2024 Offseason Plan

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

Franchise Tag: Tee Higgins
ERFA: Jake Browning, Adomitis

Re-sign: Sample, Hudson, Tupou, Bachie

Losses: Reader, Boyd, Awuzie, Jonah, Irv, , Scharping, T. Williams, Ford, Wilcox, Davis-Gaither

Sign: Mike Onwenu, Hunter Henry, Kenny Moore II, Curtis Samuel

My First Mock on PFF:

Don't Sign Onwenu
1:18 Taliese Fuaga RT Oregon St.
Sign Onwenu
1:18 Terrion Arnold CB Alabama
2:49 Kris Jenkins DI Mich
3:80 Christian Haynes G UConn
4:115 Cade Stover TE OSU
5:151 Frank Gore Jr HB Southern Miss
5:173 Michael Barret LB Michigan

QB- Burrow
HB- Mixon/Brown/Gore Jr
WR- Chase/Higgins/Jones/Iosivas/Samuel
TE- Henry/Sample/Stover
LT- Brown Jr.
LG- Volson
C- Karras
RG- Cappa
RT- Onwenu or Fuaga

DE- Hendrickson/Hubbard/Murphy
DI- Hill/Jenkins/Carter/Tupou
LB-Pratt/Wilson/Barrett/Bachie
CB-CTB/Turner/Hilton/Moore Arnold??
S-Dax/Battle

 

[DanBengalfan]

Hudson will be TE2 at least

otherwise looks like what I would expect

 

[CrashDavisSports]

What about DT T'Vondre Sweat from Texas in the first round?

Readers potential replacement.

He is the best true NT in the draft, a draft with little at the position. It is said he is a late first early second round pick.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

What about something like this in the draft:

1st Round: DT T'Vondre Sweat, Texas
2nd Round: RT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
3rd Round: WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU
4th Round: RB Braelon Allen, Wisconsin


Free Agents:

CB Jaylon Johnson, Chicago UFA
DE DJ Wonnum, Minnesota UFA
SS Xavier McKinney, NYG UFA
DT DJ Reader, CIN
LS Cal Adomitis, CIN
TE Tanner Hudson, CIN
WR Trenton Irwin, CIN
TE Drew Sample, CIN
QB AJ McCarron, CIN

Letting the following go:

RT Jonah Williams
RB Joe Mixon
WR Tyler Boyd
S Nick Scott
CB Chido Awuzie

Sign/Tag and Trade:

Jake Browning and Tee Higgins to Atlanta for the #8 pick and their 3rd round pick. Gives Jake a chance to be a starting QB in the weakest division in football, we get them out of the AFC, and we maximize trade value for Higgins right now.

The last one there is just a random idea. Weakens us in 2024, but gives us maximum value for those guys I think. Browning only loses market value if he rides the pine for a year again, and we lose control over him after next year anyways. Tee is going to be expensive no matter how we flip this, and we have bigger needs on defense I think. This would give Atlanta a fighting chance in their division. Give them a QB with Higgins, London and Pitts.

 

[jbuck]

callahan uh ok why?
no talk of Lou A. getting any offers anymore.

 

[cincygrad]

What about something like this in the draft:

1st Round: DT T'Vondre Sweat, Texas
2nd Round: RT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
3rd Round: WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU
4th Round: RB Braelon Allen, Wisconsin


Free Agents:

CB Jaylon Johnson, Chicago UFA
DE DJ Wonnum, Minnesota UFA
SS Xavier McKinney, NYG UFA
DT DJ Reader, CIN
LS Cal Adomitis, CIN
TE Tanner Hudson, CIN
WR Trenton Irwin, CIN
TE Drew Sample, CIN
QB AJ McCarron, CIN

Letting the following go:

RT Jonah Williams
RB Joe Mixon
WR Tyler Boyd
S Nick Scott
CB Chido Awuzie

Sign/Tag and Trade:

Jake Browning and Tee Higgins to Atlanta for the #8 pick and their 3rd round pick. Gives Jake a chance to be a starting QB in the weakest division in football, we get them out of the AFC, and we maximize trade value for Higgins right now.

The last one there is just a random idea. Weakens us in 2024, but gives us maximum value for those guys I think. Browning only loses market value if he rides the pine for a year again, and we lose control over him after next year anyways. Tee is going to be expensive no matter how we flip this, and we have bigger needs on defense I think. This would give Atlanta a fighting chance in their division. Give them a QB with Higgins, London and Pitts.

