Arkansas Bengal Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Model free agents Posted 12 hours ago Geoff Hobson Editor Bengals.com The Bengals hope they can re-sign left guard Clint Boling (65). The Bengals began their foray into free agency Monday by doing due diligence, and that doesn’t always mean finalizing a contract. There were indications the club met with Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones and Eagles tight end James Casey, but there were no deals announced and Jones is reportedly headed to Tennessee for a visit Tuesday. A free-agent visit usually consists of a coaches’ conference as well as a physical, but with unrestricted free agency not set to start officially until a week from Tuesday on March 10 (agents and teams can start talking March 7), it’s a little too early to get a grip on the market for both players and the teams. The only thing we know is that on Monday the salary cap for 2015 was announced at $143 million, a bump of $10 million for the second straight year, and it remains to be seen how the market is going to react. The Bengals traditionally wait for the numbers to develop while they focus on their strategy of saving the big money for their own players and plugging holes in free agency. Indications are the Bengals’ top priorities look to be re-signing middle linebacker Rey Maualuga, left guard Clint Boling, and kicker Mike Nugent, as well as extending some of the 11 starters and regulars heading into the last year of their deals. They also want to shore up depth at defensive end, linebacker, and tight end. And by depth at defensive end, it looks more and more like they are not prepared to drop starting money at a spot where they think they’ll get a lot of snaps from the little-used Margus Hunt and Will Clarke. But it would seem they are also looking for a player to add to the rotation. They’re also indicating they're looking to add depth with a receiver that is a vertical threat, but that seems to be more of a draft question. There’s no question they’ve loved Jacoby Jones in this building for many years for his speed and adroitness as a returner, which brought the Ravens a Super Bowl title. He would be an upgrade over Brandon Tate, also a free agent. But if they do a deal it is despite the fact he turns 31 in July. If there’s a free-agency road map to follow, it could be the busy one the Bengals used three years ago. During the 2012 offseason, they re-signed starting safety Reggie Nelson and key reserves Adam Jones at cornerback, Pat Sims at defensive tackle, and Anthony Collins at tackle while inking several second- and third tier free agents to fill roles. It will be recalled that’s when they went under the radar and signed running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis and left guard Travelle Wharton for starting jobs and then wrapped up a trio of former first-rounders for defensive depth in ends Jamaal Anderson and Derrick Harvey and cornerback Jason Allen. All before the NFL meetings opened that year in Palm Beach Fla. At 31, Wharton was the only one older than 30, and Anderson, 26, and Harvey, 25, were young enough and talented enough to get another shot in a rotation. The meetings open this year on March 22 in Phoenix and while they may not be as active as that, that’s pretty much their model. Build through the draft and plug in free agency with guys that are ascending or have a chance to ascend rather than playing out the string. But it’s hard enough to cash in on free agency whether you’re looking for a starter or backup, which is pretty much a 50-50 gamble. The Bengals quote the stat that half the free agents signed to seven-figure deals don’t play as long for their new team as they did their old ones and look what happened in ’12. Wharton, with an ACL tear on the third pre-season snap, and Anderson, with a muscle tear in the regular season’s second game, went down early and never played for the Bengals again. Harvey got cut after the first week of training camp. Allen suffered nagging injuries and played in just four games. And look at Collins, the tackle they re-signed for two years before the ’12 season. He signed a five-year, $30 million deal in Tampa last year and is now reportedly on the trading block. Green-Ellis, on the other hand, had a career year and lifted a backfield that had been struggling with injuries and an erratic 2011 season from Cedric Benson racked with fumbles and no yards after contact. But BJGE gave them exactly what they have in mind for a free agent. He may have not cost much ($3 million per), but he gave them stability and productivity in their system. That’s what they seem to be looking for in a defensive end. A guy that fits into the rotation around the big-salaried Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap. Who is the BJGE for them this year? They’d like him to emerge at defensive end, or linebacker, or tight end. Former Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk is an interesting possibility, but at 31 and coming off ankle surgery for bone spurs, that doesn’t exactly fit the model. Neither does Casey. He turns 31 early in the season and while he’s a versatile guy, they get a lot of the same things from rookie Ryan Hewitt, nearly eight years younger than Casey. And with the anticipated loss of tight end Jermaine Gresham, they’re looking for a bruiser, a blocker, a guy bigger than 240 pounds. In fact, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson indicated they’re looking for a masher. And then there is always the signings that come before and even after the draft. The reason Allen had trouble breaking into the lineup is because they signed 34-year-old Terence Newman to a one-year deal a month after free agency started. He didn’t fit the model, but he became one of their top five free-agent pickups of all-time and started