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"They've Gotta Beat Us." What did the team learn last year? That they can win without Burrow. More important, they learned to do a few different things in order to win sans Burrow. Some of that stuff will show up as the next part of Burrow's game and the evolution of the offense. And they'll do it without compromising the stuff that Burrow likes to do best--which means we'll still see plenty of shotgun, 4 and 5 wide, etc... . So, they got Moss because he can block and run from the shotgun. They got Gesicki who is Boyd's replacement, imo. They got a tackle who will let Burrow be more comfortable in the pocket and have more time to do his magic. This off-season is about becoming more flexible on offense, imo, and they have done a pretty good job of it --on paper. Not bad moves on the defensive side of the ball, either. So, Fuck Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore--they've got to beat us.

LOL. Comparing Jonah Williams to Trent Brown is laughable. Brown is a WAY better player. Zack Moss is light years better as a pass blocker so we don’t have to take him out on 3rd and 5 situations. Mixon is a terrible pass blocker. There is nothing unresolved about Tee Higgins, he will play under the franchise tag.

I’m not sure why that would stir anyone up. The Bengals do not match up well with the teams in the North. The teams in the north haven’t had the success in the playoffs the Bengals have had because they can’t throw the football and turn into mush when they get down two scores. The Bengals are content to try and go 3-3 or even 2-4 in the north and dog walk the rest of the league. Might cost them a bye/home field but they’ve beat the Chiefs and Bills on the road so I’m not sure that phases them at all. The moves they’ve made have been to stop explosive pass plays and run their offense out of 11. They are gearing up to beat the Chiefs/Bills/Texans not the Browns/Stealers/Ravens

Hmmm…several Murphys and several Browns? We’d have to change the team mascot…

But unless we meet them in the playoffs, we're not even scheduled to play the Bills or Texans this year. We do need to figure out how to beat the rest of the AFC North since that is six games of our schedule.

Don't have a problem with any of that, the roster is a different subject. I'm simply tired of hearing the players reference a Super Bowl 2 years ago that they lost. They barely managed 9-8 last year. I think they could win one this season if they can lock it in and quit talking like they've already done it. Seem a little too up on themselves for a group that just lost every division game that mattered. Think Zac needs to sit them down day one of camp and give them a reality check. They were average last year. That's what all the yapping earns them.

The NFLPA came out opposed to a penalty for this type of tackle . i think the NFL, if it were flag football, would somehow make the flag removal subjective.

“Bandwagon”

He'll be a plow horse not thoroughbred.

Believe me I would have preferred a higher draft pick, but you can't say that around here without getting labeled a "bandwagon"

👀

This offseason they have demonstrated they really don’t care about trying to impose their will like the other north teams. Got smaller at tailback, aren’t willing to trade Tee, signed a tight end that lines up almost exclusively in the slot, signed a right tackle who excels at pass blocking, lost their best run defender, spent money on a split safety who doesn’t tackle well. Add it up and tell me if they’re gunning for the Ravens or the Chiefs. Im not saying I don’t want them to get pieces to match up better. I hate losing to those three teams and not even being competitive in half of them. But at the end of the day - they play well against teams outside of the AFCN, so its not like it isn’t working.

Kind of but it often looks to me that the other teams in the division are building specifically to beat us rather than the rest of the NFL.

To be fair, the Bengals have picked only one offensive lineman higher than the 4th round over the last 5 years and that was Carman at #46 in the second round. You are asking way too much of Pollack if all he gets are middle round picks and marginal or injury prone FAs. Kansas City has only one lineman chosen later than the 3rd round.

Oh that wasn’t meant for you at all. And Le Tigre was 100% correct. Some douche just spouting nonsense for clicks.

Article had the desired results: cat-calls and clicks. Media can play people like fiddles. Just write some “in-depth” piece, and write any bollocks which comes to mind

Again this is MIT Ph D work for football fans. I consider myself a huge Bengals fan but compared to you I'm a small fry. You have to be considered bengals fan of the year for all the work you put in. This is nothing short of phenomenal like all you post here. In my mind I don't believe there is anyone working for the bengals who lays this out as well as you.

