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Five 2018 offseason moves to improve Bengals


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Cincinnati Bengals

1. Decline the options for Adam Jones and Cedric Ogbuehi.It's time for the Bengals to move on from the 34-year-old Jones, who has slipped during his current deal and would be holding back promising former first-round pick William Jackson III. The perennially penurious Bengals don't need cap space, but Marvin Lewis & Co. could free up $5.8 million in cap space and cash on hand by declining the option for the final year of Jones' contract.

As for Ogbuehi, the experiment to move on from Andrew Whitworth and install the 2015 first-rounder at left tackle went about as bad as anyone could have imagined. The Texas A&M product allowed eight sacks in 2017 to go with the 7.5 he allowed at right tackle in 2016, per Stats LLC. Ogbuehi doesn't commit many penalties, which I suppose is his best trait, but he's also missed 15 games over his first three seasons in the league and hasn't been effective for any stretch of time at any position. It's possible he breaks out under new offensive line coach Frank Pollack, but it would be breathtakingly obstinate for the Bengals to enter 2018 with Ogbuehi starting at left tackle and under contract for two more years.

 

2. Find a left tackle (or a left guard). Ogbuehi should be placed into a competition on the right side, where he'll be up against a pair of question marks.Jake Fisher was inconsistent before undergoing surgery on an irregular heartbeat in October, while new signing Bobby Hart was cut by the Giants -- one of the few teams with an inferior offensive line to the Bengals -- after poor play and allegations of quitting on the team in December.

The best option for the left tackle spot on the current roster might be guardClint Boling, who moved outside for an injured Ogbuehi in the final two games of the year and looked good in a pair of upset victories for Cincinnati. You figure the Bengals would probably prefer to stick with Boling at guard given the scarcity of tackle options on the free-agent market, but unless Cincinnati uses its first-round pick on a tackle like Notre Dame's Mike McGlinchey or Texas' Connor Williams, the Bengals might start Boling at tackle and use a second- or third-round pick to grab a guard.

 

3. Find a center, too. The good news is that the Bengals won't be missing the guys who are leaving. Andre Smith was a stopgap on the right side in his return to Cincinnati, and Russell Bodine never developed into a starting-caliber center.

One solution would be to move Fisher to center, a spot where the Bengals gave him reps in advance of the 2016 season, but one he hasn't played at the college or professional levels. (It's telling that this seems like the best option!) While general manager Mike Brown seems to avoid free agency as if it's the plague, the Bengals could strike a blow against a division rival by making a big offer for Ravens center Ryan Jensen. More likely, though, is that the Bengals will draft a center and have him compete with Fisher.

 

4. Re-sign Geno Atkins, Darqueze Dennard and Carlos Dunlap. The Bengals' defense has ranked 17th in DVOA in each of the past two seasons, and while that's not exactly an exciting outcome, it qualified as the biggest strength of the team last year. If Cincinnati isn't going to play the free-agency game, Lewis has to retain his core contributors and hope that the Bengals can supplement (and eventually replace) them in the draft.

New defensive coordinator Teryl Austin certainly has talent, but with three valuable contributors entering the final year of their respective deals, the Bengals need to keep their defense together. Atkins and Dunlap are obvious candidates for extensions, as they form the core of the Cincinnati pass rush alongside breakout rookie Carl Lawson. Atkins will look to top the four-year, $50 million extension Linval Joseph signed in Minnesota last August, while Dunlap will shoot for the four-year, $58 million deal fellow Vikings linemanEverson Griffen picked up one month earlier.

Dennard is a slightly more difficult decision, and as he enters the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, Cincinnati might let its former first-round pick play things out and see if he impresses again as a slot cornerback. The Bengals are famously slow to bring their cornerbacks along, and Dennard has played only 1,409 defensive snaps in his first four seasons in the league. The Bills' impressive first-rounder Tre'Davious White, by comparison, played 1,052 defensive snaps during his rookie season last year.

 

The Bengals already have invested in Dre Kirkpatrick, and Jackson looked promising in his first active season after missing all of 2016. Dennard might end up maxing out as a slot cornerback. Even given that possibility, though, the Bengals are in a division with the Stealers and Antonio Brown. Dennard -- or any of the Cincinnati cornerbacks - is not going to stop Brown on his own, but you can't skimp on cornerbacks when you're trying to topple a team that goes three wide as frequently as Pittsburgh. Lewis has repeatedly invested first-round picks at cornerback, but given their needs along the offensive line, the Bengals should keep Dennard around for the future and use their draft picks elsewhere.

