{The Ultimate Bengals Offseason Extravaganza Thread}

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(03-24-2025, 05:51 PM)Atomic Orange Wrote: Right and the Chiefs had 11 one score wins. 

So again, there's hope.

My point was "luck" doesn't just magically "change" and it's not a matter of hope. It's about if your team is good or not, not if you're lucky or not. The NFL routinely has a ton of one score games, the good teams win the 1-score games, bad teams lose them. 

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(03-24-2025, 04:22 PM)jj22 Wrote: They are... He is off some boards. 

2025 NFL Draft Prospects: Defensive End – WalterFootball

Says according to some team's sources. Memphis_Bengal is a Tennessee fan and stands by the guy, that is good enough for me.

Burton is as talented as it gets but is a complete dumbass evidently, I wouldn't compare this to Pearce.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(03-22-2025, 02:25 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Total pass blocking snaps, sacks, hits, hurries and total pressures, for their career, regular season only. 

Pass block snaps:
Volson - 2121
Patrick - 2599

Sacks:
Volson - 16
Patrick - 8

Hits:
Volson - 27
Patrick - 17

Hurries:
Volson - 76
Patrick - 86

Total pressure:
Volson - 119
Patrick - 111

Per snap:
Volson - 1 sack per 133 snaps, 1 hit per 79 snaps, 1 hurry per 28 snaps, 1 pressure per 18 snaps.
Patrick - 1 sack per 325 snaps, 1 hit per 153snaps, 1 hurry per 30 snaps, 1 pressure per 23 snaps. 

Upgrade. Thanks Rfaulk.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(03-24-2025, 10:28 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Many of our own fans are trashing the FO. Some are calling us Bungles, same name used by our enemies to trash us. ESPN ranks the Bengals as the 7th best tem in the NFL rght now. They finished 18th in 2024.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/44329752/nfl-power-rankings-offseason-post-free-agency-poll-2025-radar-move

Maybe we do have hope in 2025 in spite of the naysayers opinions.

I don't put any stock in espn, but yeah, we are better going into this season than last season for sure already and we haven't had the Draft yet,
extended Trey or added another Guard after Patrick. Lou, Pollack and the bad coaching are gone replaced with Golden, Peters and company who 
could be big upgrades, cannot be worse. We brought back all our good players and added a decent Guard and a decent NT. Brought in Samaje 
who adds physicality to the RB position, Oren Burkes who adds athleticism and smarts to the LB core and getting rid of Rankins and Cappa was
addition by subtraction.

The rookies from last year should really grow in their sophomore season and all of Mims, Jenkins and Jackson got some damn good experience 
as rookies.

[Atomic Orange]

(03-24-2025, 07:16 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: My point was "luck" doesn't just magically "change" and it's not a matter of hope. It's about if your team is good or not, not if you're lucky or not. The NFL routinely has a ton of one score games, the good teams win the 1-score games, bad teams lose them. 

https://www.covers.com/nfl/super-bowl/cincinnati-bengals-season-odds-recap-2022

[XsandOs]

(03-24-2025, 04:21 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: 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.

If I had to pick a Team to win Home Field in AFC, it would be the Bills. 

The North and West, each has three Team fighting for their division and I see the Jags and Colts standing in the way of Texans in the South. 

Although I believe we will truly compete for SB next year, I also feel that we can beat the Bills in Buffalo - if it gets to that.   

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(03-24-2025, 08:00 PM)Atomic Orange Wrote: https://www.covers.com/nfl/super-bowl/cincinnati-bengals-season-odds-recap-2022

Yeah, 2021 wasn't luck. 

The primary starters on defense in 2020 was 
Sam Hubbard / Mike Daniels / Christian Covington / Carl Lawson
Josh Bynes / Germaine Pratt
Darius Phillips / Vonn Bell / Jessie Bates / Mackenzie Alexander / William Jackson

The primary starters on defense in 2021 was
Sam Hubbard / Larry Ogunjobi / DJ Reader / Trey Hendrickson
Logan Wilson / Germaine Pratt
Chidobe Awuzie / Vonn Bell / Jessie Bates / Mike Hilton / Eli Apple

They got a 2nd year healthy Joe Burrow, and added Ja'Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson, Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton, Larry Ogunjobi, even Riley Reiff and Eli Apple... plus replaced Randy Bullock with Evan McPherson.

- - - - - - -

That's the exact opposite of "hoping that our luck changes". That's making significant changes to improve.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

(03-24-2025, 08:52 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Yeah, 2021 wasn't luck. 

The primary starters on defense in 2020 was 
Sam Hubbard / Mike Daniels / Christian Covington / Carl Lawson
Josh Bynes / Germaine Pratt
Darius Phillips / Vonn Bell / Jessie Bates / Mackenzie Alexander / William Jackson

The primary starters on defense in 2021 was
Sam Hubbard / Larry Ogunjobi / DJ Reader / Trey Hendrickson
Logan Wilson / Germaine Pratt
Chidobe Awuzie / Vonn Bell / Jessie Bates / Mike Hilton / Eli Apple

They got a 2nd year healthy Joe Burrow, and added Ja'Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson, Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton, Larry Ogunjobi, even Riley Reiff and Eli Apple... plus replaced Randy Bullock with Evan McPherson.