Has The Dullton signed anywhere yet? Have been lukewarm on the outcomes so far, but then read this and am feeling better! https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2024/3/18/24104547/free-agency-takeaways-kirk-cousins-dak-prescott-saquon-barkley-justin-fields 4. The Cincinnati Bengals are making moves that make sense. All right, where are my football hipsters? Grab a PBR, and come on over. Let’s talk about an under-the-radar offseason that has made a lot of sense to me. It’s that of the Cincinnati Bengals! They are not trying to steal any offseason headlines. They’re just trying to fill in some gaps on what is shaping up to be a Super Bowl–caliber roster. The Bengals defense was a disappointment last season, and that’s where their focus has been in free agency. They signed safety Geno Stone to a two-year, $14 million deal. Stone is entering his age-25 season. He is a ball hawk with a high football IQ. Stone had seven interceptions and nine passes defended for the Ravens last offseason. I love his fit in the scheme of Captain Lou (Anarumo). The Bengals got a young, ascending player who should be an upgrade at the position, and they didn’t have to break the bank to do it. At the other safety spot, they brought back Vonn Bell for just $1.2 million. Bell had three excellent seasons in Cincinnati, but he left last offseason to sign with the Panthers in free agency. That didn’t work out for him, and now he’s back—count that as a huge win for the Bengals. On the other side of the ball, they signed running back Zack Moss for two years ($8 million with $3 million guaranteed), and they moved on from Joe Mixon. Moss is less expensive than Mixon, and he ran well for the Colts last season. Cincinnati can now pair Moss with second-year player Chase Brown for an inexpensive backfield. If they draft a running back who winds up playing over one or both of those guys, great. If not, they have set a decent floor for the running game without spending significant resources. In the second wave of free agency late last week, the Bengals brought in defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (two years, $24.5 million) to try to get some more pass-rush juice. And they’re taking a low-cost flier (one year, $2.5 million with $400,000 guaranteed) on tight end Mike Gesicki. Not all of these moves will work out, and none are really intended to put the Bengals over the top. But the moves all make sense. Cincinnati already has the big pieces (Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson) in place. It’s about making smart bets on the margins, and that’s exactly how the team has approached this offseason. Of course, the Tee Higgins situation is still hanging over them. The Bengals used the franchise tag on him, but Higgins is reportedly looking for a trade. This situation seems pretty straightforward: If another team offers a nice package, you consider it. If not, the Bengals keep Higgins for 2024 and try to go on a run. Burrow’s injuries ruined the Bengals’ 2023 season, but in many ways, it was still an encouraging year. They found a good backup in Jake Browning and showed they could still be competitive without Burrow. Now you add in what has been a sensible offseason so far, and I see a team that should be right back in the Super Bowl mix.

If not at RB then stick him at LB...😎 He's gonna be a load .