 

5. Find a backup quarterback. With AJ McCarron winning his arbitration dispute and hitting free agency, the Bengals probably won't be in the market to pay their backup an eight-figure salary to wait in the wings behind Andy Dalton. The Bengals will have plenty of picks -- they have every one of their own selections before the seventh round and are projected to claim the maximum of four comp picks, including selections in the third and fifth rounds of this year's draft. With Jeff Driskel looming as the only backup on the roster behind the Red Rifle, Cincinnati will likely draft a passer.

 

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/BarnwellxFiveAFCMoves2018/five-moves-afc-team-make-2018-nfl-offseason-trades-free-agency-cuts-bill-barnwell#Bengals

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1. Meh.  Adam is still at worst our 3rd best CB.  And still our best PR.  Agreed on not picking up the option for Ced.

2. We already know he sucks at RT, he was better at LT, but I'm all for making him compete with another draft pick.

3. Yep.  Doubt it happens though.  

4. Yep

5. Yep.

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3 hours ago, Jason said:

1. Meh.  Adam is still at worst our 3rd best CB.  And still our best PR.  Agreed on not picking up the option for Ced.

I thought it was fine to keep Adam Jones last year but he's another year older and went through more injuries as well. I'd rather put his money into making sure we can keep Dennard, Atkins, and Dunlap around. Instead of ignoring free agency yet again to extend those guys we could free up quite a bit of cash by cutting Jones this offseason.

 

If Dre can play more like 2016 than 2017 and Adam regresses again (pretty normal for his age), I would say he's our 4th best CB and I'd cut our 4th best CB for over $6M every day of the week. We could pick up a lower vet CB or I'd even welcome Jones back on a much cheaper deal if the team went that route. I'm not sure many teams would be interested in a 35 year old Pacman coming off injury so maybe we could cut him and then Redeem™ him again on the cheap.

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An offseason plan for Mike Brown and the Bengals

posted by James Rapien - 1 day ago

The Bengals have to rebuild on the fly this offseason if they hope to return to the playoffs in 2018. They have needs on offense and defense. The key to having a successful offseason is embracing change ­– something owner Mike Brown has always been reluctant to do.

Change starts with loyalty. The Bengals are known for being loyal to veterans. They keep players around and honor their contracts – even if they’re past their prime. It doesn’t help them win. That’s the first thing that needs to change this offseason.

The Bengals should move on from Adam Jones, Brandon LaFell and Michael Johnson. All three are capable of contributing in the NFL, but are those players worth $15 million of cap space? They aren’t and it would give the Bengals the flexibility they need to make significant additions in free agency.

Brown and the Bengals have nearly $27 million in cap space currently – that includes the cap space they’ll use on rookies in April’s draft. If they moved on from Jones, LaFell and Johnson, they could have $42 million to spend this offseason.

Some of that money could be put towards extensions for Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap. The team wants to extend both players this offseason.

It would also give them money to sign veterans that can help in 2018. Yes, the Bengals have 11 draft picks in the draft, but that can’t be their only way of improving this offseason.

Here are a few free agents the Bengals should consider signing ­– this is a assuming they take my advice and move on from the three veteran players mentioned above.

Sign Nate Solder, Cameron Fleming or Chris Hubbard – The Bengals don’t have time to wait for offensive linemen to develop. Adding a tackle who can step in and be an upgrade right away should be priority number one in free agency.

Solder is likely to command around $13 million per-year from a team this offseason. He may not be as good asAndrew Whitworth, but he’s six years younger. He’s the top left tackle in this free agent class. Pro Football Focus ranked Solder as the 32nd best tackle of 2017. For context, Whitworth was 19th according to PFF. Solder would be the most expensive option, but there aren't any other left tackles projected to be available that would offer the impact he could have in Cincinnati.

Fleming and Hubbard could both fill a need as well. Fleming is a right tackle, who was teammates with Solder in New England. He was the 24th best tackle in 2017 according to PFF. He's younger than Solder and should come at a cheaper price. The downside is that he won't plug the hole on the left side, but he'd be an upgrade from Andre Smith5a96309e467c23355675cc82

Hubbard was a guard entering 2017, but moved to right tackle and filled in admirably. He made 10 starts at tackle and was the 40th best tackle according to PFF. He offers versatility, which the Bengals value. Is Hubbard good enough to start at right tackle long term? I'm not sure anyone knows the answer to that question. We do know that he is capable of being better than what the Bengals had. Does it matter if he plays tackle or guard? It could certainly change his compensation, but adding Hubbard would give the Bengals another proven lineman to pair with Clint Boling.

