2023 Free Agency thread

[Jamie_B]

10 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

But you just got done saying “did we have the money for it”? 
 

Where is it all going then? Every last pundit has stated—including the internet variety here—that nothing happens until #9 gets his. 

 

We aern't giving ALL the money to Joe.

 

They literally just gave Pratt a raise. 

[BengalFanInTO]

1 hour ago, sparky151 said:

 

That seems nuts to me. Bell was good in coverage last year and the year before. Bell is the brains in our secondary and more valuable than Pratt. 

I like Bell. He’s a good veteran. Smart guy and a leader. I’d rather have him than let him leave, especially at the price he got. I’m not keen on replacing both safeties in the same year.

 

But, Pratt is two years younger and one of the best cover LBs in the league. A rare commodity. I feel like he’s just coming in to his own and the LB group is stronger than it’s been in a very long time. Pratt is also a very smart player and wore the green dot when Wilson was out. He’s a sure tackler and is super steady.

 

So, yes, I’d take Pratt over Bell given the option. It’s the first day of free agency and there’s still lots of options out there.
 

Unfortunately we knew there would be some losses. It’s unfortunately the nature of the league as your team matures and oddly a sign of being an above average team.

 

Who knows. Let’s hope the Bengals do another good job in free agency this offseason and impress us just when we’re starting to doubt them.

[happyrid]

33 minutes ago, BengalFanInTO said:

I like Bell. He’s a good veteran. Smart guy and a leader. I’d rather have him than let him leave, especially at the price he got. I’m not keen on replacing both safeties in the same year.

 

But, Pratt is two years younger and one of the best cover LBs in the league. A rare commodity. I feel like he’s just coming in to his own and the LB group is stronger than it’s been in a very long time. Pratt is also a very smart player and wore the green dot when Wilson was out. He’s a sure tackler and is super steady.

 

So, yes, I’d take Pratt over Bell given the option. It’s the first day of free agency and there’s still lots of options out there.
 

Unfortunately we knew there would be some losses. It’s unfortunately the nature of the league as your team matures and oddly a sign of being an above average team.

 

Who knows. Let’s hope the Bengals do another good job in free agency this offseason and impress us just when we’re starting to doubt them.

 

Fair points. Pratt is coming off of a strong season.

 

I think the case for Bell over Pratt for me was:

 

-Pratt played around 75% of the snaps last year and Bell played 100%

-Bell could have helped ease in Hill as a young starter

-There are more answers at LB on the roster than there are at Safety. True #1 in Logan Wilson and guys like Akiem Davis-Gaither and others (Bailey, Bachie) who have looked pretty good and have been in the system for a while. 

 

But if they can get a solid starter for $5M or something at Safety, I guess maybe it will all work out in the end. 

 

[MichaelWeston]

Losing Bell really hurts. I can't imagine that this was the plan. We had a ready to go replacement for Pratt in ADG and have nothing behind Bell. 

 

Beachum and Oliver are gone. 

 

QB

-Whats Darnold doing going to the niners? Is Lance getting traded?

-The Saints let go of their entire DL and signed David Carr and gave Winston up to 8 million to back him up? I don't get their team building. Stop pushing money into the future. Trade off assets, get the first overall pick and restart the franchise. What are they doing?

RB

Nothing has happened

WR

Nothing has happened

TE

That Josh Oliver 3 year 21 million dollar deal was a gut punch. If we have to pay 6-7 million per to keep Hurst I would do it, but I am not sure the Bengals will. 

If Hurst should go here is a list

 

 

TE	Age	Overall	Receiving	Pass Block	Run Block	Snaps	Starts 2022/Career	stats
Hooper-Titans	29	68.8	74.6	24.2	46.7	525	2/59	41-444-2
Schultz-Cowboys	27	68.3	67.8	51.1	65.9	938	15/51	57-577-5
Moreau-Raiders	26	61.1	69.7	72	40.8	745	14/34	33-420-2
Gesicki-Dolphins	28	60.5	62.2	54.9	42.3	505	1/31	32-362-5
Tonyan-Pacs	29	57.7	60.5	35.3	46.3	591	3/18	53-470-2
Akins-Texans	31	72.4	74.3	61.3	51.6	406	3/26	37-495-5
Smith-Vikings	25	56.4	56.4	44.4	56.2	289	1/15	25-182-2
Howard-Texans	28	56.2	62.6	47.5	49.4	310	10/56	10-145-2
Brate-Bucs	32	53.2	54.4	79.1	51.1	374	1/33	20-174-0

C/G

Lots of options left for a backup C/G

T

We don't have a starting RT. I hope they don't wait until the draft. Beachum is gone but Eluemunor is still there. Fleming and Nijman are also options. 

DT/DE

There is an enormous amount of people available still at DT and DE

LB

I assume we won't be taking one

S

Bell is gone. Does Hill play FS or SS now?

