Cincinnati Bengals 2024 Free Agent Predictions

[Arkansas Bengal]

 

 

Jeff Dean/Getty Images

 

The 2023 NFL season isn’t over yet, but the Cincinnati Bengals have an important 2024 offseason to start looking at. With 19 players set to be free agents, including valuable starters like DJ Reader, and Tee Higgins, along with some contract extensions looming, decisions are of the utmost importance. The Bengals currently are projected to have $85,700,623 to work with in cap space, with that in mind, here is an early look at how I think the Bengals will address their players set to be free agents.

 

Tee Higgins- Franchise Tag

Starting off with Higgins, he will more than likely be franchise tagged as he is the free agent with the most value and ability to garner trade interest. While Higgins has certainly made his impact felt over his career with 3,356 yards and 21 touchdowns over 242 receptions, his injury history is a bit of a concern. With not playing an entire season since his rookie year, the reliability looms, especially with the contract Higgins will most likely be looking for. While it would be great to keep Higgins in Cincinnati with Joe Burrow, the most likely outcome will be a tag and trade of Higgins.

 

Chidobe Awuzie- Go

The Awuzie signing in 2021 was a great one for a Bengals defense that needed that boost at the cornerback position. Unfortunately, after suffering his ACL injury in 2022, since returning Awuzie has not looked like the same player. This season he has seen 30 targets allowing 20 receptions for 242 yards, an average of 12.1 yards per reception, and two touchdowns while creating only one pass breakup. With the investment the Bengals have made already in the cornerback position through the draft with guys like Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner, it is more than likely that they turn to those two as the future now. 

 

Tyler Boyd- Re-sign 

As players approach 30, the Bengals don’t typically re-sign them. But for the caliber of player Boyd has been over his career, I think an exception could be made. While Boyd has had a few crucial drops this season in critical moments, he still only has three on the season, which for reference, in 2019 he had seven. Boyd is still the top third receiver in the NFL, and with Charlie Jones not exactly being healthy enough yet to prove he can take over the slot role that is extremely crucial, Boyd coming back is a real possibility. Not only that, but with a career 5,994 yards and 32 touchdowns over 517 receptions, Boyd is someone that should be looked at as finishing out his career in Cincinnati even on a veteran minimum.

 

Jonah Williams– Re-sign 

What a difference a year makes. Now, whether Williams agrees or not to take the extension and play right tackle is one thing, but it’s an offer the Bengals should absolutely make. Williams on the right side has made a pivotal impact, allowing just six sacks and 27 pressures total. The six sacks may seem alarming, but considering last season he allowed 13 sacks and 45 pressures, this season has been improved, and it’s just his first season there at the NFL level. Keeping some sort of stability on the line for Burrow going into next year will be something the Bengals should look to establish, especially at the tackle spot.

 

DJ Reader- Go

This was more of a difficult one to decide. As it stands right now, the Bengals should truly make an effort to bring Reader back. Look at typical trends, the Bengals like to draft for the future and have players waiting in the wings to take over for starters. For example; Dax Hill being drafted and learning from Jessie Bates, Cam Taylor-Britt and Eli Apple is another recent example. The Bengals draft for the future and right now behind Reader is Josh Tupo and Jay Tufele, not quite ideal. Unless the Bengals are able to go out in free agency and get another defensive tackle, which will be looked at in an upcoming article, Reader already knowing the defensive scheme and team makes his re-signing ideal. Unfortunately, the market for Reader will be a popular one, one that might just out price the Bengals just as it did for Vonn Bell last offseason. With that in mind Cincinnati will most likely be looking for a new starting caliber defensive tackle. 

 

Other Free Agents:

-Irv Smith: Go

-Josh Tupo: Re-sign 

-Max Scharping: Re-sign 

-Trayveon Williams: Re-sign

-Drew Sample: Re-sign 

-Joe Bachie: Go

-Cody Ford: Go

-Mitchell Wilcox: Go

-Akeem Davis-Gather: Re-sign

-Trenton Irwin: Re-sign

-Cal Adomitis: Re-sign

-Markus Bailey: Re-sign

-Jake Browning: Go

-Devin Cochran: Re-sign

 

https://twsn.net/2023/12/cincinnati-bengals-2024-free-agent-predictions?fbclid=IwAR2cUiiPV1GB5dCNm4R4FjYzIeUccRHQ515ZPQbWXlEBVo04M_2HvTDv148

[Jamie_B]

Switch out Jonah and DJ

 

I'm also for letting Davis Gaither go, he's a JAG that can't stay healthy 

[I_C_Deadpeople]

7 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

Switch out Jonah and DJ

 

I'm also for letting Davis Gaither go, he's a JAG that can't stay healthy 

Jonah vs. Reader will no doubt be THE big debate over the off-season. It may depend on which one wants to stay here under a 'team friendly (but fair)' contract or if they want to play the filed and get the highest amount. Alos, Jonah, may want to go somewhere to play LT.