Another tackle worth keeping an eye on is Ja'Waun James. James is a former first round pick out of the University of Tennessee. The Dolphins could move on from him according to the Miami Herald. James started eight games for Miami in 2017 before being placed on injured reserve with a groin injury. He graded out as Pro Football Focus' No. 2 right tackle before his injury. If James is available, the Bengals should seriously consider adding him. He has the ability to be what the Bengals hoped Jake Fisher would become. James is entering his fifth-year and is under contract for 2018. If the Dolphins make him available via trade, the Bengals should have interest. They have 11 draft picks in April's draft. Giving up a mid-round pick would be worth it if it meant adding James – they could work out a multi-year contract extension.

Sign John Sullivan or Ryan Jensen – Both veteran centers would be an upgrade over Russell Bodine. Marvin Lewis says he wants Bodine back. The Bengals should ignore Lewis and add an established center with more talent. Jensen and Sullivan were the ninth and tenth ranked centers according to Pro Football Focus for the 2018 season. Bodine was the 25th ranked center in PFF’s rankings.

Jensen, 26, is younger than Sullivan and is entering his prime. He started all 16 games at center for the Ravens in 2017. Jensen will probably be looking for $8-9 million per year in free agency. The Bengals could certainly afford it. Adding Jensen would certainly fill a need, which would give them less holes to plug in the draft.

Sullivan could be a cheaper option. He had a solid season for Los Angeles. If he does make it to free agency, the Bengals should show interest. He’s 32-years-old, but played well in 2017 ­– making 15 starts. He won’t command the contract Jensen will because of his age, but would still be an upgrade from Bodine. Ideally, the Bengals could sign Sullivan for a reasonable amount, move on from Bodine and add a center in the draft.

Sign Sammy Watkins or another established wide receiver in their prime – Watkins is just 24-years-old and has the talent to be a game changer in the NFL. He’s also dealt with injuries and didn’t put up the numbers last season to warrant a huge contract. Watkins would be a huge upgrade from LaFell. He’d give the Bengals a deep threat on the other side of AJ Green.

I’d expect Watkins to command a contract close to Kenny Stills’ four-year, $32 million contract he signed with Miami last offseason. He may want a short-term deal to prove himself. He's a former fourth overall pick and one of the most talented wide receivers in the league when he's healthy.

 touchdowns in 2017. He averaged 15.2 yards-per-reception and would give the Bengals an established playmaker on the opposite side of Green. It would also leave the door open for young players like John Ross and Tyler Boyd. I wrote about the Bengals potentially trading for Emmanuel Sanders a few weeks ago. Watkins would be a younger, cheaper option than Sanders. Some believe the Rams could use the franchise tag on him. If that’s the case, there are plenty of other free agent wide receivers the Bengals should consider adding.

Other wide receivers to consider

Marquise Lee, 26, isn’t expected to be re-signed by Jacksonville. He absolutely shredded the Bengals in their matchup last season. He could fit well in the Bengals offense with Green, Ross and other options around him. Why keep LaFell at $4 million, when you can sign a younger player who can do more on the field?

Terrelle Pryor is coming off of a disappointing 2017 season. He’s never had the benefit of playing alongside a player like Green. Pryor is 6’4 and would give Dalton another big target to throw to. He only had 20 receptions in 2017 and might be a low risk, high reward option for the Bengals. He hauled in 77 receptions for the Cleveland Browns in 2016. I'd take him on a one-year deal versus keeping LaFell for the same price.

Donte Moncrief is another option the Bengals could consider in free agency. He would instantly become a red zone threat. All signs point to the Bengals moving on from Tyler Eifert, which means they’ll need more from their wide receivers in the red zone. Moncrief is a big, physical player who could complement Green nicely. He’ll also be looking for a one or two-year prove it deal. He’s only 24-years-old and didn’t have the production he was hoping to have last season – he finished with 26 receptions for 391 yards and two touchdowns.

What about linebacker?

Sign Nigel Bradham or Tahir Whitehead – The Bengals are known for signing linebackers that are past their prime. A.J. Hawk, James Harrison and Karlos Dansby are just a few of the players who have spent time at Paul Brown Stadium in recent years. If they're going to go the free agent route again, they need to add a player who can make an impact. Bradham and Whitehead fit the profile of what the Bengals should be looking for.