 

S	Age	Overall	Run D	Pass Rush	Coverage	Snaps	Starts 2022/Career	stats
Free Safety
Rapp-Rams	25	76.2	82.3	65.6	72.9	976	16/48	92-2fl-1h-1fr-6pd-2int	524fs-257 Box-168 slot-82.1
Harmon-Raiders	32	72.3	59.8	53.8	77.6	1076	16/78	86-5pd-2ff-2int	729FS-237 Box-70.2
Thornhill-Chiefs	28	71.8	62.5	67.9	74.7	1170	16/52	71-4fl-2h-1s-9pd	702 FS-156 Slot-145 Box 83.7
Love-Giants	25	66.7	55.5	68.9	70.9	1133	16/32	124-6fl-1h-1s-1fr-1ff-5pd-2int	494 fs-271 box-154 slot-97
Elliott-Lions	26	66.5	66.5	65.6	64.1	859	13/35	96-5fl-3h-1fr-1ff-3pd	364FS-279box-124Slot-92.5
Gardner-Johnson-Eagles	25	66.2	54.7	72.4	67.8	872	12/43	67-5fl-2h-1s-8pd-6int	393fs-166 box-153 slot-87.4
Poyer-Bills	32	65.7	70	59.4	62.7	886	12/101	63-4tfl-8pd-4int	423FS-203 Box
Jackson-Broncos	35	64.5	71.3	56.7	60.9	1137	17/95	94-2h-3pd-2fr	768 FS-196 Box-164 slot-116.1
Johnson-Browns	29	62.8	56.4	62.1	66.6	1056	17/80	101-4fl-2hi-.5s-2fr-2ff-4pd	689 fs-250 box-102 slot 77.7
Adderley-Chargers	26	62.2	43.7	53.3	68.2	884	15/44	62-1fl-1ff-4pd-2int	520 fs-191 box-161 slot
McCain-Commanders	30	61.4	60.4	58.2	69.5	970	16/87	76-3fl-1h-1ff-5pd	404 Slot-353 FS-195 box 102.7	Anarumo-Miami
Strong Safety
Amos-Pacs	30	54.2	69.7	60.7	46.8	977	17/122	102-7fl-2h-1s-1fr-5pd-1int	443 FS-370 Box 140 slot 123.8
Scott-Rams	28	54.2	77	60	43.4	984	16/17	86-1fl-2ff-5pd-2int	635 fs-232 box-111 slot 106.5
Owens-Texans	28	48.3	45.9	61.4	49	970	17/19	125-1h-1s-4pd	576 FS-215 box-115 slot 124.8
McLeod-Colts	33	80.1	66.8	60.6	85.3	1034	15/138	96-8fl-1fr-8pd-1int	527Box-290FS-174slot-94.8
Wilson-Cowboys	28	71.3	74.6	85.3	65.9	1102	17/30	101-7fl-9h-5s-2ff-1fr-2pd-1int	404 Box-357 fs-99slot 84.2
Edmunds-Stealers	26	69.1	63.4	77.2	68	886	15/75	70-3fl-2h-2s-5pd	322 Box-254fs-195slot

CB

It's complicated in an Anarumo defensive backfield. I think that Apple is back after losing both Safeties. 

[MichaelWeston]

#Cardinals signed Kelvin Beachum to two-year, $5.15 million deal, including $3.26M gtd, $2.095 million signing bonus, salaries $1.165 million (gtd), $1.21 million, annual $20,000 per game active roster bonus, $1.45M playtime incentive 2024

[claptonrocks]

8 hours ago, Jamie_B said:

 

Taylor Rapp.

Young good and his talent is ascending...

[claptonrocks]

32 minutes ago, MichaelWeston said:

#Cardinals signed Kelvin Beachum to two-year, $5.15 million deal, including $3.26M gtd, $2.095 million signing bonus, salaries $1.165 million (gtd), $1.21 million, annual $20,000 per game active roster bonus, $1.45M playtime incentive 2024

Bengals could have matched that .

Guess his age was. a factor..

[PatternMaster]

7 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

Bengals could have matched that .

Guess his age was. a factor..

Or the fact that he sucks...we have young guys that need to develop not pay some washed up guy to take up a roster spot.

[PatternMaster]

Three guys I love to see the Bengals go after are CB Rock Ya-Sin, S Nasir Adderly, and RT Kaleb McGary. That would fill big holes in the roster before the draft. 

 

All 3 guys are young and have good football left to play. 

[MichaelWeston]

14 minutes ago, PatternMaster said:

Or the fact that he sucks...we have young guys that need to develop not pay some washed up guy to take up a roster spot.

If you like PFF scores at all Beachum would have been our highest rated tackle and actually overall lineman. 

 

T	Age	Overall	Pass Block	Run Block	Snaps	Starts 2022/Career
Beachum-Cardinals	34	70.6	76.4	59.6	1178	17/147
Smith-Bengals	25	68.2	70.1	64.1	15	0/1
Williams-Bengals	25	61	62.8	51	1131	16/42
Carman-Bengals	23	58.3	67.2	48.9	172	0/6
Collins-Bengals	30	57.9	44.2	73.5	951	15/86
Adeniji-Bengals	25	46.9	36.2	58.9	418	1/15

[saphead]

23 minutes ago, PatternMaster said:

Three guys I love to see the Bengals go after are CB Rock Ya-Sin, S Nasir Adderly, and RT Kaleb McGary. That would fill big holes in the roster before the draft. 

