Postdraft roster outlook

[T-Dub]

49 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

You don't pay depth players 12.6 mil. The shame of it is that Jonah has a fully guaranteed contract so even if they just cut him, they still owe him 12.6 mil. If it wasn't guaranteed, they would just release him. Because of the contract the only way out is to trade him or keep him. They just had a great chance to trade him ahead of the draft. But now, teams feel optimistic about their late round guys and have their beer goggles on. Maybe they can swing a trade during camp if another team's LT goes down but most teams can't take on Jonah's contract at this point. So the Bengals would have to eat some of his salary. That's probably the real obstacle at team HQ. They just don't want to do it even if it benefits the team. 

 

It's exactly the sort of reasoning that holds them back. That 12 mil is gone, there is no option where they get the money back. It's a nonfactor. They don't get the draft pick back either.

 

The choices are give the RT job to a player that sucks, or don't. That's it.

[UncleEarl]

6 hours ago, T-Dub said:

 

It's exactly the sort of reasoning that holds them back. That 12 mil is gone, there is no option where they get the money back. It's a nonfactor. They don't get the draft pick back either.

 

The choices are give the RT job to a player that sucks, or don't. That's it.

 

While I'm not excited about Williams at RT, just tossing him to the curb isn't smart.  You can't count on Collins or Carman at this point.  Unless another team makes an offer they can't refuse, the Bengals need as many options as possible going into camp.  That includes Williams.  Like you said, the $12M is spent.  They may need the guy at RT or even as a backup. 

 

As far as motivation goes Williams is playing for a job somewhere other than Cincinnati in 2024.  There is a lot to criticize about the guy's play, but his work ethic hasn't been questioned to this point.

[claptonrocks]

34 minutes ago, UncleEarl said:

 

While I'm not excited about Williams at RT, just tossing him to the curb isn't smart.  You can't count on Collins or Carman at this point.  Unless another team makes an offer they can't refuse, the Bengals need as many options as possible going into camp.  That includes Williams.  Like you said, the $12M is spent.  They may need the guy at RT or even as a backup. 

 

As far as motivation goes Williams is playing for a job somewhere other than Cincinnati in 2024.  There is a lot to criticize about the guy's play, but his work ethic hasn't been questioned to this point.

Agree.

You can never have enough  olinemen that can be of value.

 

I see it as may the best man win with the others as valuable depth.

 

 

 

[membengal]

Last year the eagles benched former first round tackle Andre Dillard - he started the year as a backup. They didn’t cut or trade him. Just had $11 million or so in his contract chilling on the sidelines.

 

Then, when injuries hit mid-year, they plugged him in at guard and he helped them to the Super Bowl. Dillard signed a three year $29 million contract with the Titans in this years free agency period.
 

There’s precedent for this should Carman beat out Jonah. Or should collins make it back mid-year and displace him. 
 

as collins himself said- depth is a must. 

[PatternMaster]

On 4/30/2023 at 12:42 AM, MichaelWeston said:

As of 11pm on day 3 of the draft we have 5 roster spots to go. 

 

QB: It wouldn't be absurd for Browning to take over as the primary backup but they certainly will add to the room. They had Trevor Siemian in for a visit, Brandon Allen is still a free agent and you have wildcards like Teddy Bridgewater and AJ McCarron who just lit up the XFL. 

 

RB: I expected more juice here. I don't mind Brown but he wasn't on my list of potential RB targets and that list had 15 people on it. Ezekial Elliott reportedly wanted to play here and I wouldn't object to that. The list of Free Agent RBs isn't short (Fournette-McKinnon-Hunt-Murray-Drake.) but the list of guys who complement the current room is. They signed Jacob Saylors from ETSU who seems like a fun undersized scatback/return guy and Calvin Tyler from Utah St but both just seem like camp bodies. I like Williams but this is his 5th year and he hasn't made an impact. I like Evans but he essentially got benched this year. A room of Mixon-Brown-Williams-Evans isn't exciting. I don't think it would happen but a Jonah Williams for Michael Carter and Jeremy Ruckert trade sure would be interesting for both teams. 

 

WR: The additions of Jones and Iosivas were a bit of a surprise but with only Chase officially signed (Higgins should be back) for 2024 and beyond it made sense to add bodies and speed here. They also added Shed Jackson as a FA. Bo's nephew who Dane Brugler has having run a 4.27 40. The team has ties to WR Jontre Kirklin who was lighting up the XFL before a chest injury sidelined him. Kirklin played with Burrow and Chase at LSU. His story is unique because he played QB in HS, played CB his first 2 years at LSU and then was buried on the depth chart there. He blew away his pro day though. Would be another nice athlete in the mix. 

 

TE: Another position where an overhaul didn't happen. They went with the last possible potential starter by signing Irv Smith, and then re-signed Drew Sample. Mitchell Wilcox is still available should they decide to go that direction. There are a few options for move tight ends available in Dan Arnold and Hakeem Butler and Sal Canella from the XFL....but no one who stands out as being the balanced tight end they would want. The team did add Christian Trahan from Houston as a UDFA. I am surprised they didn't get a more notable UDFA with how up in the air the position is. The Jets added another TE in the draft and can't really trade Conklin or Uzomah due to contract structure. I'd call about Jeremy Ruckert. 

 

OL: No draft pick but the team probably signed the top UDFA here in Jaxson Kirkland. He started 49 career games but only 9 at LG where he played last year. Seems like a lock for the practice squad. The lack of a tackle addition likely means Jonah starts at RT this year.