Estime is my favorite RB in the draft. Would love to get him. 💪

Story by Gilberto Manzano • 17h With the 2024 free agency frenzy coming and going, let’s examine which newcomers might not play up to the high expectations that come from a lucrative contract. Let’s focus on expectations more than performance. The teams that splurge in March tend to do it because of need and impatience—maybe one day the NFL will have the draft before free agency. But this offseason schedule benefits the veterans, and there’s nothing wrong with getting the bag from desperate and/or reckless teams. Every new partnership starts with plenty of optimism, but many of the ones formed in free agency don’t work out. (It wasn’t hard finding 12 bad contracts from last free agency.) Here are 10 free agents from this year’s frenzy who might not have a fruitful partnership with their respective new teams. 10. Russell Wilson, QB, Pittsburgh Stealers I went back-and-forth on including Wilson on this list, because the Stealers are only paying him $1.2 million for a one-year contract, a massive bargain for a starting quarterback. But that’s the problem: The Stealers have reportedly made Wilson the starter this offseason, instead of making him compete with Justin Fields, whom the Stealers gained in a trade for only a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick, another bargain. In 15 games with Denver in 2023, Wilson threw for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports© Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports The Stealers added two quality signal-callers without needing to rebuild with a rookie quarterback—a blueprint other QB-needy teams without a high first-round pick should follow. But Pittsburgh would be wise to split the starting snaps between Wilson and Fields from the get-go. Wilson has struggled the past two seasons and probably won’t regain his form from his Seattle days. Fields has upside and could do wonders with the Stealers’ impressive roster. He could still win the job, but it’s all about timing, and taking over for a struggling squad in October doesn’t seem ideal. 9. Robert Hunt, OG, Carolina Panthers Every young quarterback should have a bodyguard like Hunt, a rugged blocker in many aspects who doesn’t allow his signal-caller to take extra hits. Bryce Young will benefit from having Hunt in the middle of the Panthers’ offensive line. But the Panthers overpaid for his services, with a whopping five-year, $100 million contract with $63 million guaranteed. With the lucrative contract, comes added pressure for Hunt, 27, who didn't make an All-Pro team nor a Pro Bowl during his first four seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Now Hunt will need to play like the best guard in the NFL to live up to this hefty contract. That’s a high bar, but the Panthers probably won’t care if Young excels in Year 2 and takes a lot fewer sacks than the 62 he had last season. 8. Tyron Smith, OT, New York Jets The Jets benefited from Smith having a quiet market, adding him on a one-year, $6.5 million contract, which could go as high as $20 million. If Smith ends up making eight figures in 2024, that likely means he stayed healthy and was a quality left tackle for Aaron Rodgers. But Smith is entering his age-34 season and has dealt with many injuries throughout his decorated career. The last time he played a full season was in 2015. If the Jets draft a tackle in the first two rounds, this signing would look a lot better next month. And maybe they would have been better off focusing on the draft because this class is loaded with tackles. But after the season the Jets had, there’s nothing wrong with a former All-Pro being on the team as insurance. 7. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles The Eagles needed help on offense, not just on defense, which took the bulk of the blame for last year’s second-half collapse. Barkley’s versatility should help Jalen Hurts & Co., but it wouldn’t be surprising if Eagles beat reporters are writing stories about the team searching for ways to get Barkley more involved in the offense five games into the season. Philadelphia signed Barkley to a three-year, $37.5 million contract, which puts him behind Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara and Jonathan Taylor on the running back pay scale for 2024. It’s tough seeing Barkley, 27, playing as well as McCaffrey and Taylor. He’s dealt with injuries in his career and had a rough ’23 season, averaging only 3.9 yards per carry. Barkley hasn’t been as explosive as McCaffrey in a few years and isn’t as young as Taylor. He could be just as productive as Kamara, but Kamara hasn’t lived up to the contract extension he signed with the New Orleans Saints. 6. Patrick Queen, LB, Pittsburgh Stealers Queen is a physical downhill linebacker who also excels in coverage. He fits a need and the play style of the Stealers. But signing Queen to a three-year, $41 million contract comes with a few risks. The 2020 first-round pick struggled his first three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before enjoying a breakout ’23 season. Queen, who didn’t have his fifth-year option exercised on his rookie deal, won’t get to play next to Roquan Smith in Pittsburgh. Coincidentally, Queen’s play picked up after gaining a rhythm next to Smith and getting the hang of Mike Macdonald’s defensive scheme. Perhaps Queen needed a few years to find his footing and could excel playing behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith in Pittsburgh. After leading the league in rushing in 2022, Jacobs ran for just 805 yards in 13 games in '23. Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sports© Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sports 5. Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers Jacobs, the 2022 rushing champion, received a nice four-year, $48 million contract with plenty of money upfront—he’s set to make about $14 million this year. It’s essentially a year-to-year deal for the Packers, who could save $2 million in cap space by cutting Jacobs next year. Both sides benefit from Jacobs receiving money that rivals what running backs made about four years ago. This move, however, doesn’t make sense from a personnel perspective and a budgeting standpoint. Jordan Love wasn’t in need of a workhorse back. The team could have paired AJ Dillon, who re-signed on a one-year, $2.7 million contract, with a rookie or another veteran running back without having to commit $14 million. The Packers are on the rise with Love and a handful of promising pass catchers. Now they need to find a way to get Jacobs heavily involved, possibly disrupting the chemistry from last season. Jacobs, 26, also has dealt with injuries in career, including missing four games last season. 4. Leonard Williams, IDL, Seattle Seahawks Williams might have profited from the Seahawks spending a second-round pick to acquire him in a trade with the New York Giants and the team not wanting to lose him after half a season. The Seahawks doubled down and re-signed Williams to a three-year, $64.5 million contract. That decision is a gamble because Williams is entering his age-30 season and his arrival didn’t help improve the Seahawks’ disappointing defense last season. Individually, Williams played well and could continue doing so with new coach Macdonald, the Ravens’ defensive coordinator the last two seasons. The Seahawks are banking on Macdonald improving a very expensive defense, which includes Williams and Dre’Mont Jones making over $17 million annually. The Jones signing didn’t lead to many positive results last season. 3. Jonathan Greenard, Edge, Minnesota Vikings The Vikings could afford taking a chance on a young player with upside after the free-agency departures of Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter. But Greenard, who agreed to a four-year, $76 million contract, has only had one dominant season in his career, after recording a career-high 12.5 sacks for the Houston Texans last season. He only had 10.5 sacks combined in his first three seasons. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans won’t be joining Greenard in Minnesota and neither will Will Anderson Jr., the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year. Greenard, 26, will need to be the Vikings’ best player on the defensive front. He has also dealt with injuries, missing nine games in 2022. If Greenard plays up to his potential, perhaps this deal becomes a bargain for the Vikings. 2. Gabe Davis, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars The free-agent addition of Davis might have looked better had the Jaguars re-signed Calvin Ridley, but even then they would have paid too much for a player because of a specific need. Davis is a terrific blocker with big-game ability, evident by his four touchdowns against the Chiefs in the postseason a few years back. But he’s had too many quiet games with the Buffalo Bills, which didn’t stick out as much because he still contributed as a blocker. Now with Ridley gone, Davis can’t afford to have quiet games, and will be counted on to be the team’s No. 2 target behind Christian Kirk (who isn’t a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver). Davis signed a three-year, $39 million contract to head south with the Jaguars. The Bills signed Curtis Samuel to a three-year, $24 million contract to replace Davis. After missing all of 2022, Ridley played 17 games in '23, notching 1,016 receiving yards and eight scores. Denny Simmons/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK© Provided by Sports Illustrated 1. Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans Ridley left Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars to be the No. 1 wide receiver for Will Levis and the Titans. There’s nothing wrong with the team adding a dynamic wide receiver to help a second-year quarterback, but they might regret this contract in a year or two. Ridley, who turns 30 later this year, signed a massive four-year, $92 million contract with the Titans—it’s understandable why the Jaguars didn’t match that price. For that contract, Ridley comes with too many concerns, including age, availability and performance. He played in every game for the Jaguars last season, something he did only once in five seasons with the Falcons. But Ridley struggled to learn Doug Pederson’s offense and had a few costly drops with the Jaguars. Perhaps playing with new Titans coach Brian Callahan will make the Ridley signing worth the risks. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/the-10-most-likely-busts-of-2024-nfl-free-agency/ar-BB1kf0CU?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6b4664909aff4d4d851d060ffa1064ff&ei=63

