{The Ultimate Bengals Offseason Extravaganza Thread}

[higgy100]

(03-24-2025, 01:18 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: During the season and game day thread fans call out underperformers and rightly so. Looking back at 2024's roster, Cappa hurt our team. Rankings doing nothing when healthy, but did not play a lot of snaps hurt our team. Stone did not play well especially the first 8 games and hurt our team. Hubbard aged and was not effective and then injured and it hurt the team.

Bengals made bold moves and cut Cappa and Rankins and Hubbard was forced int retirement (he was going to be cut). Another is Moss who was injured, he did not help the team.

Bengals kept 2 vertearns too long in Cappa and Hibbard, recognized it and made moves for 2025. Bengals had a horrble FA in 2024, it hurt the team. In 2024 we lost Reader and it hurt the team.

I look around at a lot of teams who have lost in FA in 2025, yet many fans ignre it. The Ravens are worse, the Eagles worse, the Chiefs worse. The Bengals being slightly better in FA plus 2 starting CB's coming. back from season ending injuries will help us be better.

Patrick is not a household name, but he is better than Cappa was in 2023 and 2024. Slater is not a pass rushing DT, but he is a better replacement for Reader than Rankins. Perrine is a savy vet and very good 3rd down vet.

It appears Stone may survive unless we draft a safety in round 1. I am not thrilled, but hope he plays better in 2025 than than he did in 2024. I have a hunch Moss may not be healthy and Brown is clearly the better RB so I think his days are numbered.

In my humble opinion, if we can sign one more vet guard, Risner, a healthy Hernandez or Scherff, our OL will be much better in 2025. I am hopefuly Higgins can stay healthy and Gesicki no longer has a learning urb with JB and can be a weapon game 1 in 2025 versus how he started in 2024.

On defense, I dont see Trey going anywhere. We lack an inside passing rushing unless Jenkins and McKinnley develop. Our 2 starting LB's (one was hurt in 2024 and. that hurt the defense) started in all of our playff games and the super bowl. I don't see the Bengals trading Pratt. His flaws are fixable, he needs to wrap up first and then try and strip the ball.

ESPN dd not give a lot of reasons and like some of our fans don't have all of the answers. I did find it interesting ESPN showed Burrow and company more respect than some fans who you would think love the team. They are giving them the benfit of a doubt.

Agree. Pratt needs a tad of an attitude adjustment but, mainly, when you're as bad a run-stopping defense as they've been the past couple years, you're dealing with OL and other blockers getting a head of steam out to the 2nd level too easily and it ain't easy to tackle RB's at full speed. Yes, LB's need to fill the gaps and plug them but giving an interior OL momentum far too often makes it difficult to keep leverage and defenders develop bad habits.

[higgy100]

(03-24-2025, 01:57 PM)Sled21 Wrote: First things first, does he understand how to write a rent check?

But can he make half-court shots? Now that's athletic ability.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zpxpLewc_i0

[Bengalbug]

(03-24-2025, 02:22 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: They’ve invested in B J Hill contract so I think they may pick up a late rounder possibly. 

Give me Calais Campbell. 1 year… $2,000,000. Where is the risk, or downside? He produces, great locker room presence.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(03-24-2025, 02:53 PM)Atomic Orange Wrote: We lost a bunch of games by one score or even a couple points so yeah there's hope our luck will change.

Really only got beat soundly according to feels regardless of final score by Pats, Eagles, Chargers.

All eyes are on Zac this year for me.

That's just the NFL.

The Jags had 10 one-score losses.
The Giants had 8.
The Jets and Bears had 7.
The Patriots, Saints, Falcons, 49ers, Broncos, and Titans had 6.
A bunch of other teams had 4 or 5.

If everyone won their 1-score losses, the vast majority of teams would have winning records and I don't think there'd be any teams with less than 7 wins.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(03-22-2025, 02:51 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: I am in favor of trying to land a stud at #17, regardless of position. Or nearly so. 