Lists look fine - Though, I don't think Mixon is going anywhere. I just expect more Chase Brown. But, there is no shot that someone is giving up a top 10 pick (let alone a 3rd rounder) for Tee Higgins and Jake Browning. That's just crazy talk.

A sign and trade of Tee probably doesn't net more than a very low 1 or a 2nd rounder. Too many good receivers in the draft that you can have on rookie deals. Why take the risk on a guy that has had trouble staying healthy in his first 4 years?

 

[cincygrad]

callahan uh ok why?
no talk of Lou A. getting any offers anymore.

Defensive coordinators are less likely to attract interest. After our unit's showing this season, I think Lou is probably 5th or 6th in line behind other "hot" defensive coordinators.

 

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

What about something like this in the draft:

1st Round: DT T'Vondre Sweat, Texas
2nd Round: RT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
3rd Round: WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU
4th Round: RB Braelon Allen, Wisconsin


Free Agents:

CB Jaylon Johnson, Chicago UFA
DE DJ Wonnum, Minnesota UFA
SS Xavier McKinney, NYG UFA
DT DJ Reader, CIN
LS Cal Adomitis, CIN
TE Tanner Hudson, CIN
WR Trenton Irwin, CIN
TE Drew Sample, CIN
QB AJ McCarron, CIN

Letting the following go:

RT Jonah Williams
RB Joe Mixon
WR Tyler Boyd
S Nick Scott
CB Chido Awuzie

Sign/Tag and Trade:

Jake Browning and Tee Higgins to Atlanta for the #8 pick and their 3rd round pick. Gives Jake a chance to be a starting QB in the weakest division in football, we get them out of the AFC, and we maximize trade value for Higgins right now.

The last one there is just a random idea. Weakens us in 2024, but gives us maximum value for those guys I think. Browning only loses market value if he rides the pine for a year again, and we lose control over him after next year anyways. Tee is going to be expensive no matter how we flip this, and we have bigger needs on defense I think. This would give Atlanta a fighting chance in their division. Give them a QB with Higgins, London and Pitts.

Sweat is usually available to me in the 2nd round of the PFF mock draft simulator.

I am going to throw another 1st round name out there and that is Jackson Powers-Johnson from Oregon. He was nearly flawless in college and made a huge impression at the Senior Bowl. He has snaps at center and right guard. If we attack RT in free agency, Powers-Johnson could battle out with Volson, Karras and Cappa. Karras is a free agent in 2025.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Sweat is usually available to me in the 2nd round of the PFF mock draft simulator.

I am going to throw another 1st round name out there and that is Jackson Powers-Johnson from Oregon. He was nearly flawless in college and made a huge impression at the Senior Bowl. He has snaps at center and right guard. If we attack RT in free agency, Powers-Johnson could battle out with Volson, Karras and Cappa. Karras is a free agent in 2025.

Unless someone becomes a cap casualty - there is no one in F/A that I would really want at RT.

I'm rolling the dice at RT in the draft - and I agree - I think Sweat is available in round 2. Biggest question(s) from him are going to be motivation - rumors of his weight being near 400lbs is something to watch after he declined to recently weigh in.

 

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

Unless someone becomes a cap casualty - there is no one in F/A that I would really want at RT.

I'm rolling the dice at RT in the draft - and I agree - I think Sweat is available in round 2. Biggest question(s) from him are going to be motivation - rumors of his weight being near 400lbs is something to watch after he declined to recently weigh in.

Last year Onwenu posted a 72.5 PBLK grade at RT, in 2022 he posted a 83.1 PBLK grade at RG. He has given up a career 9 sacks, 44 hurries, and 9 hits over 3468 snaps. Comparing to Jonah, he has given up 31 sacks, 28 hits, 87 hurries in 3866 snaps. Onwenu has 400 snaps at LG, 1425 at RG, and 1548 at RT. If we grab him, it makes us very flexible come draft day. If we don't have a RT after free agency, we better believe that teams who also want a RT will be trading up in front of us. We would have to be ready to do the same.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Last year Onwenu posted a 72.5 PBLK grade at RT, in 2022 he posted a 83.1 PBLK grade at RG. He has given up a career 9 sacks, 44 hurries, and 9 hits over 3468 snaps. Comparing to Jonah, he has given up 31 sacks, 28 hits, 87 hurries in 3866 snaps. Onwenu has 400 snaps at LG, 1425 at RG, and 1548 at RT. If we grab him, it makes us very flexible come draft day. If we don't have a RT after free agency, we better believe that teams who also want a RT will be trading up in front of us. We would have to be ready to do the same.

