Free Agency 2024

[Le Tigre]

It all begins (officially) at 4pm today! 

[New Jersey Bengal]

2 minutes ago, texbengal said:

i was torn on Mixon… had a great career, did a lot of good things and was a core of what they’ve built. I would have been fine had he stayed, but I did see a dip in his performance last year, at least as far as making guys miss and getting more yards that were there to be had (for a more elusive back). Like Moss… no, he’s not gonna win a ton of foot races but he’s a more decisive and sudden runner than Joe is now. He’s younger and has less tread on the tires, and is better in pass pro. He’s a pretty good receiver… maybe not as good as Joe, but I personally think overall, Moss is an upgrade. When Taylor was out last year, he showed he could carry the load as a feature back if/when called upon, and he had a very productive season. The fact that he wouldn’t start with Johnathan Taylor on the roster, who IMO is a top 5 back in the league, doesn’t mean the guy can’t play. 
 

re Gesicki, I think that’s a helluva get. He’s a much better pass receiver than anyone they’ve had a TE in a long time. He’ll make acrobatic catches, make contested catches, and can play in the slot or split wide… just a mismatch in the passing game that they haven’t had. I discount what he did in NE… Mac Jones was flat-out bad and their offense was a train wreck. That said, he can’t block for isht. But neither could Tanner Hudson, and this guy is significantly better. Burrow is gonna love using him and it opens up the offense considerably, IMO. He’ll be big on 3rd down. 
 

And a few years ago, I’d agree that Sample is a bust. But he isn’t now… had a very solid year last year, and showed a little something as a receiver and moving him around as a blocker, even in the backfield showed his versatility. 
 

I c’è rtainly can’t disagree that they haven’t upgraded the trenches which are the most glaring needs, but at DT guys like Reader, Rankins and Tart (among others) are out there… and while the OL class was/is pretty crappy, there are still a few guys out there and the draft is very strong there, especially at T. I wouldn’t even discount Jonah at this stage. 
 

So far, I’ve liked the moves they’ve made and I suspect that there are a few more coming in the trenches. So I’d give them a high B/low A for what they’ve done to address specific spots, but they have to address the OL and DL… they know that, and I believe that’s coming.

Great post

[Cricket]

58 minutes ago, texbengal said:

So far, I’ve liked the moves they’ve made and I suspect that there are a few more coming in the trenches. So I’d give them a high B/low A for what they’ve done to address specific spots, but they have to address the OL and DL… they know that, and I believe that’s coming.

Sounds like the grade should be: Incomplete…

 

…which makes sense at this point in time.  At least one of OL and DT (and preferably both) HAS to be addressed before the draft.  
 

 

[PatternMaster]

1 hour ago, texbengal said:

i was torn on Mixon… had a great career, did a lot of good things and was a core of what they’ve built. I would have been fine had he stayed, but I did see a dip in his performance last year, at least as far as making guys miss and getting more yards that were there to be had (for a more elusive back). Like Moss… no, he’s not gonna win a ton of foot races but he’s a more decisive and sudden runner than Joe is now. He’s younger and has less tread on the tires, and is better in pass pro. He’s a pretty good receiver… maybe not as good as Joe, but I personally think overall, Moss is an upgrade. When Taylor was out last year, he showed he could carry the load as a feature back if/when called upon, and he had a very productive season. The fact that he wouldn’t start with Johnathan Taylor on the roster, who IMO is a top 5 back in the league, doesn’t mean the guy can’t play. 
 

re Gesicki, I think that’s a helluva get. He’s a much better pass receiver than anyone they’ve had a TE in a long time. He’ll make acrobatic catches, make contested catches, and can play in the slot or split wide… just a mismatch in the passing game that they haven’t had. I discount what he did in NE… Mac Jones was flat-out bad and their offense was a train wreck. That said, he can’t block for isht. But neither could Tanner Hudson, and this guy is significantly better. Burrow is gonna love using him and it opens up the offense considerably, IMO. He’ll be big on 3rd down. 
 

And a few years ago, I’d agree that Sample is a bust. But he isn’t now… had a very solid year last year, and showed a little something as a receiver and moving him around as a blocker, even in the backfield showed his versatility. 
 