- - - - - - -

That's the exact opposite of "hoping that our luck changes". That's making significant changes to improve.

It is also a team with Burrow, Chase, Higgins, Bates, Wilson, and Pratt on rookie contracts. Maybe Hubbard, too? 

Look, I fully embrace the idea that the FO has failed to maximize our cap space so that we can max out out talent while Trey is still a wrecking ball, and Joe/Tee/Chase are in their prime. 2-3 years, max. We should have restructured Burrow and maximized our space with the extensions. 

As no one is that stupid, it had to be on purpose. 

However, I don't think it is fair to compare to 2020. We had TONS more space. And a better FA class to draw from. And we absolutely hit HE after HR in FA. Trey, Reader, Chido, Hilton, Bell, Hill/Price trade, Larey O, even Apple on a cheap. 

Both things are true. The FO coukd/should have done more to maximize our space AND our hands were, if not tied, at least constrained somewhat. 

It is also true that the criticism bothers them. That little burn video they put out is telling. Keep on them. Maybe if they take enough heat Mike will actually push all his chips in for once.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(03-24-2025, 09:18 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: However, I don't think it is fair to compare to 2020.

I am not comparing this offseason to the 2020-2021 offseason. I was pointing out that Atomic using the 2021 season as an example of getting "lucky" was nonsense, because we vastly improved our roster from 2020, which means it's not a matter of luck there. If we had the exact same (or nearly the same) roster in 2021 as we did in 2020 and still went to the SB, THAT would have been lucky, but we didn't, we made significant improvements in order to get those better results.

[*bfine32*]

I remember when folks used ti be mad when the National media wrote bad stuff about us.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

(03-24-2025, 09:29 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: I am not comparing this offseason to the 2020-2021 offseason. I was pointing out that Atomic using the 2021 season as an example of getting "lucky" was nonsense, because we vastly improved our roster from 2020, which means it's not a matter of luck there. If we had the exact same (or nearly the same) roster in 2021 as we did in 2020 and still went to the SB, THAT would have been lucky, but we didn't, we made significant improvements in order to get those better results.

My bad. Apologies. I did not read the whole thread back far enough to get the context.

[SunsetBengal]

(03-24-2025, 07:21 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Says according to some team's sources. Memphis_Bengal is a Tennessee fan and stands by the guy, that is good enough for me.

Burton is as talented as it gets but is a complete dumbass evidently, I wouldn't compare this to Pearce.

He is viewing the scene through Orange shaded lenses, the same as Buckeye fans like I tend to see OSU players through Scarlet shaded lenses...

[Luvnit2]

(03-24-2025, 09:29 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: I am not comparing this offseason to the 2020-2021 offseason. I was pointing out that Atomic using the 2021 season as an example of getting "lucky" was nonsense, because we vastly improved our roster from 2020, which means it's not a matter of luck there. If we had the exact same (or nearly the same) roster in 2021 as we did in 2020 and still went to the SB, THAT would have been lucky, but we didn't, we made significant improvements in order to get those better results.

I agree with you, but Bengals also were a 4 win team in 2020 and a 9 win team in 2024. The 2024 roster was a lot better than the 2020 roster and JB was on a rookie contract as was Chase.

Bengals had Chase and money Mac do great as rookies, but the other 8 picks did not do much of anything. In 2020 we had 7 picks and top 2 did well by year 2. Higgins and Wilson. In 2020 we had 10 picks again. Only Jonah Williams in round 1, Sample in round 2 and Pratt in year 3 were signiifciant contributors by 2021.

The 2021 free agent class + Burrow year 2 and healthy + homeruns with Chase and Mac = Super Bowl. Tee also was better in his year 2.

To be succsessful Bengals need Mims, Jenkins, McKinley, Newton, Johnson and Anthony to improve. Alli is out for year, but if they get anything from Butron and McLachlan this could go down as our best draft class in a very long time.

I would argue Newton, Johnson and eventually Alli can become very good NFL players. The jury is out on Anthony, but he is very athletic abd raw

We need at least 1 more vet guard prior to the draft, if so our options will be open with pick 17 and may give us leeway to trade back in round 1 to grab ore picks.

[BFritz21]

This article suggests trading Hendrickson to the Packers for three draft picks, which would be too good of a deal to pass up, imco:

Quote:Seeing Myles Garrett cash in with $40 million per year already cost Cincinnati more than what they surely wanted with Ja'Marr Chase, and their decision to also keep Tee Higgins further tightened their financial belt. While the idea of losing one of the league's premier pass-rushers seems crazy, there's a line of thinking that Cincinnati's defense has been bad with Hendrickson, so paying him $35 million or more won't fix the unit. Trading him for a major haul can do as much good or more if they hit.

