What should the Bengals do with these players in their final contract year?

[BoomerFan]

I know this is getting ahead of ourselves a bit but what should the Bengals do (and also the slightly different question of what *will* they do) with some of these players who are in the final year of their contract?


Players I wonder about:

Name...................Age.....Pay in 2025 (in millions)
Jospeh Ossai............25............6.5
Geno Stone..............26............6.4
Ted Karras...............32............6.3
Cam Taylor-Britt........26............4.0
Tycen Anderson........26............1.2
Jake Browning..........29............1.0

(yes Karras is old but he is so well liked I could at least imagine the Bengals making an exception to their general MO and giving him a 1 year deal if the price is reasonable)


Some folks who likely won't be back:

Name...................Age.....Pay in 2025 (in millions)
Cordell Volson..........27..............3.1
Zach Moss...............28..............3.1
Lucas Patrick...........32..............2.0


Guys who are on year to year or "prove it" deals:

Name...................Age.....Pay in 2025 (in millions)
Marco Wilson...........26.............1.5
Cam Sample............26.............1.2
Jalen Davis..............29.............1.0
Cam Grandy.............25.............1.0


One additional question:

Will the Bengals pick up Myles Murphy's 5th year option? It would cost around 12.6 million and I think the answer is likely "no" as it stands right now. Of course with all of these players what happens this year (are they productive and healthy) will impact what the team actually does. 

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

Barring Ossai or Murphy having a breakout year (and agreed no on the 5th year)... I don't think there's a single player they need to keep on any of those three lists. Maybe Tycen Anderson specifically for ST?

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(5 hours ago)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Barring Ossai or Murphy having a breakout year (and agreed no on the 5th year)... I don't think there's a single player they need to keep on any of those three lists. Maybe Tycen Anderson specifically for ST?

CTB, Anderson and Browning should 100% be back, unless CTB is literally the worst CB in the league this year (I think his fall off last year was pure fluke) and Browning leaves to be a starter somewhere.

Patrick may be back if he shows out (or he can be the first IOL off the bench in the coming years, like Ford is now) and Cam Sample should 100% be back as well. Cheap, good rotational player that knows the system and is a good team guy: role players are needed.

Jalen Davis is also fine on STs and is a good last CB on the roster, so if he came back on another deal that paid 1 mil a year, it would be fine with me.

Everyone else, not interested.

[CJD]

A lot of guys playing for their extensions this season. Cam Taylor Britt was looking like a lock for a 3rd year extension after his first two years in the league, but he had such a disastrous 2024 that he is now on bust watch.

I could see Karras signing a fairly cheap 1 to 2 year deal to stay on as a veteran presence that they'll be actively looking to replace as starter by 2027. That could be Lee, depending on how he performs this season, but it could just as likely be a 2026 draft pick or free agent.

I like Browning as our backup QB, but I could see him wanting to go to a place where he can compete to start. He had a really nice 2023 season, so he may try to ride that into a Gardner Minshew style role of a backup who can compete with a rookie/young unproven starter for snaps either due to injury or underperformance by the young starter. That opportunity does not exist in Cincinnati.

Ossai and Murphy will be VERY results dependent. Ossai has had the talent his entire career, but has never put it all together and Murphy has done virtually nothing through 2 years in the NFL. Whether we re-sign Ossai or take on Murphy's 5th year extension will depend a lot on what they do this season. I could very easily see neither occurring.

Anderson is a low level ST player. I could see us re-signing him, but he could also take a similar role somewhere else.

Unless Stone has a big season, I don't see us re-signing him. He was a massive disappointment in 2024.

I agree with your takes regarding Volson, Patrick, and Moss. Very unlikely they're here next year.

I think Sample might get an extension after this year. He had his 4th year robbed from him due to injury. It seems clear the coaches like him, so keeping him on as a reserve DE/DT hybrid seems like solid depth, assuming he has properly recovered from his injury.

Grandy is an ERFA in 2026, so the only reason he wouldn't come back is if he was so bad, he wasn't worth a million dollars.

Davis and Wilson are decent CB depth. Whether they stick will depend on the depth chart and who is in front of them. Either way, neither would be expensive to retain.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(5 hours ago)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: CTB, Anderson and Browning should 100% be back, unless CTB is literally the worst CB in the league this year (I think his fall off last year was pure fluke) and Browning leaves to be a starter somewhere.

Patrick may be back if he shows out (or he can be the first IOL off the bench in the coming years, like Ford is now) and Cam Sample should 100% be back as well. Cheap, good rotational player that knows the system and is a good team guy: role players are needed.

Jalen Davis is also fine on STs and is a good last CB on the roster, so if he came back on another deal that paid 1 mil a year, it would be fine with me.

Everyone else, not interested.