I c’è rtainly can’t disagree that they haven’t upgraded the trenches which are the most glaring needs, but at DT guys like Reader, Rankins and Tart (among others) are out there… and while the OL class was/is pretty crappy, there are still a few guys out there and the draft is very strong there, especially at T. I wouldn’t even discount Jonah at this stage. 
 

So far, I’ve liked the moves they’ve made and I suspect that there are a few more coming in the trenches. So I’d give them a high B/low A for what they’ve done to address specific spots, but they have to address the OL and DL… they know that, and I believe that’s coming.

 

This whole idea that Zack Moss is an upgrade over Mixon is hilarious to me because if anyone would have this a few months ago they would have been laughed off the internet, now he's a Bengal and suddenly he's better than Mixon....not buying it. Moss is a career backup who has never been the focal point of a team running game for a whole season. Mixon was a big reason why the Bengals didn't have a losing season last year, he was a consistent player and team leader and the Bengals traded him to a conference rival for a 7th-round pick...

 

 

I feel a lot of Bengals fans are trying to talk themselves into this idea that Zack Moss is an upgrade over Mixon when it's fairly obvious that he's not. He's never been better than Mixon; not in high school, college, or the NFL. He's a decent 3rd down back that can pass protect, but let's see how he handles his duties with this offensive line that is weak up the middle and suspect on the edges, a division that has 2 HOF DEs in Watt and Garrett, one of the NFLs best defenses in the Ravens, and a QB that likes to hold onto the ball while taking a ton of sacks. I think Moss will be a rotational piece that is used in passing situations and the Bengals will use Chase Brown in on the early downs, more of a platoon of RBs vs a main guy in Mixon..we will see how it shakes out, but currently, the RB position is not more talented with the loss of Mixon and addition of Moss, in my opinion.

 

As for Gesicki, I'm going to need to see what he can do before I get on board with this one. He has been a disappointment in his most recent role in NE. He was on a 1-year deal after being a 2nd round pick, that's not a good sign for a player's future. 

 

The signings of Moss and Gesicki point to a pass-happy offense as Moss's best attribute is his pass blocking and Gesicki is a pass-catching TE. We all know how Taylor hates running the ball so why run it anyway, just throw the ball 70 times a game and get Burrow maimed...again...

 

Still waiting on the RT of the future to be signed or drafted and the Bengals should also bring in serious competition for Volson if they are going pass-heavy, because Volson sucks at pass pro..

[MichaelWeston]

4 minutes ago, PatternMaster said:

 

This whole idea that Zack Moss is an upgrade over Mixon is hilarious to me because if anyone would have this a few months ago they would have been laughed off the internet, now he's a Bengal and suddenly he's better than Mixon....not buying it. Moss is a career backup who has never been the focal point of a team running game for a whole season. Mixon was a big reason why the Bengals didn't have a losing season last year, he was a consistent player and team leader and the Bengals traded him to a conference rival for a 7th-round pick...

 

 

I feel a lot of Bengals fans are trying to talk themselves into this idea that Zack Moss is an upgrade over Mixon when it's fairly obvious that he's not. He's never been better than Mixon; not in high school, college, or the NFL. He's a decent 3rd down back that can pass protect, but let's see how he handles his duties with this offensive line that is weak up the middle and suspect on the edges, a division that has 2 HOF DEs in Watt and Garrett, one of the NFLs best defenses in the Ravens, and a QB that likes to hold onto the ball while taking a ton of sacks. I think Moss will be a rotational piece that is used in passing situations and the Bengals will use Chase Brown in on the early downs, more of a platoon of RBs vs a main guy in Mixon..we will see how it shakes out, but currently, the RB position is not more talented with the loss of Mixon and addition of Moss, in my opinion.

 

As for Gesicki, I'm going to need to see what he can do before I get on board with this one. He has been a disappointment in his most recent role in NE. He was on a 1-year deal after being a 2nd round pick, that's not a good sign for a player's future. 

 

The signings of Moss and Gesicki point to a pass-happy offense as Moss's best attribute is his pass blocking and Gesicki is a pass-catching TE. We all know how Taylor hates running the ball so why run it anyway, just throw the ball 70 times a game and get Burrow maimed...again...

 

Still waiting on the RT of the future to be signed or drafted and the Bengals should also bring in serious competition for Volson if they are going pass-heavy, because Volson sucks at pass pro..

I said it months ago. Literally was my first post about RBs

[MichaelWeston]

Zach Moss is not a 3rd down back. 