for three seasons. It sounds like they’re moving on from Newman this trip, but they don’t have to scramble to fill since they’ve taken two first-round corners since they signed him and have two others in Leon Hall and Adam Jones. Where the Bengals have to scramble this year as opposed to 2012 is the next season. A total of 11 starters and regulars are heading into the last year of their deals, among them Hall, Jones, and the team’s best player, A.J. Green. It’s believed they’d like to wrap up a good number of them before this season starts, which seems to be a longer process than regular free agency. But they've always felt like a couple of those under-the-radar extensions later on mirror the flashy free-agent deals celebrated around the league in the coming week. http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Model-free-agents/14bbfd2f-7bd4-4270-8181-5277987d72bc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scharm Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Well the organization has spoken. No tier 1 signings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairOnFire Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Who is the BJGE for them this year? Once again my heart goes out to the haters. It was bad enough when Marvin called the haters stupid and laughed about not looking for another QB in FA or the draft. Now we find a very cocky Hobson baiting the haters into a FA fight they can't win. Hobson has to know Bengals looking for the next BJGE is fighting words around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scharm Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Every player we have now will be an unrestricted free agent in 2020. Reserve cap room today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dautcom08 Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Status quo!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Treehorn Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 It's funny that we see article after article right after the disappointing end to the season saying that we're going to see change, and the Bengals will be more aggressive in free agency. Like clockwork, once we actually get to free agency it's "never mind they're going to do what they always do." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scharm Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 It's funny that we see article after article right after the disappointing end to the season saying that we're going to see change, and the Bengals will be more aggressive in free agency. Like clockwork, once we actually get to free agency it's "never mind they're going to do what they always do." Season ticket invoices Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|High School Harry| Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Season ticket invoices Deadline for refund of playoff ticket (hard to type that with a straight face) money was February 27. Last year they did not extend Marvin's contract until shortly after the deadline to renew season tickets. From previous threads and articles posted on here previously I see... No plans for Peko, hope to re-sign Maualuga. Gresham wants to stay which, imho, means he would be more flexible with negotiations. Now Roland, too. Geathers a mercy early cut allowing him more time to sign on with another team. Either standing pat with Hunt and Clark or thinking Dlineman in the draft as an upgrade. Jacoby Jones has come and gone without a contract. JMHO, but I do not see an un-typical Bengal move getting a high profile guy in free agency (i.e Suh) but the possible "big move" would be trying to get damaged Hardy off the blue light special table and riding out any possible suspension he may have coming down from the Goodstopo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatternMaster Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Well the organization has spoken. No tier 1 signings. Yeah when Hobson started talking about signing former first rounders like Jamaal Anderson, Derrick Harvey, and Jason Allen as if these weren't former first round bust that were on their last legs in the NFL I knew where he was headed with this story... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyrid Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Hmm, I was starting to buy into the idea of them making a run at one of the top 5-10 DEs on the market. Figured one of those guys could be had for something like $7M a year and it could fit into the budget. This throws some real cold water on that hope. I wonder if somebody overpaying for Boling would change their minds on getting a "rotational DE" vs. a legit starting caliber DE. It would probably add at least $4M to the budget so it would make sense from that perspective if you assume a "rotational DE" is somebody in the $3-4M per year range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big_dish Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 A BJGE level player at DE does absolutely nothing to upgrade the DLine. Nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleycat Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 If losing Peko plus Boling freed up 7-8 M for them (from their slated spending budget) to go after Justin Houston I wouldn't blink twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big_dish Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 If losing Peko plus Boling freed up 7-8 M for them (from their slated spending budget) to go after Justin Houston I wouldn't blink twice. This SHOULD be the year they add starters in FA and depth in the draft. But according to Hobs on knobs, thats not going to happen. We should all be prepared for another year of status quo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|westside bengal| Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 And if Marvin