Warren (TE), Walker (LB/Edge), Johnson (CB), Membou/W. Campbell (G/OT), J. Campbell (LB), and Emmanwori (S) all fall squarely in that category for me. 

Jeanty does too at RB, but I think I'd pass there. Unless we get Trey extended and have more FA reinforcements up front in hand. i'd pass on Burden & McMillan & Golden at WR or an OT I don't think is really a G. 

I like Nolen, Harmon, Grant, Starks, and Green, but I don't believe they are surefire standouts like the others. Possible. But not slam dunks. 

I like Loveland a lot but I would not draft a TE who is primarily a big slot WR, we have Gesicki/Hudson for that. 

I don't even mention Ashton Jeanty, but man, he sure is a stud himself. We have to take care of the trenches or add that Viper like Walker IMO.

But man, Jeanty sure would be another star to add to the Offense. Highly doubt we draft him and if we added a weapon, Warren makes the most
sense, but Jeanty is one hell of a RB have to say. So hard to bring down and he can do it all. He would bring that physicality along with big play 
ability to the RB position. But it would really surprise me if we drafted him.

(03-23-2025, 08:12 PM)samhain Wrote: It kind of takes him out of the running for me.  This team has really painted itself into a corner with the lackluster free agency and oddly structured receiver deals.  We need someone that isn't already slated to miss a chunk of the season.  

In the 2nd round I would take Jihad if he falls that far because of the shoulder. Teams want their 1st round pick to be able to practice at
the very least heading into their first season. I could see Jihad falling out of the first now.

(03-23-2025, 09:26 PM)jj22 Wrote: Greens been accused of sexual assault at two different schools…..

Pearce has Burton character concerns.

We can get a pass rusher or two on day 2. 3T or safety in the first.

Did not know that about Green. No way Pearce has character concerns to Burton's level...

(03-24-2025, 10:23 AM)Memphis_Bengal Wrote: This is horse shit. As a Tennessee fan I can tell you they are not remotely in the same category. His teammates loved him and coaches respected his work ethic. He was never in trouble and never changed teams. He may have been a bit surly at times but comparing him to Burton is silly. 

Agree, he might have some coachability concerns but that is about it. He isn't a dumbass like Burton appears to be.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(03-23-2025, 01:52 PM)XsandOs Wrote: Nate, I am not sure why everyone wanted Milton Williams. I understand the need for replacing Rankins, but we already have a Milton Williams on the roster. 

Jenkins was being compared to Williams in the pre-draft process. He just needs time and a better supporting cast around him. I think year 2 will be a breakout for Jenkins.

BTW, Milton Williams was non-existent in the first SB against Chiefs. In this SB he had two sacks. Why? Time to develop. He came in the league in the 280lb range. 

Jenkins physically adjusted by mid-season. His run defense PFF was slightly better than Williams. But obviously, playing next to a rookie NT and also having to line up as NT, did not give him the same opportunities to show his pass rush.  

A second day 3-tech to develop behind Jenkins and Hill would be ideal. He could rotate in the latter part of the season. There are several good ones in this deep class. Or we could go with another NT, to replace Tufele. 

All I am trying to convey is that Jenkins looks like he has the makings of a really nice 3-tech.

Oh yeah, Kris Jenkins could certainly be the player we are missing. He WILL work his ass off, this is what he does, out works everyone to become
the best he can be. I will never doubt Kris Jenkins for this reason. Milton Williams would of been on my radar if we let BJ Hill go, but we brought 
him back for much cheaper than what Milton Williams got and I doubt Milton does as well somewhere without the amount of talent he had around
him on the Eagles.

(03-23-2025, 08:43 PM)sandwedge Wrote: I agree with you. I like Darius Alexander out of Toledo as someone to basically take Tufele's place

Exact DT I would be looking at in the 2nd or 3rd. Really like Darius Alexander.

[*ochocincos*]

(03-24-2025, 02:22 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: They’ve invested in B J Hill contract so I think they may pick up a late rounder possibly. 