[|BlackJesus|]

Rather then viewing Gesicki as a replacement for Hudson, I view him as a replacement for Boyd. 

 

I think that's because the Bengals intend to take Bowers if he's there. 

[New Jersey Bengal]

7 minutes ago, PatternMaster said:

 

This whole idea that Zack Moss is an upgrade over Mixon is hilarious to me because if anyone would have this a few months ago they would have been laughed off the internet, now he's a Bengal and suddenly he's better than Mixon....not buying it. Moss is a career backup who has never been the focal point of a team running game for a whole season. Mixon was a big reason why the Bengals didn't have a losing season last year, he was a consistent player and team leader and the Bengals traded him to a conference rival for a 7th-round pick...

 

 

I feel a lot of Bengals fans are trying to talk themselves into this idea that Zack Moss is an upgrade over Mixon when it's fairly obvious that he's not. He's never been better than Mixon; not in high school, college, or the NFL. He's a decent 3rd down back that can pass protect, but let's see how he handles his duties with this offensive line that is weak up the middle and suspect on the edges, a division that has 2 HOF DEs in Watt and Garrett, one of the NFLs best defenses in the Ravens, and a QB that likes to hold onto the ball while taking a ton of sacks. I think Moss will be a rotational piece that is used in passing situations and the Bengals will use Chase Brown in on the early downs, more of a platoon of RBs vs a main guy in Mixon..we will see how it shakes out, but currently, the RB position is not more talented with the loss of Mixon and addition of Moss, in my opinion.

 

As for Gesicki, I'm going to need to see what he can do before I get on board with this one. He has been a disappointment in his most recent role in NE. He was on a 1-year deal after being a 2nd round pick, that's not a good sign for a player's future. 

 

The signings of Moss and Gesicki point to a pass-happy offense as Moss's best attribute is his pass blocking and Gesicki is a pass-catching TE. We all know how Taylor hates running the ball so why run it anyway, just throw the ball 70 times a game and get Burrow maimed...again...

 

Still waiting on the RT of the future to be signed or drafted and the Bengals should also bring in serious competition for Volson if they are going pass-heavy, because Volson sucks at pass pro..

Gesicki played on the worst offense in the nfl last year he's no doubt a good pass catching option at TE not saying moss is great but mixons not Jim brown either 

[JC]

Bengals are taking on $2m in dead cap to not have Joe Mixon play for them all while trading him to a team that should be in the playoffs. I think that should tell you to know.

 

They didn’t need the additional cap either.

[MichaelWeston]

Just now, BlackJesus said:

Rather then viewing Gesicki as a replacement for Hudson, I view him as a replacement for Boyd. 

 

I think that's because the Bengals intend to take Bowers if he's there. 

 

Love it. 

 

I view him as a replacement for Jones who is replacing Boyd and a replacement for Irv Smith....who sucks at sports. He is a fantastic backup TE and slot who might start at TE technically. 

[|BlackJesus|]

[|BlackJesus|]

^ I would go for Armstead and Becton. (Brown is ok too). 

[MichaelWeston]

3 hours ago, Griever said:

Might need to extend a invite to Drue for another camp battle 😬

 

He has Gilliken on the list...he'd be an upgrade. 

3 hours ago, Griever said:

 

 

[Le Tigre]

18 minutes ago, PatternMaster said:

We all know how Taylor hates running the ball so why run it anyway, just throw the ball 70 times a game and get Burrow maimed...again...

Hence, the ongoing insistence that RB's are "a dime a dozen". 

[|BlackJesus|]

Nothing motivates like revenge 

 

[Jamie_B]

23 minutes ago, PatternMaster said:

 

This whole idea that Zack Moss is an upgrade over Mixon is hilarious to me because if anyone would have this a few months ago they would have been laughed off the internet, now he's a Bengal and suddenly he's better than Mixon....not buying it. Moss is a career backup who has never been the focal point of a team running game for a whole season. Mixon was a big reason why the Bengals didn't have a losing season last year, he was a consistent player and team leader and the Bengals traded him to a conference rival for a 7th-round pick...