So... Estime's time was an estim...ate? Got it.

No Irv Smith No Vote

The problem with that as we saw last year is that those are your first tie breakers and if your division also wins games outside of the division you don't get in.

Nobody is gonna wanna hear this. We play a last place schedule in the AFCN. The teams we have the most trouble with are the ones in our division. Last place doesnt mean much there. That's what we have to figure out, if we can win our division games everything else will take care of itself.

You're not putting any context into this, they were 9-8 mainly because the starting QB was hurt for all but 2 games he played in last year. If Burrow is healthy this team has proven to be one of the best in the NFL. I believe they have the best offensive line since Burrow has been in NFL and the offense is tailored made for him, he has a pass blocking RB and his former QB coach is now the OC. This could definitely be the year they win it all because they will be playing the last place schedule so it will be a weaker schedule than previous years as well, not that it matters because...

Don't shoot the messenger... I did say "f-bomb 'em".

Arthur Murray..let's dance!

Audie Murphy

Murphy's Law?

Would be a win win signing

Agree he's a pros pro and they need another DT and the young DT they draft can learn from him

Well, the league has never had any problems with rules that involve the "subjectivity of the call", now, has it? I'm confident that every official will see it the same way and call it the same way every play, every game, and that point spreads will, in no way, enter into the decision-making process.

I just don't get this one, AT ALL. The current trend is (thankfully) toward brighter colors, and this is going the opposite direction, eliminating the red numbers. Royal blue with generous amounts of red would have worked so much better. Glad I'm not a Texans fan.

I hope the Bengals go after Calais Campbell, he's the best option that is available. I know he's 37 years old but he's still playing at a high level and is a great locker room guy that any young player they bring in can learn from.

That is a good point. There is a 3-kit limit (home/away/third), but teams change the combo every year.

I'd say four max... - Home - Away - Alternate - Throwback This would give teams enough flexibility without wading into NBA territory

The Browns are screwing the rest of the NFL, that Jerry Jeudy deal is nuts...

Nike and Oregon destroyed uniform class. The NFL has at least tried to hold it back somewhat, but I fear it’s only a matter of time (and money) before they become like the NBA and allow 57 uniform combinations

Absolutely. Stock up for the losses and cuts coming next year.

Update to the Sewell meme

The games aren’t going to be played for months. Are you going to do nothing but be negative until then? They’ve done what you wanted. Jonah is gone and a veteran has been signed to replace him. We still have the draft to add more pieces. You should be happy but nope. I doubt anything, even winning a Super Bowl, would change it for you.

As long as there is still a gaping hole at nose tackle, after struggling horribly against the run last year in a run-first division, it is hard for me to give the Bengals an A. But they have improved the team in some other areas, especially at defending the pass.