Yep, 3 more years for BJ Hill, Kris Jenkins, and McKinnley Jackson.
2 years for Slaton, although I thought very little dead money after this season.
So for this year, DT pretty set in stone aside from some pass rush.
2026-2027 though, they may be looking for another starter or at least play significant snaps.

[Luvnit2]

My Monday morning QB tells me we zero shot of winning a Super Bowl in 2024. Yes we had injuries and yes we lost a lot of close games. Eagles smashed, killed, you use a word the Cheifs who were the best team in the AFC again last year.

2025 is a new year, but at least the Eagles lost some starters so maybe the will not be as dominant in 2025. Bengals need to start by winning a lot more AFC and AFCC games. I think home field for the AFC in 2025 is going to be wide open. Bengals need to jump into the mix.

[jj22]

(03-24-2025, 04:11 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Did not know that about Green. No way Pearce has character concerns to Burton's level...

They are... He is off some boards. 

2025 NFL Draft Prospects: Defensive End – WalterFootball

[jj22]

(03-24-2025, 01:57 PM)Sled21 Wrote: First things first, does he understand how to write a rent check?

He'd forget it was due from the sounds of it.

Why NFL Teams Are Dropping James Pearce Jr Off Their Draft Boards | Jon Cooper - YouTube

11:58 mark.

But we can save the rest of this discussion for the draft forum. 

[Luvnit2]

(03-24-2025, 04:17 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Yep, 3 more years for BJ Hill, Kris Jenkins, and McKinnley Jackson.
2 years for Slaton, although I thought very little dead money after this season.
So for this year, DT pretty set in stone aside from some pass rush.
2026-2027 though, they may be looking for another starter or at least play significant snaps.

I agree on DT position. 2 vets and 2 second year draftees spell highly unlikely Bengals draft or sign another DT in 2025.

Our top needs are still in mu opiion

Safety and Guard are tied at top.
DE/Edge is second
Then a toss up between LB and RB as both poisitions are light are credible bodies right now.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

(03-24-2025, 04:05 PM)Bengalbug Wrote: Give me Calais Campbell.  1 year… $2,000,000.  Where is the risk, or downside?  He produces, great locker room presence.

I mean, we usually carry 5. And while Jenkins and Jackson showed flashes, both were under 60 for PFF, and Jenkinsunder 50. We brought BJ back and signed Slaton, neither guy laid claim to a starting spot. 

We usually carry 5 DTs. Room for 1 more, easily..And while Campbell is not a great pass rusher, he is above average...and the #1 rated PFF DT vs the run. I'd call him for sure. 

Heck, I'd much rather carry Campbell and an extra drafted DT disrupter than some of the dead weight elsewhere (Burton, McLachlan, etc.).

[Soonerpeace]

The biggest off season moves after Tee & Chase were Scott Peters, Al Golden, and Jerry Montgomery. Golden is not a better DC than Lou schematically necessarily but I think you’ll see less mistakes in personnel. Peters is infinitely better than Pollack and Montgomery is also a great talent evaluator. He was at Oklahoma a few years back.

But the offense will be improved with the OL under Peters and the further emergence of Isovias & Gesicki. I think Joe is so Tee & Chase focused too often. The defense sadly has to have some things materialize. Maybe too much.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

(03-24-2025, 03:03 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I've pointed out several times in the past that it's incredibly tougher to block when the defense knows that your QB is going to drop back 45-50x/game, especially for a QB that often holds onto the ball until the last possible moment. 

You are correct. A lot of lineman see their grades drop when coming here because it is usually pretty obvious if it is gonna be pass or run.

[Atomic Orange]

(03-24-2025, 04:08 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: That's just the NFL.

The Jags had 10 one-score losses.
The Giants had 8.
The Jets and Bears had 7.
The Patriots, Saints, Falcons, 49ers, Broncos, and Titans had 6.
A bunch of other teams had 4 or 5.