 

 

I feel a lot of Bengals fans are trying to talk themselves into this idea that Zack Moss is an upgrade over Mixon when it's fairly obvious that he's not. He's never been better than Mixon; not in high school, college, or the NFL. He's a decent 3rd down back that can pass protect, but let's see how he handles his duties with this offensive line that is weak up the middle and suspect on the edges, a division that has 2 HOF DEs in Watt and Garrett, one of the NFLs best defenses in the Ravens, and a QB that likes to hold onto the ball while taking a ton of sacks. I think Moss will be a rotational piece that is used in passing situations and the Bengals will use Chase Brown in on the early downs, more of a platoon of RBs vs a main guy in Mixon..we will see how it shakes out, but currently, the RB position is not more talented with the loss of Mixon and addition of Moss, in my opinion.

 

As for Gesicki, I'm going to need to see what he can do before I get on board with this one. He has been a disappointment in his most recent role in NE. He was on a 1-year deal after being a 2nd round pick, that's not a good sign for a player's future. 

 

The signings of Moss and Gesicki point to a pass-happy offense as Moss's best attribute is his pass blocking and Gesicki is a pass-catching TE. We all know how Taylor hates running the ball so why run it anyway, just throw the ball 70 times a game and get Burrow maimed...again...

 

Still waiting on the RT of the future to be signed or drafted and the Bengals should also bring in serious competition for Volson if they are going pass-heavy, because Volson sucks at pass pro..

 

 

It's silly. It's what Bengals fans do every year, the "that guy we just let go sucks anyway, this new guy is the new hotness". 

 

There is a reason we only signed him for 2 years. He's a bridge RB to give us time to get a real RB in the draft. 

 

In fact I predict Mixon puts up better stats in Houston. Then we will have the Mixon haters on here talking about "Houston runs an O that is under center so Mixon is better in that type of an O, and Burrow doesn't like playing in that O".....meanwhile our Oline gave up less sacks while playing under center with Browning playing. And not one of these guys will suggest that maybe Burrow should work on getting comfortable under center, because it's alot easier to do that than replace several members of the Oline who suck at blocking when they are on an island. Because we can't have any critical talk about Burrow!!!

[MichaelWeston]

4 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

 

 

It's silly. It's what Bengals fans do every year, the "that guy we just let go sucks anyway, this new guy is the new hotness". 

 

There is a reason we only signed him for 2 years. He's a bridge RB to give us time to get a real RB in the draft. 

 

In fact I predict Mixon puts up better stats in Houston. Then we will have the Mixon haters on here talking about "Houston runs an O that is under center so Mixon is better in that type of an O, and Burrow doesn't like playing in that O".....meanwhile our Oline gave up less sacks while playing under center with Browning playing. And not one of these guys will suggest that maybe Burrow should work on getting comfortable under center, because it's alot easier to do that than replace several members of the Oline who suck at blocking when they are on an island. Because we can't have any critical talk about Burrow!!!

I really do think half the fans don't pay any attention. 

 

The team has said....all the way to Burrow that they want more explosiveness. Mixon was cooked in that area. His advanced stats showed he basically got what was blocked and broke no tackles. 

 

Moss on the other hand was not...he got more than what is blocked and was far more elusive. 

 

There is no such thing as a bridge player at RB really in the sense you are talking about it. Moss got a 2 year deal because they don't want anything to do with a RB beyond that age and mileage. 

 

It wouldn't surprise me if they drafted a RB but they certainly won't be drafting the RB of the future and Moss won't be a bridge to them. They will roll with Moss-Brown for the next 2 years with Williams and a Rookie maybe contributing. 

 

Mixon might get more yards because he might be the primary back in Houston. It's very unlikely he will have more explosive plays then Brown or Moss. 

[Jamie_B]

Just now, MichaelWeston said:

I really do think half the fans don't pay any attention. 

 

The team has said....all the way to Burrow that they want more explosiveness. Mixon was cooked in that area. His advanced stats showed he basically got what was blocked and broke no tackles. 

 

Moss on the other hand was not...he got more than what is blocked and was far more elusive. 

 

There is no such thing as a bridge player at RB really in the sense you are talking about it. Moss got a 2 year deal because they don't want anything to do with a RB beyond that age and mileage. 

 

It wouldn't surprise me if they drafted a RB but they certainly won't be drafting the RB of the future and Moss won't be a bridge to them. They will roll with Moss-Brown for the next 2 years with Williams and a Rookie maybe contributing. 

 

Mixon might get more yards because he might be the primary back in Houston. It's very unlikely he will have more explosive plays then Brown or Moss. 