True to most of that.

In my post I was specifically talking "need". None of them are big needle movers, or aren't reasonably replaceable.

[WeezyBengal]

Myles Murphy isn't a free agent after this year. He still has another year on his rookie deal (excluding the fifth year option).

They should have bought low on CTB this off-season and given him a 3 year extension with no guanranteed money after the first year. That way they could have gotten out of it if he struggles this year or next. 

I would have also considered flipping Browning for a pick, especially since they picked up Ridder. I think the obvious plan is that they are going to let Browning walk after this year and keep Ridder on the roster. Browning is going to be too expensive. 

Our FO is extremely short sighted, so it doesn't shock me they didn't do any of this. 

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

(5 hours ago)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: CTB, Anderson and Browning should 100% be back, unless CTB is literally the worst CB in the league this year (I think his fall off last year was pure fluke) and Browning leaves to be a starter somewhere.

Patrick may be back if he shows out (or he can be the first IOL off the bench in the coming years, like Ford is now) and Cam Sample should 100% be back as well. Cheap, good rotational player that knows the system and is a good team guy: role players are needed.

Jalen Davis is also fine on STs and is a good last CB on the roster, so if he came back on another deal that paid 1 mil a year, it would be fine with me.

Everyone else, not interested.

Sensible post. Davis has been a PS guy for years now who usually gets ristered at some point. Strictly nickel, though. Golden is moving towards more DB versatility to help with disguise & alignment. 

But what we do with these guys is a question for January, not July. Have to see how they play. 

[Sled21]

(5 hours ago)WeezyBengal Wrote: Myles Murphy isn't a free agent after this year. He still has another year on his rookie deal (excluding the fifth year option).

They should have bought low on CTB this off-season and given him a 3 year extension with no guanranteed money after the first year. That way they could have gotten out of it if he struggles this year or next. 

I would have also considered flipping Browning for a pick, especially since they picked up Ridder. I think the obvious plan is that they are going to let Browning walk after this year and keep Ridder on the roster. Browning is going to be too expensive. 

Our FO is extremely short sighted, so it doesn't shock me they didn't do any of this. 

I won't say Burrow is injury prone, because I don't think he is as most of his issues are contact injuries that can happen to anyone. That said, with his history and our O-line, downgrading the #2 QB to save money is not a good option for this team. 

[*rfaulk34*]

(8 hours ago)BoomerFan Wrote: I know this is getting ahead of ourselves a bit but what should the Bengals do (and also the slightly different question of what *will* they do) with some of these players who are in the final year of their contract?


Players I wonder about:

Name...................Age.....Pay in 2025 (in millions)
Jospeh Ossai............25............6.5
Geno Stone..............26............6.4
Ted Karras...............32............6.3
Cam Taylor-Britt........26............4.0
Tycen Anderson........26............1.2
Jake Browning..........29............1.0

(yes Karras is old but he is so well liked I could at least imagine the Bengals making an exception to their general MO and giving him a 1 year deal if the price is reasonable)


Some folks who likely won't be back:

Name...................Age.....Pay in 2025 (in millions)
Cordell Volson..........27..............3.1
Zach Moss...............28..............3.1
Lucas Patrick...........32..............2.0


Guys who are on year to year or "prove it" deals:

Name...................Age.....Pay in 2025 (in millions)
Marco Wilson...........26.............1.5
Cam Sample............26.............1.2
Jalen Davis..............29.............1.0
Cam Grandy.............25.............1.0


One additional question:

Will the Bengals pick up Myles Murphy's 5th year option? It would cost around 12.6 million and I think the answer is likely "no" as it stands right now. Of course with all of these players what happens this year (are they productive and healthy) will impact what the team actually does. 

Volson and Moss should be gone already but i understand why they're still holding on to them. My feeling on Volson is, every day you keep him on the roster is another day you could have found someone else to do the job he does, better. 

Anyone else is simply a crapshoot. What they do this season is going to have the biggest impact on what happens to them next year. 

[*bengalfan74*]

As has already been said most of these guys returns depend greatly on what they do this season. Will Ossai finally break out? Will Anderson prove he belongs in S room? Will CTB return to prior season form or just flame out?

It wouldn't shock me if a couple don't make 53 this season.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(5 hours ago)WeezyBengal Wrote: They should have bought low on CTB this off-season and given him a 3 year extension with no guanranteed money after the first year.

I think CTB's biggest issues are mental ones. He had a taste of success and seemed to immediately let it go to his head causing him to backslide. So giving him more money in advance is probably not the answer. I think he could use some pressure and uncertainty to push him to improve in coverage and tackling both.

I'm all for paying guys early, but they need to be guys you are sure you want to be around. I'm not so sure I want CTB to be around after this year.