is back next year won't it be about time for his "let's blow this thing up" and start over plan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnickyCat Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 I'll wait and see what they do as far as free agents go before I go freaking out about what some articles say. For one, writers are just looking for things to write/speculate about this time of year....for another, I highly doubt whatever their plans may be that they are 'informing' these writers so that its put out there for the opposition to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big_dish Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 I'll wait and see what they do as far as free agents go before I go freaking out about what some articles say. For one, writers are just looking for things to write/speculate about this time of year....for another, I highly doubt whatever their plans may be that they are 'informing' these writers so that its put out there for the opposition to know. I would say true for most writers but Hobson is either informed by the team of what to write, or he is an ancient oracle that the team takes direction from- because his free agency articles are always totally on point. I wish it wasn't so, of course. But historically he has always been right on the money (or lack of spending money). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bengaled Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 If losing Peko plus Boling freed up 7-8 M for them (from their slated spending budget) to go after Justin Houston I wouldn't blink twice. problem is, they don't budget their finances that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 If losing Peko plus Boling freed up 7-8 M for them (from their slated spending budget) to go after Justin Houston I wouldn't blink twice. and justin houston got tagged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleycat Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 and justin houston got tagged. Pay attention. He got tagged but with the non-exclusive tag. Two first rounders can swipe him away. The whole point being tossed about is that someone like Houston just might be worth two first rounders, when you consider the crap shoot that getting a serviceable DE is, that we'll be drafting low this year and next, and that we're not just talking about some 10-12 sack/year guy but I guy who got 22 this year. I'm sure we won't do it, but IMO there are a lot of reasons to go for it. And the last reason not to is that we're holding onto a couple of guys who are already one their way out the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Pay attention. He got tagged but with the non-exclusive tag. Two first rounders can swipe him away. The whole point being tossed about is that someone like Houston just might be worth two first rounders, when you consider the crap shoot that getting a serviceable DE is, that we'll be drafting low this year and next, and that we're not just talking about some 10-12 sack/year guy but I guy who got 22 this year. I'm sure we won't do it, but IMO there are a lot of reasons to go for it. And the last reason not to is that we're holding onto a couple of guys who are already one their way out the door. got it, going for a less chance than the peyton manning thread chance of happening scenario... makes sense.. odds of him getting 22 sacks again? almost zero... would make dunlaps life 100 times easier.. obviously a talented dude.. but 2 first round picks is a huge price, and thats on top of the actual price of his salary.. which is almost half the cap room we have... so i guess i agree? would be amazing, but 0% chance of occuring.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|SF2| Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 We wouldn't give up 2 first round picks for the Messiah. Has anyone ever done this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tigre Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 I browsed around, and didn't see where this had ever happened. And Lol @ this article's elevation of Ryan Hewitt into an actual NFL TE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky151 Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 A number of players have been traded for 2 first round picks, most recently Sammy Watkins last year. The last time a team gave up 2 first round picks to sign another team's franchised free agent was Sean Gilbert. He was a ferocious DE who is running for NFLPA executive director and is Darrelle Revis' uncle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleycat Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 But people give up two first rounders for a top 5 draft pick pretty frequently. Last one I can think of was Julio Jones, and I'd bet Atlanta would do that trade again. Top 5 draft picks also have pretty high salaries. Granted, nothing like a top FA, but... Houston is only 26. And unlike a completely NFL-unproven draft pick, he's played lights out and gotten better every year, culminating in a near NFL record 22 sack season. I'm not saying we'll do it. Lord knows it's outside of our universe. I'm simply saying that given our needs, our team and cap situation -- that it actually makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|SF2| Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 A number of players have been traded for 2 first round picks, most recently Sammy Watkins last year. The last time a team gave up 2 first round picks to sign another team's franchised free agent was Sean Gilbert. He was a ferocious DE who is running for NFLPA executive director and is Darrelle Revis' uncle.LOL, he (Gilbert) wasn't even close to being worth 2 first round picks. I can understand doing it in the draft for a franchise QB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.