 

 

I do pay attention, and I don't know how you have convinced yourself that he is explosive or elusive. His RAS has him "Very poor" on his speed grade. And no such thing as a bridge RB? That happens all the time in the NFL. What are you talking about? This "age and mileage" argument is exactly the point on what a bridge RB is. I see this guy as a Perine replacement more than a Mixon one. 

 

Like I said let's talk at the end of the year. 

[JC]

Chew on this for a second. The Bengals don’t give a shit about running the ball. They have the most accurate quarterback in the league. They would probably throw it 100% of the time if they could.

 

Until they dedicate the appropriate resources to it, they are going to be running their offense out of 11 personnel and letting the short passing game and RPOs be their primary run game.

[Griever]

 

[JC]

Armstead 10th last year in pass-rush win rate. Not sure it would fix the atrocious run defense but would certainly help fix the explosives problem.

[Jamie_B]

1 hour ago, JC said:

Chew on this for a second. The Bengals don’t give a shit about running the ball. They have the most accurate quarterback in the league. They would probably throw it 100% of the time if they could.

 

Until they dedicate the appropriate resources to it, they are going to be running their offense out of 11 personnel and letting the short passing game and RPOs be their primary run game.

 

Not running the ball is exactly how you get defenses to play Tampa 2 against you. And exactly why our explosive plays have been down since the SB year. Teams figured us out.

[Griever]

 

[IKOTA]

2 hours ago, PatternMaster said:

 

This whole idea that Zack Moss is an upgrade over Mixon is hilarious to me because if anyone would have this a few months ago they would have been laughed off the internet, now he's a Bengal and suddenly he's better than Mixon....not buying it. Moss is a career backup who has never been the focal point of a team running game for a whole season. Mixon was a big reason why the Bengals didn't have a losing season last year, he was a consistent player and team leader and the Bengals traded him to a conference rival for a 7th-round pick...

 

 

I feel a lot of Bengals fans are trying to talk themselves into this idea that Zack Moss is an upgrade over Mixon when it's fairly obvious that he's not. He's never been better than Mixon; not in high school, college, or the NFL. He's a decent 3rd down back that can pass protect, but let's see how he handles his duties with this offensive line that is weak up the middle and suspect on the edges, a division that has 2 HOF DEs in Watt and Garrett, one of the NFLs best defenses in the Ravens, and a QB that likes to hold onto the ball while taking a ton of sacks. I think Moss will be a rotational piece that is used in passing situations and the Bengals will use Chase Brown in on the early downs, more of a platoon of RBs vs a main guy in Mixon..we will see how it shakes out, but currently, the RB position is not more talented with the loss of Mixon and addition of Moss, in my opinion.

 

As for Gesicki, I'm going to need to see what he can do before I get on board with this one. He has been a disappointment in his most recent role in NE. He was on a 1-year deal after being a 2nd round pick, that's not a good sign for a player's future. 

 

The signings of Moss and Gesicki point to a pass-happy offense as Moss's best attribute is his pass blocking and Gesicki is a pass-catching TE. We all know how Taylor hates running the ball so why run it anyway, just throw the ball 70 times a game and get Burrow maimed...again...

 

Still waiting on the RT of the future to be signed or drafted and the Bengals should also bring in serious competition for Volson if they are going pass-heavy, because Volson sucks at pass pro..

😂 This man wasted all that time typing up this nonsense.  

 

2 hours ago, JC said:

Bengals are taking on $2m in dead cap to not have Joe Mixon play for them all while trading him to a team that should be in the playoffs. I think that should tell you to know.

 

They didn’t need the additional cap either.

 

Exactly

I’m a believer JC! Enjoy your posts. Someone with actual football knowledge is refreshing. 

[JC]

Sure. But until they run the ball down the field better than they can throw the ball in chunks to Ja’Marr and Tee, they are going to see all kinds of T2 variations. It’s not going to happen overnight and signing a tight end like G shows they still do not care about getting bigger guys on the field to block. And really until they can get some athletic lineman to run outside zone, they’re going to be running into the teeth of the biggest guys on the field. You want to have the ability to run away from those guys and at light edges, corners, and safeties.
 

If they draft Bowers or Sinnot, it would signal a shift in philosophy. I think they’re content to run 11 and nickel and dime teams down the field and throw the ball to their new big slot receiver.