 

Gaither will probably garner little interest, so we should be able to sign him for a reasonable amount. 

[Jamie_B]

1 minute ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

Jonah vs. Reader will no doubt be THE big debate over the off-season. It may depend on which one wants to stay here under a 'team friendly (but fair)' contract or if they want to play the filed and get the highest amount. Alos, Jonah, may want to go somewhere to play LT.

 

Gaither will probably garner little interest, so we should be able to sign him for a reasonable amount. 

 

We have Wilson for 4 years and Pratt for 3, I'd like to get another LB that can maybe slide into Pratt's spot when he goes. 

 

Jonnah for me is a good RT except when he is facing top end DEs, the problem is we have the Ravens who lead the league in sacks, and Garret and Watt, in this division. I have no illusions that a rookie will come in and do better, but I'm not sure long term it would be worse (or at least I hope)? It's kind of the devil you know vs the one you don't. The other question, aside from what you point out does he want to play RT or LT, is with how the front office didn't even contact him in the offseason might be a issue in getting him to sign this season.

 

I agree re: Reader, I really want him around for a short term deal (thinking 3 years). I might even pay him what he is worth for that short term, but I'm not sure I do a longer deal.

[T-Dub]

Hey guys Jonah "only" allowed 6 sacks from the right side with his QB running for his life every snap! Who cares if he also got that MVP QB knocked out for the year? Jonah has improved kind of I guess and that's the main thing, right? That he tried? We don't need a running game anyway.

 

JFC. "Maybe not always as bad as expected" is not a reason to bring him back!

[Shebengal]

1 hour ago, Jamie_B said:

I agree re: Reader, I really want him around for a short term deal (thinking 3 years). I might even pay him what he is worth for that short term, but I'm not sure I do a longer deal.

I know we can only franchise tag one player, but I'm wondering if it would be cheaper to tag Reader than Higgins? Sign Higgins this year and work on a contract for Reader for the year after next. 

 

Just a thought. Both are important to keep if we can. 

[Jamie_B]

3 minutes ago, Shebengal said:

I know we can only franchise tag one player, but I'm wondering if it would be cheaper to tag Reader than Higgins? Sign Higgins this year and work on a contract for Reader for the year after next. 

 

Just a thought. Both are important to keep if we can. 

 

Technically the WR tag is 2 million more, but at that price it's negligible.

 

Franchise, Transition and RFA Tenders | Over the Cap

2024 Projected Franchise and Transition Tenders

Position	Franchise Tag	Transition Tag
QB	$38,032,000	$32,960,000
DE	$24,692,000	$21,302,000
LB	$23,190,000	$19,665,000
OL	$22,976,000	$20,877,000
WR	$22,917,000	$20,520,000
DT	$20,892,000	$16,725,000
CB	$19,475,000	$16,803,000
S	$18,216,000	$14,756,000
RB	$13,138,000	$10,688,000
TE	$13,082,000	$11,172,000
ST	$6,150,000	$5,576,000

[Shebengal]

2 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

 

Technically the WR tag is 2 million more, but at that price it's negligible.

 

Franchise, Transition and RFA Tenders | Over the Cap

2024 Projected Franchise and Transition Tenders

Position	Franchise Tag	Transition Tag
QB	$38,032,000	$32,960,000
DE	$24,692,000	$21,302,000
LB	$23,190,000	$19,665,000
OL	$22,976,000	$20,877,000
WR	$22,917,000	$20,520,000
DT	$20,892,000	$16,725,000
CB	$19,475,000	$16,803,000
S	$18,216,000	$14,756,000
RB	$13,138,000	$10,688,000
TE	$13,082,000	$11,172,000
ST	$6,150,000	$5,576,000

Thanks. 

[Jamie_B]

1 minute ago, Shebengal said:

Thanks. 

 

n/p

[PatternMaster]

Why would Boyd take a veteran minimum deal...he would have considerable interest in the open market. 

[Jamie_B]

3 minutes ago, PatternMaster said:

Why would Boyd take a veteran minimum deal...he would have considerable interest in the open market. 