The Packers are an ideal landing spot for a top-notch defensive star. This is a young roster with only a few notable needs, so spending two picks in this class won't sting. They've also managed their cap well and have the future flexibility needed to justify adding a top pass-rusher contract to its books.

Coming off four straight Pro Bowls and an All-Pro season, the 30-year-old Hendrickson is still at the peak of his powers. The Packers have one high-level presence in Rashan Gary on the roster but are otherwise too reliant on rotational talents and scheming to create opportunities. Hendrickson solves that immediately and can be the bridge into future years when Gary will also exit his prime years.

He has put up a crazy amount of sacks the past few years but, like it says, that hasn't translated to much success for our defense overall.

He's hitting thirty and, let's be honest, even if he were to repeat the previous few years' success, how long would it be before he completely falls off or even to a level that wouldn't even come close to justifying that kind of salary?

This trade would give us the ability to draft one of the better guards and still have the ability to draft our other needs, including at least one pass rusher, or it gives us trade capital to get a guard or end.

I know we're the most stubborn team in pro sports history, but we really need to make this happen because we can't have that much money tied up in four players, and Hendrickson's the odd man out because he'll be thirty.

I'd be on the phone accepting this deal before they could even receive the email reply!

[WeezyBengal]

(03-25-2025, 05:58 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: This article suggests trading Hendrickson to the Packers for three draft picks, which would be too good of a deal to pass up, imco:


He has put up a crazy amount of sacks the past few years but, like it says, that hasn't translated to much success for our defense overall.

He's hitting thirty and, let's be honest, even if he were to repeat the previous few years' success, how long would it be before he completely falls off or even to a level that wouldn't even come close to justifying that kind of salary?

This trade would give us the ability to draft one of the better guards and still have the ability to draft our other needs, including at least one pass rusher, or it gives us trade capital to get a guard or end.

I know we're the most stubborn team in pro sports history, but we really need to make this happen because we can't have that much money tied up in four players, and Hendrickson's the odd man out because he'll be thirty.

I'd be on the phone accepting this deal before they could even receive the email reply!

Just because he's 30 doesn't mean he's going to just start sucking. There are a TON of players that have been successful in this league past their 30th birthday. 

Him being 30 does matter, but it matters in the context of the contract he gets. 

Am I signing him to a 5 year extension? No. Would I be willing to do a 2 year extension on what he currently has? Sure. No reason to believe that wouldn't be a good thing for the Bengals. 

Also, I keep seeing "We can't tie up all of our money into so many players". OK, so who do you want to give the money to? The Bengals are going to have a plethora of cap space next year. Who do you want to spend it on? Who's worthy of an extension? 

[*ochocincos*]

(03-24-2025, 07:21 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Says according to some team's sources. Memphis_Bengal is a Tennessee fan and stands by the guy, that is good enough for me.

Burton is as talented as it gets but is a complete dumbass evidently, I wouldn't compare this to Pearce.

(03-24-2025, 10:06 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: He is viewing the scene through Orange shaded lenses, the same as Buckeye fans like I tend to see OSU players through Scarlet shaded lenses...

If Pearce's concerns are as bad as some are thinking, it's likely he'll drop out of the first round, possibly further.
At what round do teams take a gamble because they would potentially be getting a 1st round talent but (way) later in the draft?

I'd have a hard time passing him up in Rd 4, possibly Rd 3 depending on the DEs available.

[QueenCity]

Surprised we haven't heard more on Trey.... seems like the Bengals should make a deal or move on soon?

[Bengalbug]

(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’d argue he is one of the better pass rush DTs in the league.

[SunsetBengal]

(03-25-2025, 10:11 AM)ochocincos Wrote: If Pearce's concerns are as bad as some are thinking, it's likely he'll drop out of the first round, possibly further.
At what round do teams take a gamble because they would potentially be getting a 1st round talent but (way) later in the draft?

I'd have a hard time passing him up in Rd 4, possibly Rd 3 depending on the DEs available.

I would agree with that being a good time to take a risk on his obvious talent level.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

Hendrickson is not gonna be traded. And there is no rush from a FO perspective. Camp Hendrickson only loses more leverage as time goes on. After the draft as teams fill out their rosters. Training camp.

The Bengsls will only accept a VERY lopsided trade. Which no one will agree to. After the draft, a deal makes no sense because we could not replace him.

These clickbait articles are just that.

And, I gotta say, these arguments I see saying, "yeah, Trey is great but the D still stinks, so we should trade him"....are some of the silliestcarguments I have ever seen.

FFS, you could have said the same thing after Burrow year 1. The offense still stunk. Some people made the same silly arguments about Reader and the run D. How did that go?

It is a team sport. If you cannot spot the fact that Hendrickson is our best defensive player by a country mile, and a top 3 pass rusher in the league (Garrett, Pardons), then I don't know what to say. You build the D back up AROUND that guy. You don't get rid of him.