Both players are in their prime and were top 25 linebackers in 2017 according to PFF. Bradham excels in coverage – he could complement Vontaze Burfict and thrive alongside Nick Vigil. He was a leader for Philadelphia during their Super Bowl run and a big reason why they had so much success. In November, thePhiladelphia Inquirer wrote about Bradham's importance to the team and why he needed a contract extension. Bradham would likely command somewhere around $5-6 million per season. It would be a lot of money, but it's also what the Bengals are set to pay Pacman Jones in 2018. Who would you rather have?

Whitehead is familiar with new Bengals defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. He's had 242 tackles over the past two seasons. He'll be in the market for a contract that looks a lot like Bradham's. If the Bengals add one of the two linebackers in free agency, I'd bet it would be Whitehead since he's worked with Austin. Adding him to a core led by Burfict would give a boost to an already above-average defense.

There are some who think the Bengals should try to sign a tight end in free agency. Some believe Trey Burtonwould be a perfect fit in Cincinnati. It sounds good, but should they really spend $6 million per season on a tight end not named Eifert? Burton is a fine player, but I'm not sure it makes sense to let Eifert walk out the door for the same or less money. Burton has 63 receptions for 629 yards and six touchdowns in his career. There's no way the Bengals should bring him in at the price he's expected to command in free agency.

The Plan 

Obviously the Bengals can't sign all of the players I mentioned. Here are the moves they should make in free agency:

Sign Cameron Fleming – There was a reason I didn't write about Andrew Norwell. He's the top guard available and will likely command around $13 million per season. So will Solder. The Bengals need to improve the offensive line, but they can't break the bank for one player in free agency. Fleming would fill a need at right tackle, but he would allow them to upgrade in other areas too. I don't want the Bengals to have tunnel vision in free agency or the draft. Signing Fleming would give them a plug-and-play right tackle entering his prime. The best part about this signing, is the flexibility it gives the organization. They can add another proven commodity to the offensive line before the draft.

The contract – They Bengals sign Fleming to a four-year, $25 million contract. He's 25-years-old and would give them a young, promising right tackle for the rest of Dalton and Green's prime years.

Sign John Sullivan – Sullivan is the perfect place holder for the Bengals. He's a proven commodity, who won't break the bank and he's better than what they had. Sullivan can start for now and gives the organization time to groom a center of the future. This is another signing that gives the Bengals flexibility. They could and should certainly consider drafting Billy Price, Frank Ragnow or another center during the first two days of the draft – but they wouldn't be forced to reach for one.

The contract – The Bengals sign Sullivan to a three-year, $20 million contract with a team option in year three. The addition of Sullivan gives the Bengals a center for the next couple years – they can draft and develop one in the meantime.

Sign Marquise Lee – The Bengals signing Lee would be a lot like the Falcons adding Mohamed Sanu two seasons ago. You knew Sanu wasn't a number one wide receiver, but he was more than capable of making big plays as the number two. Cincinnati can't wait around for Ross, Boyd or another of the other young wide receivers to prove themselves. Lee is 26-years-old and would complement Green well. He'd cost more than LaFell, but not a ton more. He's expected to get a deal around $6 million per year.

The contract – The Bengals sign Lee to a five-year, $32 million contract. They let Sanu get away a few years ago – Lee signs for a similar deal and gives Dalton a perfect number two wide receiver to pair with Green. 

The Bengals would use around $19 million of cap space this season if they signed Fleming, Sullivan and Lee. That would leave them plenty of space to re-sign Kyle Huber and extend any of their current players. Releasing LaFell, Jones and Johnson gives them that flexibility. The key to this scenario is moving on from veteran players and being aggressive with the money they save.

Other potential moves

 The Bengals have 11 draft picks in April's draft. They need to do their due diligence and consider trading for players who can help them in 2018. Here are a few players the Bengals may be able to add via trade:

Ja'Juan James, RT, Miami – James could be available since Miami has others who can play right tackle. He's due $9 million in 2018 and the Dolphins probably won't extend him. I'd imagine the Bengals could land James in exchange for a mid-round pick in April's draft.

Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver – If the Broncos can't land a veteran quarterback in free agency, I could seem them parting ways with Sanders. He'd be a great addition to the Bengals wide receiver corps for a variety of reasons. I take a deeper dive at why this would make sense here.