 

All 3 guys are young and have good football left to play. 

 

God I hope we sign Rock Ya-Sin just for the fun I could have with his name in the game day threads every time he makes a mistake. Please make this happen. 

[UncleEarl]

12 hours ago, sparky151 said:

 

That seems nuts to me. Bell was good in coverage last year and the year before. Bell is the brains in our secondary and more valuable than Pratt. 

 

Pratt is younger and on his second contract.  Bell is on his third.  Makes a difference. 

 

I'm disappointed to lose Bell, but lets see how they replace him before we grab the torches and pitchforks.

[Jamie_B]

2 minutes ago, UncleEarl said:

 

Pratt is younger and on his second contract.  Bell is on his third.  Makes a difference. 

 

I'm disappointed to lose Bell, but lets see how they replace him before we grab the torches and pitchforks.

 

 

It does fit the Bengals m/o

[UncleEarl]

11 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

But you just got done saying “did we have the money for it”? 
 

Where is it all going then? Every last pundit has stated—including the internet variety here—that nothing happens until #9 gets his. 

 

Except Gemaine Pratt. 

[Le Tigre]

2 minutes ago, UncleEarl said:

 

Except Gemaine Pratt. 

He got—comparatively—peanuts. One would expect whomever they decide to bring in during the erstwhile FA period, will be the same level of peanuts. 
 

 

[Le Tigre]

8 minutes ago, UncleEarl said:

but lets see how they replace him

It’s all but a guarantee, that whomever comes in going forward—FA or Draft—will be the greatest addition in the history of additions. 

[UncleEarl]

4 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

It’s all but a guarantee, that whomever comes in going forward—FA or Draft—will be the greatest addition in the history of additions. 

 

Dude...you having a bad week?  When I'm saying you're insanely negative that's saying something.

[UncleEarl]

7 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

He got—comparatively—peanuts. One would expect whomever they decide to bring in during the erstwhile FA period, will be the same level of peanuts. 
 

 

If the Bengals got Pratt on the cheap, kudos to them! 

[UncleEarl]

One of the things to realize is that in the age of analytics many front offices use that information to create profiles of players they do and do not want to sign.  Age, games played, etc. are some of those analytics.  We've discussed how the Bengals seem to shy away from third contracts unless on the cheap.  Makes some sense.  I expect they have data to support those actions. 

 

It will be interesting to see if we can notice any pattern over the next few years.

[Jamie_B]

22 minutes ago, UncleEarl said:

 

Dude...you having a bad week?  When I'm saying you're insanely negative that's saying something.

 

I remember people being upset when they let Carl Lawson go, hell I was bothered they let WJ3 go.

 

Both were the right decisions.

 

Maybe the Bengals finally should be given at least a little bit of the benefit of the doubt? 

[I_C_Deadpeople]

38 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

 

 

 

Maybe the Bengals finally should be given at least a little bit of the benefit of the doubt? 

Indeed. They deserved the bashing in the past but they now deserve the benefit of the doubt based on how they have built the roster over the past few seasons. Not perfect but a complete reversal of the past. 

[sparky151]

11 hours ago, MichaelWeston said:

#Cardinals signed Kelvin Beachum to two-year, $5.15 million deal, including $3.26M gtd, $2.095 million signing bonus, salaries $1.165 million (gtd), $1.21 million, annual $20,000 per game active roster bonus, $1.45M playtime incentive 2024

 

Good lord, the Bengals should have been all over that. Beachum is old but solid and played better than Williams or Collins last year. 

[Le Tigre]

2 hours ago, UncleEarl said:

 

Dude...you having a bad week?  When I'm saying you're insanely negative that's saying something.

I’m OK..thanks for asking. It would take a whole lot more than how much money already filthy rich entertainers are going to make into the future, to create even a blip on my personal radar.

 

As far as negativity is concerned, I have the benefit of many decades of hearing the “let’s wait until..” excuses. It’s not so much negativity, as it is a recognition that this whole game of off-season musical chairs will almost always leave this franchise without one. Based on absolute necessity, they made multiple moves in recent years—and most of them hit. Necessity can truly be the Mother of Invention as the saying goes.

 

It is predictable that, after seeing what they can do, they head back to “build through the draft”—a euphemism for taking swings at production under the safe harbor of “cheap” rookie deals. At the moment when they are at the brink of maybe/actually winning a SB—when all chips should be shoved to the middle of the table—they retreat back to the old standard. The main difference today, is the pathological obsession with their Quarterback’s need to be the highest paid player in NFL History 

 

Yeah, metrics..the universal answer for life itself…may decide to interrupt the regularly scheduled programming, but the historical examples are perhaps even more to be considered.  

 

 

 

[spicoli]

8 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

It would take a whole lot more than how much money already filthy rich entertainers are going to make into the future, to create even a blip on my personal radar.

Yeah, obviously. 

[spicoli]

If the Bengals want to win, they have to keep Burrow. In order to keep Burrow, they’re going to have to make him the highest paid player in the league. This doesn’t seem that hard to figure out.