I don't think the Bengals are going to spend what it will, likely, take to land Onwenu. His versatility and performance are likely to get him a pretty nice payday.

I don't hate the idea, but I don't see it working for what the Bengals are likely going to do. And if you pay that guy - he's your RT and you move on in the draft.

 

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

I didn't know Christian McCaffrey's brother Luke is in this year's draft. If he is available in the 4th, we should go after him. I am seeing him in the 4th-5th round in the PFF mock draft simulator.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I didn't know Christian McCaffrey's brother Luke is in this year's draft. If he is available in the 4th, we should go after him. I am seeing him in the 4th-5th round in the PFF mock draft simulator.

I would too. Bank on the McCaffrey brothers being like the Watt brothers.

 

[jbuck]

we just threw the bank at Burrow, how about some of that 59 mil. cap money to protect him cause what we did did not work. I don't want our boy leading the league in sacks

 

[Cincyfan78]

Cap went up to $255.4M.

Bengals have $74M in cap space.

*IF* the Bengals decided to move on from Mixon and Scott (both very feasible actions) - they would save another $10M (roughly). $84M is a lot of money to Tag Higgins, and still have $60+M to eat up some needs along DL/DT/DE backup DB/S - and of course along the OL, and even a veteran WR - as Boyd is going to walk.

 

[jbuck]

 

[cincygrad]

Cap went up to $255.4M.

Bengals have $74M in cap space.

*IF* the Bengals decided to move on from Mixon and Scott (both very feasible actions) - they would save another $10M (roughly). $84M is a lot of money to Tag Higgins, and still have $60+M to eat up some needs along DL/DT/DE backup DB/S - and of course along the OL, and even a veteran WR - as Boyd is going to walk.

Agreed. Though I'm not sure why everyone thinks the Bengals have somehow gained an advantage here with Higgins. Every other team now has extra cap money and every agent has just adjusted their expected returns for their clients. Owners can't help themselves - They'll overpay.

I did read an interesting article today about the ramifications of the new cap number relative to the new cap. The total cap is 255 million and the receiver cap number is 21 million. A second year of the cap would be 120% of this year's.... But the catch is that the cap will go up (maybe significantly) again next year - So probably around 26 million for a second cap year. Now you're talking about potentially controlling Tee's rights for 47 million over the next two seasons with an expanding cap. The writer doesn't think it's realistic (Tee might not play that second season), but it does create a leverage situation if they still want to negotiate a longer term deal.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Agreed. Though I'm not sure why everyone thinks the Bengals have somehow gained an advantage here with Higgins. Every other team now has extra cap money and every agent has just adjusted their expected returns for their clients. Owners can't help themselves - They'll overpay.

I did read an interesting article today about the ramifications of the new cap number relative to the new cap. The total cap is 255 million and the receiver cap number is 21 million. A second year of the cap would be 120% of this year's.... But the catch is that the cap will go up (maybe significantly) again next year - So probably around 26 million for a second cap year. Now you're talking about potentially controlling Tee's rights for 47 million over the next two seasons with an expanding cap. The writer doesn't think it's realistic (Tee might not play that second season), but it does create a leverage situation if they still want to negotiate a longer term deal.

If nothing else, maybe that 2nd tag makes a tag/trade scenario much more feasible since the Bengals *could* carry that number for the year if they absolutely had to.

Don't have to hold out for a sure fire 1st round (this years' play will obviously determine a lot of that) but even getting a couple of 2's and/or 3's would give the Bengals 2-4 extra picks in the earlier parts of the rounds that could make it worth while. Even swapping places in the 1st round with a higher drafting team and then getting a 2nd kicked in, or a couple of 3rd's (that year, plus future year) would be better than getting nothing.

And yes - every team now has that extra space. It's not like just 1 team suddenly got more room...every team got that room. Where it really helps is for those teams right around the cap line - instead of being $5M below or just $5M above - they now have some breathing room. To me, those are the teams that will really benefit because it will take 1 or 2 hard(er) decisions off their plate.

 

[DanBengalfan]

I am simultaneously optimistic and filled with dread. a feeling known as 'bengalization'

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Experts think the Bengals should get as high as a mid 1st rounder to as low as a early second rounder for Higgins.

Sign Chris Jones away from KC or Justin Madubuike from the Ravens if they don't get tagged.

Sign RT Mike Onwenu from the Patriots.

Sign TE Dalton Schultz from the Texans

Draft with our two rounds:

#1a WR Brian Thomas Jr.
#1b CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (from Higgins trade)
#2 DT T'Vondre Sweat