Cordy Glenn, LT, Buffalo  – Glenn would give the Bengals exactly what they need – a franchise left tackle. He's dealt with injuries and was reportedly on the block before the trade deadline last season. Some believe Glenn could be had for a couple mid-round picks. IF that is the case, then this is a move the Bengals should make.

What about the draft? 

If the Bengals were aggressive in free agency, it would give them a lot of flexibility heading into the draft. Right now they have 11 picks and plenty of needs. If they made the signings I suggested – or something similar – they would only have a few weaknesses to address in the draft. 

They'd still need to add a left tackle with a relatively high pick. They'd also have to address the depth at linebacker. It would give them the ability to take the best player available. They wouldn't have to reach for a right tackle or a center. They could draft a quarterback as early as they wanted to. Their offensive line and wide receiver room is full of question marks – excluding Green and Boling. This is how the Bengals can return to the playoffs in 2018. 

 

 

 

https://700wlw.iheart.com/featured/james-rapien/content/2018-02-25-an-offseason-plan-for-mike-brown-and-the-bengals/

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5 things Bengals should do over next two months to improve in 2018

by Richard Skinner, WKRC

Sunday, March 4th 2018

 

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - With the NFL Scouting Combine ongoing, free agency looming in a little over a week and the NFL draft coming at the end of April it's an important two months for NFL teams to improve their rosters heading into the 2018 season.

Here are five things the Bengals should do over these next two months to improve in 2018:

 

5. Try to re-sign tight end Tyler Eifert, but only if the price is right.

The Skinny: Eifert is an unrestricted free agent coming off his third back surgery and has been plagued by numerous injury issues over the last four seasons, which limited him to only 24 games in that span-- 13 of which came in 2015 when he caught 13 touchdown passes and made the Pro Bowl.

According to SpotRac.com, Eifert has an estimated market value of a four-year, $30.4 million contract, but it would be lunacy to sign him to such a deal or anything close to it.

I can't believe any NFL team would sign him to a deal in that neighborhood based on his injury history.

If the Bengals can land Eifert for a one-year deal filled with incentives that is beneficial to both then that's fine.

When healthy, Eifert is a valuable player. Yet in his career he has averaged only 3.3 receptions per game for 39.4 yards and 0.51 touchdowns per game. Over a full 16-game season (which he has never played since being taken in the first round of the 2013 draft) that would extrapolate to 53 catches for 630 yards and eight touchdowns.

Tyler Kroft had 42 catches for 404 yards and seven touchdown last season and C.J. Uzomah added 10 receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown. So combined they had 52 catches for 496 yards and eight touchdowns. It's not like the production was way off from what Eifert would have likely given them.

I'm not saying don't try to re-sign him, but the price has to be right. If it isn't then let him walk and take a tight end somewhere between the third and fifth rounds of the draft where the team has five picks.

4. Spend a mid-round draft pick on a quarterback and add a veteran, cost-effective free agent at the position, too.

The Skinny: With AJ McCarron likely to leave as a free agent, because he understandably wants to start and will probably be given that opportunity by some team, the Bengals have only Jeff Driskel on the roster as a backup to starting quarterback Andy Dalton. Remember, Driskel is working his way back from a broken left arm suffered in the final week of practice when he was playing wide receiver.

The Bengals are committed to Dalton as a starter, which means they aren't likely to spend a first-round or second-round pick on a quarterback. However, it wouldn't hurt to spend a one of the five picks between rounds 3-5 on one, and even add a veteran (low-priced) free agent for depth.

I addressed some mid-round possibilities in MockDraft 13.0 a couple of weeks ago.

Whether you like it or not the Bengals are still high on Dalton.

"We feel very confident and comfortable with Andy Dalton as our starting quarterback," Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said this past Wednesday at the NFL Combine. "We feel good about what Andy's done. Andy's been able to play at the top of the league in the past. We've got to play better around him. We've got to support him with a better running game, better pass protection, and he's got to make more explosive plays down the field. That's part of the wideouts' job, part of the tight ends' job and part him. We've got to connect on those long plays, and Andy's going to work on that, and has been working on it. The sky's the limit for Andy in our opinion. You don’t have to look very far around the league to see teams that don’t have a guy and what that does to them. Do we feel good about Andy Dalton? Yeah, he’s in the prime of his career and we feel good about him."

There's nothing to say that a mid-round pick can't develop into a starting quarterback and eventually push Dalton in a couple of years, and the team is high on Driskel's potential. Whatever veteran they might add is for emergency purposes only.