 

He's not been the same guy this year imho, you would have thought with Tee going down he would step up, but he's been pretty average at best this year imho

[Le Tigre]

1 hour ago, T-Dub said:

Who cares if he also got that MVP QB knocked out for the year?

I confess I haven't really looked into the "who's to blame" for this injury. Have seen the "missed block gave Clowney the target" argument.

 

Also that the knockout was on the TD pass "I felt a pop".

 

And then there is the "not enough proof" angle that it was already injured. 

 

[T-Dub]

33 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

I confess I haven't really looked into the "who's to blame" for this injury. Have seen the "missed block gave Clowney the target" argument.

 

Also that the knockout was on the TD pass "I felt a pop".

 

And then there is the "not enough proof" angle that it was already injured. 

 

 

While I admit there is some doubt as to the culprit, there is little doubt that Jonah is not a very good OT.

 

The fact that we're not sure which of our shitty OL actually caused the injury this time only highlights the problem,

[PatternMaster]

1 hour ago, Jamie_B said:

 

He's not been the same guy this year imho, you would have thought with Tee going down he would step up, but he's been pretty average at best this year imho

 

He's still the most reliable WR outside of Chase and I can guarantee you he wouldn't take a vet minimum type of deal. He's one of the best slot WRs in the NFL and it would be insulting if the Bengals offered him a vet minium deal. Stanley Morgan is a vet minium type of player, not TB83. 

 

2 hours ago, T-Dub said:

Hey guys Jonah "only" allowed 6 sacks from the right side with his QB running for his life every snap! Who cares if he also got that MVP QB knocked out for the year? Jonah has improved kind of I guess and that's the main thing, right? That he tried? We don't need a running game anyway.

 

JFC. "Maybe not always as bad as expected" is not a reason to bring him back!

 

4 hours ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

Jonah vs. Reader will no doubt be THE big debate over the off-season. It may depend on which one wants to stay here under a 'team friendly (but fair)' contract or if they want to play the filed and get the highest amount. Alos, Jonah, may want to go somewhere to play LT.

 

Gaither will probably garner little interest, so we should be able to sign him for a reasonable amount. 

 

Not really a debate...Reader is much better than Jonah Williams, keep in mind Jonah got replaced and his 5th year option was not picked up. He's slightly above average at best. 

 

Reader is one of the best at his position and is a team leader, you can say he's one of the best FA signings in the history of the franchise...he deserves a new contract, he's earned it. 

[I_C_Deadpeople]

4 minutes ago, PatternMaster said:

 

He's still the most reliable WR outside of Chase and I can guarantee you he wouldn't take a vet minimum type of deal. He's one of the best slot WRs in the NFL and it would be insulting if the Bengals offered him a vet minium deal. Stanley Morgan is a vet minium type of player, not TB83. 

 

 

 

Not really a debate...Reader is much better than Jonah Williams, keep in mind Jonah got replaced and his 5th year option was not picked up. He's slightly above average at best. 

 

Reader is one of the best at his position and is a team leader, you can say he's one of the best FA signings in the history of the franchise...he deserves a new contract, he's earned it. 

I agree that Reader is a far better player. However, he is older and despite Jonah being average , he is protecting the franchise and it is hard to find even average OL. I can see it going either way. Or possibly we lose both. 
 

[T-Dub]

12 minutes ago, PatternMaster said:

 

He's still the most reliable WR outside of Chase and I can guarantee you he wouldn't take a vet minimum type of deal. He's one of the best slot WRs in the NFL and it would be insulting if the Bengals offered him a vet minium deal. Stanley Morgan is a vet minium type of player, not TB83. 

 

 

 

Not really a debate...Reader is much better than Jonah Williams, keep in mind Jonah got replaced and his 5th year option was not picked up. He's slightly above average at best.

 

He might sometimes be slightly above average as a pass blocker against average opponents. 

 

I never got the logic with his move to RT,  you replace the guy but move him to a new position as what, a consolation prize? Some kind of experiment, with your newly-minted 1/4 Billion dollar QB in the balance? Should've traded him when they had a chance. 

 

Can't tell a player they're not good enough where you've had them starting for years but hey maybe he can play TE?

[Le Tigre]

32 minutes ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

However, he is older

He’s 29. Won’t be that dreaded 30 until next November. 

[sparky151]

Bengals made a mistake last year by not trading Williams when he had market value. We could have drafted Dawand Jones and signed a stopgap veteran for insurance (unless they were counting on Collins). 

 

This time let's get it right. 

 

Here's the Sparky plan for the rest of this season and offseason.