If everyone won their 1-score losses, the vast majority of teams would have winning records and I don't think there'd be any teams with less than 7 wins.

Right and the Chiefs had 11 one score wins. 

So again, there's hope.

[NUGDUKWE]

(03-24-2025, 01:41 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I think we can agree Higgins will easily surpass 1000 yards if he pplays all 17 games. The great news is if he misses 5 games again, he does not get paid all 17 per game bonus, then we get back additional cap in 2026. Also, if he does not help us win the AFC championship he misses out on that incentive which also goes back to the 2026 cap and also if we do not win the Super Bowl, team gets back that incentive in 2026.

Tee's contract is awesome, if we do not win the AFC championship or Super Bowl, team gets back 2.7 million in cap space in 2026.

So if we don't win the AFCCG or superbowl we get .83% of the cap the Bengals can unnecessarily pack into someone's cap hit next year. Yippee!!! Well the future is bright.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

Bengals one of 29 teams at Marshall's pro day.

Doesn't seem like too many teams have Green off the board.

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/cincinnati_bengals_one_of_many_teams_showing_interest_in_marshall_star_edge_rusher_mike_green/s1_16652_41951580

[*ochocincos*]

(03-24-2025, 04:26 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I agree on DT position. 2 vets and 2 second year draftees spell highly unlikely Bengals draft or sign another DT in 2025.

Our top needs are still in mu opiion

Safety and Guard are tied at top.
DE/Edge is second
Then a toss up between LB and RB as both poisitions are light are credible bodies right now.

(03-24-2025, 05:11 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: I mean, we usually carry 5. And while Jenkins and Jackson showed flashes, both were under 60 for PFF, and Jenkinsunder 50. We brought BJ back and signed Slaton, neither guy laid claim to a starting spot. 

We usually carry 5 DTs. Room for 1 more, easily..And while Campbell is not a great pass rusher, he is above average...and the #1 rated PFF DT vs the run. I'd call him for sure. 

Heck, I'd much rather carry Campbell and an extra drafted DT disrupter than some of the dead weight elsewhere (Burton, McLachlan, etc.).

I actually think they'll draft a guy in the mid-late rounds who will be the 5th DT.
The only exception I could see is if Golden actually decides he wants 4 full-time DTs and have 1-2 of the DEs pivot more often inside as nickel DTs like the Fanene/Rucker days.
If they do that, I think Rylie Mills is a clear target, as he can play base 4-3 DE who kicks inside on 3rd down.

[puddycat]

Lost Rankins, Cappa, Davis-Gaither, Vonn Bell, Hubbard, and Trent Brown. Gained Slaton, Burks, Perine, and Patrick. Everything else was inside the building.
Apparently we improved by letting starters be replaced by players lower on the depth chart, addition by subtraction. We seem to be happy to see 5 players who were starters to begin the season leave.
It's gotta be one the most underwhelming roster turnovers ever going into the draft.

[*ochocincos*]

A closer look mainly indicates that teams like the Chargers, Packers, and Cowboys dropped a bunch due to their poor handling of FA, not necessarily that the Bengals added a bunch of talent.

They still have KC, BUF, and BAL ahead of the Bengals.
The only true contender who dropped below Bengals in these is HOU, but IMO that's way too far of a drop.
They did trade away Tunsil and haven't re-signed Diggs, but they did add Cam Robinson and Laken Tomlinson to their OL (and Trent Brown lol), plus they have 4 picks in the Top 100 to help address guys they lost.
They could add a new OT and WR early in the draft and likely will win the AFC South again with a 10+ win season.

The question is did the Bengals either add enough to get them better than KC, BUF, and BAL, or will guys they have perform like they did the last month of this past season, but through the entirety of 2025?

As of right now, I'm predicting around 10-11 wins. 4th, 5th, or 6th seed.
I could potentially see around 12-13 wins if they handle the division better, which they hopefully should with Slaton added to stop the run.