CINCINNATI — The Bengals spent the past week active in free agency with some questionable misses, clear successes and worthy debates along the way.
What remains is a roster that still needs work in the draft, but here’s where things stand after a busy wave of free-agency movement and what will be coming next.
Every position is broken down by who survived (those under contract who were not cut), who re-signed (free agents on the team last year), who’s new (players brought in off other teams), who’s gone (Bengals who signed elsewhere), who’s out there (Bengals still unsigned) and what’s next. Also, the list does not include the 10 players signed to reserve/future contracts.
The Bengals have around $23 million in cap space left, according to Spotrac, including their $10.8 million rollover from 2020.
Quarterback
• Who survived: Joe Burrow
• Who re-signed: Brandon Allen
• Who’s new: Nobody
• Who’s gone: Ryan Finley (Texans, traded)
• Who’s out there: Nobody
What’s next: Everyone’s trying not to stare directly at Burrow’s knee for the next five months. Beyond that critical rehab, which continues to receive the “on pace” assessment from head coach Zac Taylor, the move to bring Allen back on a cheap deal for $1.5 million proved an easy one, as the team has confidence in what he can do if called into action. They witnessed him play quite well at times in Burrow’s absence, and that was enough to land a deal. The club bailed on Finley because once a solid backup was in place, the third spot should be saved for a developmental project. The Bengals are done trying to develop Finley, who was a failure organizationally considering the team traded up in the fourth round in 2019 to land him. Look for another camp arm to be added as a late-round pick or undrafted free agent.
Running back
• Who survived: Joe Mixon, Giovani Bernard, Trayveon Williams
• Who re-signed: Samaje Perine
• Who’s new: Nobody
• Who’s gone: Nobody
• Who’s out there: Nobody
What’s next: The Bengals opted to bring back Perine, who enjoyed a few quality moments the second half of last season. I’d anticipate a running back entering the equation on the third day of the draft, then fighting (and likely winning) against Williams for the last spot.
Tight end
• Who survived: C.J. Uzomah, Drew Sample, Mason Schreck, Mitchell Wilcox
• Who re-signed: Nobody
• Who’s new: Nobody
• Who’s gone: Cethan Carter (Dolphins)
• Who’s out there: Nobody
What’s next: The Bengals are in the tight end business. It could be a bargain free agent or a Day 3 draft pick, but they’ll be looking for a couple of tight ends to play behind Uzomah and Sample, preferably one with special-teams and blocking ability to take the of Carter.
Wide receiver
• Who survived: Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Auden Tate, Stanley Morgan
• Who re-signed: Mike Thomas
• Who’s new: Nobody
• Who’s gone: A.J. Green (Cardinals), Alex Erickson (Texans), John Ross (Giants)
• Who’s out there: Nobody
What’s next: The spot exists for a big splash at receiver in the draft. Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith all hang out there as potential picks at No. 5. That would create a young trio among the best in the NFL immediately for Burrow to utilize. If not at the top of the draft, opportunities will exist to take advantage in the next three rounds with a notably deep crop at the position. There’s also a list of decent options with speed still available at receiver, including T.Y. Hilton, Sammy Watkins, Chris Conley, Kenny Stills and Josh Reynolds. The Bengals were half-heartedly involved in the Kenny Golladay sweepstakes but checked out last week when they knew it was going a direction that wouldn’t fit them. Expect the Bengals to poke around that market.
Offensive line
• Who survived: Jonah Williams, Xavier Su’a-Filo, Trey Hopkins, Michael Jordan, Billy Price, Hakeem Adeniji, Fred Johnson, Keaton Sutherland, Isaiah Prince
• Who re-signed: Nobody
• Who’s new: Riley Reiff
• Who’s gone: Bobby Hart, BJ Finney
• Who’s out there: Alex Redmond, Quinton Spain
What’s next: It’s still a top priority as the Bengals head into the draft. It would be the upset of the year if they didn’t select an offensive lineman with at least one of the first two picks. The depth of the draft, particularly at the tackle position, benefits them if a second-round selection is the play. Landing Reiff was critical to giving them options and not feeling forced to select a tackle with the fifth pick, but they definitely could still do that. Any pick would likely be viewed as a guard for 2021 but also potentially the tackle of the future depending on the profile. That strategy was used with Andrew Whitworth in the second round in 2006 and worked out to perfection. They could still take a shot at bringing in a veteran guard who’s out there, but anybody they signed would be in a competition to start and not looked at as a real answer.
Defensive line
• Who survived: Sam Hubbard, D.J. Reader, Josh Tupou, Renell Wren, Khalid Kareem, Khalil McKenzie
• Who re-signed: Nobody
• Who’s new: Larry Ogunjobi, Trey Hendrickson
• Who’s gone: Carl Lawson (Jets), Geno Atkins
• Who’s out there: Mike Daniels, Amani Bledsoe, Margus Hunt, Xavier Williams, Christian Covington
What’s next: It’s likely a pass-rushing rookie will be part of the draft-day equation. The Bengals are still in the free-agent market for another interior pass rusher to pair with Ogunjobi. They were in the mix with Sheldon Rankins this past weekend but lost him to the Jets. Whether it’s an edge rusher or an interior player, the Bengals need to add depth and find long-term answers to invigorate the pass rush. The draft is deep at edge but not interior, so the more likely acquisition would seem to be on the outside in April, but you never know how the picks will fall. A few intriguing names (Jurrell Casey, Kawann Short, Gerald McCoy) still exist in free agency and could serve as a stopgap. Either way, the Bengals still need two more bodies expected to contribute.
Linebackers
• Who survived: Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Markus Bailey
• Who re-signed: Nobody
• Who’s new: Nobody
• Who’s gone: Nobody
• Who’s out there: Josh Bynes, Jordan Evans
What’s next: Probably not much at this position. The draft investment occurred last year with three picks. I wouldn’t expect any attention paid to this spot on draft weekend, but you could still see a veteran addition or the return of Bynes for his leadership and run-stopping ability.
Defensive back
• Who survived: Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell, Darius Phillips, Trae Waynes
• Who re-signed: Brandon Wilson, Tony Brown, Jalen Davis
• Who’s new: Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton
• Who’s gone: William Jackson III (Washington)
• Who’s out there: Mackensie Alexander, LeShaun Sims, Shawn Williams
What’s next: An extension for Jessie Bates will be part of the discussion in August, but after that, all five starters will be under contract through at least 2022. That’s good news for the future and, the Bengals hope, the present. It also pushes anything in the secondary far down the list of draft priorities. Perhaps a safety could land on the third day or as a bargain replacement free agent, but that’s likely the extent of any attention paid with the majority of these position groups settled.
Specialists
• Who survived: Austin Seibert
• Who re-signed: Clark Harris
• Who’s new: Nobody
• Who’s gone: Randy Bullock (Lions)
• Who’s out there: Kevin Huber
What’s next: Punter Huber is a free agent, and I suspect we will see him re-sign with the team before too long. From there, a rookie kicker will be brought in to compete with Seibert. Bullock landing in Detroit was a bit of a surprise, but there wasn’t much chance he was going to return to Cincinnati anyway unless the competition turned into a total disaster in August.
Where the roster stands now
Where the roster stands now
From Paul Dehner. An updated look at the Roster after the first week of free agency/releases of the new NFL year.