 

First, tank hard. Get the best draft pick possible in each round. We lose tiebreakers so we'll start off in round 1 at the end of the list of teams with the same number of wins but move up in subsequent rounds. Play the kids and see if Charlie Jones or Andre Iosivas or Chase Brown can be legit NFL players. Best to know that before the offseason.

 

Second, tag Higgins and re-sign Reader to a market value deal. Let Jonah, Awuzie, Irv Smith, and Boyd walk. ADG probably wants to leave for someplace he can play more. Re-sign the cheap vets. Keep Higgins, don't trade him. This is a good WR draft so his trade value isn't very high anyway. Draft should mostly be about offense with maybe a DB and a late LB. TE, RT are needs. DT if we don't extend Reader. We need a better RB than Mixon. We can probably sign such a player as a free agent for what Joe is making.

 

A draft that starts off with Bowers in round 1 and a RT like Paul, Morgan or Sumataia would be fine. Or start with Alt, then Sanders. Or push the TE to round 3 or 4.

[Le Tigre]

That’s a great plan—if they are the 2003 Cavs…the 2013 Astros…or the 2011 Colts. 
 

“Tanking” is when the team is talentless and couldn’t win even if they were trying. Also, the CFT was investigated by the NFL a while back for being suspected of “Tanking”…with the associated threats from the league. 
 

The Bengals are not the Cavs/Astros/Colts/CFT of woebegone years. Way too much talent and way too much incentive for coaches to get wins. 
 

Losing begets losing. And no amount of “hang on for Joe” is going to alter that reality. Once the media suspects even a hint of “Tanking”—they will be all over it. Articles of players “quitting”…coaches on “hot seats”…players bolting…FA’s skeptical of coming in. It does snowball. 
 

Having a “down year” can be overcome, and if the erstwhile talent/coaches can’t make up the difference, then go into the off-season and reload. But intentional quitting for the sake of draft position and scheduling, is a dangerous gamble—and highly questionable if it becomes fact. 

[Bleeds Orange]

 

I wonder if the "Jake Browning: Go" part has changed since Monday night.

[alleycat]

Isn't Tanner Hudson an FA? 

 

He might actually be my top priority to resign. He's going to keep blossoming. 

 

Assign from the obvious priority to resign Jamarr Chase, I'd put all in-house FA's priority below getting a dominant interior DL, be it by FA, Trade, or Draft. OL (RT) would be the ONLY spot that might take precedence. 

 

Oh how I wish we took on Dawand Jones (or Tank Dell, my other crush from last year). 

[sparky151]

Hudson, Smith, Sample, and Wilcox are all out of contract after this season. It's the result of signing bottom of the barrel guys on "prove-it" deals.

 

Bengals currently have the highest paid D-line in the NFL by a wide margin. We're paying 58 mil while Chiefs are second at 45 mil. Ravens lead the league in sacks but their D-line only makes 15 mil combined. (Some of their sacks come from linebackers). 

 

Bengals have the 6th highest paid O-line. I doubt many people would say we have a top 6 O-line. 

[I_C_Deadpeople]

1 minute ago, sparky151 said:

Hudson, Smith, Sample, and Wilcox are all out of contract after this season. It's the result of signing bottom of the barrel guys on "prove-it" deals.

 

Bengals currently have the highest paid D-line in the NFL by a wide margin. We're paying 58 mil while Chiefs are second at 45 mil. Ravens lead the league in sacks but their D-line only makes 15 mil combined. (Some of their sacks come from linebackers). 

 

Bengals have the 6th highest paid O-line. I doubt many people would say we have a top 6 O-line. 

Top 7 O Line? LOL (or maybe not so funny)

 

For the TE room we rally just need to focus on Hudson and let the rest of the chips fall where they may. Smith is near useless and Sample and Wilcox are 'servicable'. No more, no less. At least Hudson shows some higher level game. 

[claptonrocks]

1 hour ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

Top 7 O Line? LOL (or maybe not so funny)

 

For the TE room we rally just need to focus on Hudson and let the rest of the chips fall where they may. Smith is near useless and Sample and Wilcox are 'servicable'. No more, no less. At least Hudson shows some higher level game. 

Any or all should be cheap signings.

[Cat]

1 hour ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

Top 7 O Line? LOL (or maybe not so funny)

 

For the TE room we rally just need to focus on Hudson and let the rest of the chips fall where they may. Smith is near useless and Sample and Wilcox are 'servicable'. No more, no less. At least Hudson shows some higher level game. 

He's just gotta stop trying to hurdle people - I cringe every time he does it.