3. Make the right business decisions by letting a couple of veterans go.

The Skinny: The Bengals are loyal with veterans to a fault, especially those still under contract. But they can clear some extra cap space by letting go of a couple whose careers are quickly fading, most notably defensive end Michael Johnson and wide receiver Brandon LaFell.

The 31-year-old Johnson has one year left on his contract and is due to make a base salary of $4.5 million and roster/workout bonuses of another $500,000. The Bengals would absorb a cap hit of $1.125 million if they cut him. That's a huge savings, especially because Johnson is no longer a productive player and because the Bengals need to start working on extensions for Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins.

LaFell is due to make $2.5 million in base salary and another $1.5 million in roster/workout bonuses. The Bengals would absorb a cap hit of $1 million if they cut him.

If John Ross returns healthy and lives up to the potential that made him a first-round pick in 2017 and Tyler Boyd plays the way he did as a rookie and at the end of last season then LaFell is a fourth wide receiver at best. The Bengals already have plenty of those on the roster that are cheaper and they can always draft a wide receiver, too.

The decision on cornerback Adam Jones is a little tougher. He is still a productive player when healthy, although he has slipped a bit the last couple of years. But I'm not sure he starts ahead of William Jackson III, Dre Kirkpatrick or nickel cornerback Darqueze Dennard. A team can never have enough good cornerbacks and Jones is still a very capable player. Nonetheless, he is due to make $5.78 million in base salary and roster/workout bonuses if the team picks up his option by March 14, while the cap hit is only $666,668 if they don't. Is it worth keeping him around when the savings could be used for a more productive player elsewhere?

2. Try to add a quality linebacker and/or safety in free agency.

The Skinny: The Bengals were a mess at linebacker last season, and they enter the 2018 season with only Vontaze Burfict and Nick Vigil as starters they can count on-- and Burfict can't stay healthy while Vigil was only average at best.

Middle linebacker Kevin Minter wasn't very good and he will likely be allowed to leave as a free agent.

That leaves the Bengals in need of adding at least one starting linebacker, and instead of it being a stop-gap guy like Minter or Karlos Dansby or A.J. Hawk, it's time to wade into free agency for a higher-caliber player at the position who can be more a long-term solution. Local product Preston Brown (Northwest High School) comes to mind. He has been a productive middle linebacker for the Buffalo Bills and is only 25.

The Bengals should also spend at least one draft pick on a linebacker anywhere from the first round to the fifth round.

The team already tried to add a veteran safety when they had discussions with Kurt Coleman, but he opted to sign with the New Orleans Saints.

Starting safeties George Iloka and Shawn Williams are both under contract through the 2020 season, and both are solid, but neither is a playmaker.

Coleman's price tag was probably a little too high (he signed a three-year, $18 million deal with at least $6 million guaranteed), but there are a lot of safeties on the free agent market so there is probably a cost-efficient option who will be available.

If they don't land a safety in free agency the Bengals will have to draft one, but the problem is there aren't a lot of good ones from the third round and below and it's unlikely they spend a first-round or second-round pick on one.

1. Add at least one tackle and one interior linemen in free agency or spend high draft picks on both.

The Skinny: There was some encouraging performances from young guards Christian Westerman and Kyle Redmond at the end of last season and the team hasn't given up on tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher. That doesn't mean the team is set on the offensive line either.

There is also the issue of center Russell Bodine being a free agent, and good or bad he has started all 64 games over the last four seasons.

"I think he’s got lot of great qualities," new offensive lineback Frank Pollak said of Bodine this past week at the Combine. "The whole free-agent stuff, hopefully things work out and I’ll be coaching him. I’m excited to work with him and he knows that. I see a lot of qualities he can build on and continue to grow and improve as a player, no doubt."

If the Bengals don't re-sign him they will have go after a free agent center and/or take one early in the draft as well.

I'm not sure I would overspend on a free agent tackle, but I would spend the 12th overall pick on one, because the Bengals are probably going to have their choice of one they can plug and play immediately.

Clint Boling played well in his brieft stint at left tackle last season and could be an option there again, but if the Bengals can get a quality left tackle with that 12th pick then Boling could move back to guard or even battle it out with Fisher (and even Ogbuehi) for the right tackle spot.

 

http://local12.com/sports/bengals/5-things-bengals-should-do-over-next-two-months-to-improve-in-2018

 

 
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