 

DE: Murphy makes this a strength. 7 of the 8 DEs on the roster are signed through 2025. 

 

DT: The only addition at DT was Devonnsha Maxwell from UT Chattanooga, but he is another likely practice squad member. He had 55.5 tackles for loss and 37.5 sacks in his 5 year career. For a team that was looking for a rotational 3T he is at least interesting. 

 

LB: Tobin and his staff seem to know how to find UDFAs at WR and LB and he looks to have done it again. Duke's Shaka Heyward  was a team captain with 340 career tackles, a 4.53 40 and 629 special teams snaps. He should be in the mix on the practice squad. The team also added Jaylen Moody who played 65 games for Alabama and 881 special team snaps. They know how they like to fill out the back of the room and do a great job with it. Just re-sign Wilson and backfill with UDFAs. 

 

S: Battle in the 3rd likely solidifies the 5 man group at Safety even if you don't really know how snaps will play out. They also added Larry Brooks from Tulane as a UDFA. He had 9 interceptions over his career. 

 

CB: The team added a future starter in DJ Turner and some athletic depth in DJ Ivey. I think he faces an uphill climb to make the roster. Would have liked for them to add at a different position. 

 

QB	Burrow 25	Browning 25					2
RB	Mixon 25	Brown 27	Williams 24	Evans 25	Tyler	Saylors	6
WR	Chase 26	Irwin 24	Iosivas 27	Jackson			4
WR	Higgins 24	Morgan 24	Lassiter 25				3
WR	Boyd 24	Jones 27	Taylor 24				3
TE	Smith 24	Sample 24	Asiasi 24	Hudson 25	Bowers 25	Trahan	6
LT	Brown 27	Carman 25	Smith 25	Cochran 25			4
LG	Volson 26	Kirkland	Gilliam 25				3
C	Karras 25	Hill 25	Brown 24				3
RG	Cappa 26	Scharping 24					2
RT	Williams 24	Collins 25	Ford 24	Adeniji 24			4
K	McPherson 25						1
P	Robbins 27	Chrisman 24					2
LS	Adomitis 24						1
LE	Hubbard 26	Murphy 27	Sample 25	Basham 24			4
LT	Reader 24	Tupou 24	Tufele 25	Davis 25			4
RT	Hill 25	Carter 26	Maxwell				3
RE	Hendrickson 25	Ossai 25	Gunter 26	Johnson 25			4
WLB	Wilson 24	Bachie 24					2
MLB	Pratt 26	Heyward	Moody				3
SLB	Davis-Gaither 24	Bailey 24	Jones 25	Carney 25			4
S	Scott 26	Battle 27	Thomas 24	Wilson 24			4
S	Hill 27	Anderson 27	Corker 25	Brooks			4
CB	Awuzie 24	Turner 27	Tell 25				3
CB	Taylor-Britt 26	Jones 24	George 24				3
CB	Hilton 25	Davis 25	Ivey 27				3
							85

 

Good work sir, thanks for your efforts

[Jamie_B]

6 hours ago, UncleEarl said:

 

While I'm not excited about Williams at RT, just tossing him to the curb isn't smart.  You can't count on Collins or Carman at this point.  Unless another team makes an offer they can't refuse, the Bengals need as many options as possible going into camp.  That includes Williams.  Like you said, the $12M is spent.  They may need the guy at RT or even as a backup. 

 

As far as motivation goes Williams is playing for a job somewhere other than Cincinnati in 2024.  There is a lot to criticize about the guy's play, but his work ethic hasn't been questioned to this point.

 

 

This. 

 

If Williams wins the job great, if he gets beat and we pay 12 mil to a backup, sure it's not ideal, but after watching us lose the AFCC with 3 backup linemen last year, having a 12 mil dollar backup for a year to get us over the hump, not one person will complain if it helps us win a SB.

[dex]

3 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

 

 

This. 

 

If Williams wins the job great, if he gets beat and we pay 12 mil to a backup, sure it's not idea, but after watching us lose the AFCC with 3 backup linemen last year, having a 12 mil dollar backup for a year to get us over the hump, not one person will complain if it helps us win a SB.

I suspect Williams will plenty next season, but either way an experienced OT figures to get enough in his FA contract to bring the Bengals a comp pick. I wish we had had a couple in this year's draft.

[T-Dub]

What bothers me is that none of these potential RTs have shown any indication they can play the position worth a damn. Williams was a bad LT. Carman has barely seen the field. Collins hasn't been healthy in years.

 

It's a competition to see who is the least worst. That seems negligent.

 

If it turns out that RT isn't the weak spot on the OL I'll be happy to admit I was wrong but they're gambling with a SB window at this point. No effort to improve that spot at all?

[sparky151]

I'd rather start Carman with Collins as a 7 mil backup than keep Jonah around as a 12 mil backup. We had plenty of time to trade Jonah and his value was highest to other teams in late March and April before the draft.  An experienced, middle of the pack starting LT is worth a midround pick. In 2021 Jonah was our best player on a bad O-line. In 2022 Jonah was nearly our worst O-line player, partly due to his kneecap problems and upgrades elsewhere. The team correctly leaped at the chance to replace him with OBJ but dropped the ball on the associated move of finding him a new team who would compensate us. 

 

He's not very physical and had below average strength for a left tackle. He's out of his depth at RT. His technique is ok but his physical gifts are limited.