are gonna do it then do it. Dont 1/2 ass it. Now if the roster build plan is to draft D and retain what we already have on offense and improve the O in FA that’s fine too.

Personally if anyone cares I’m in the draft D and tweak offense via FA boat. I think we have the roster already to accomplish that but i also respect anyone who wants to just try and score 35 every game.

I wonder where the Bengals are at on this or if they are more in the “Just build the best roster possible” boat.

Nah, we can get better on Offense and could score that much a game, but we lost lots of games last year trying to just outscore teams.

The Defense needs to hold teams under 24 points a game. If we can do this we will make the Playoffs this year if Burrow and our Offense 
stay relatively healthy. We need to generate a pass rush outside of Trey and tackle better. The good news is the tackling can be addressed
through coaching and technique and is not a pure talent need like a pass rusher can be.

But yeah, if a player like Tyler Warren or Ashton Jeanty or a top Guard is there at 17 I am fine with drafting Offense there. Lots of questions
about the DL players that should be there at 17. We can get pass rushing DL after the first round.

[THE PISTONS]

(03-28-2025, 12:14 PM)Sled21 Wrote: This. Our offense is in need of Guards, and not much else. We already signed the best of what we had (Ford) and brought in Patrick. If they can sign one or two more, the whole draft is open for defense. Could we use a better TE, maybe, but Mike G, Hudson, and Sample are fine. 

Yes - And we don't really use a TE a ton in this offense other than to block.

[XenoMorph]

(03-27-2025, 06:41 PM)Housh Wrote: Iv seen a lot of posts and conversations on here and X urging us to have a plan on how to build the roster.

I often see ppl jokingly say we have to score 35 a game.

That sounds crazy until you do a quick skim of the roster and realize we have Chase, Burrow, Brown and Tee. To me committing to that means you are taking offense at 17 and it means you’ve alerted your defensive coordinator that that’s the gameplan.


If you are gonna do it then do it. Dont 1/2 ass it. Now if the roster build plan is to draft D and retain what we already have on offense and improve the O in FA that’s fine too.

Personally if anyone cares I’m in the draft D and tweak offense via FA boat. I think we have the roster already to accomplish that but i also respect anyone who wants to just try and score 35 every game.

I wonder where the Bengals are at on this or if they are more in the “Just build the best roster possible” boat.

outscoring the other team is the goal of the game for every team. lol

[THE PISTONS]

(04-01-2025, 11:30 AM)XenoMorph Wrote: outscoring the other team is the goal of the game for every team. lol

Only if those teams commit to it.

[THE PISTONS]

Yesterday's tomorrow is today.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(04-01-2025, 09:28 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yes - And we don't really use a TE a ton in this offense other than to block.

Our TEs got more targets in 2024 than the Ravens TEs did. 
Heck, even without Gesicki being WR-ish, our TEs got 115 targets in 2023.
Back in 2019 when we had a decent TE room our TEs got 112 targets.

The offense's usage of TEs as pass catchers is directly related to how good the TE room is as catchers. If you have a shitty TE room for years with Sample and a bunch of UDFA PS scrubs, yeah, you're not going to use them as much (that's when they were at like 70-80 targets). That's a self fulfilling prophecy. If we had an actual good TE room, we would use those TEs.

[Bengalfan4life27c]

It's worked for a season in recent past Peyton Manning Colts come to mind. Ideally we could get a D at least mediocre

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(04-11-2025, 03:31 PM)Bengalfan4life27c Wrote: It's worked for a season in recent past Peyton Manning Colts come to mind. Ideally we could get a D at least mediocre

That word is doing a whole lot of stretching. People voted last year who weren't born yet when that "recent" past started.