Offseason according to Crash

[Cincyfan78]

some of the early season stuff, to be fair, in 2024 was due to injuries and trouble with the front office screwing with contracts.

also trying to force feed certain free agents into starting rolls that they weren't physically capable of.

there was some bad play calling too. also, cutting a lackluster punter and not realizing that he was also the holder. was a complete gaffe.

Taylor is 1-11 in weeks 1&2.

The 1 win is because of a fluke fumble in the Minn game that allowed them to kick the game winning FG...in effect, they've played to an 0-12 standard.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Burrow: will request a raise, he will contemplate holding out to become the highest paid QB again. prescott is making more money, and that will piss off joe's agent. he will not take less money. yes, it seems out of character, but he's coming off a career year where he had to throw a lot and put up a lot of stats that won't be repeated if we have a defense and/or running game. There will be a trade narrative, and talk about how the Bengals don't appreciate him enough. "poverty franchise" will be used a lot. fans will grow tired of it, pointing out how Mahomes makes less money. At some point during the season, Joe B will get injured because some of the new OL we bring in will be slow and out of shape, our backup QB will play well, and the negative narrative will simply go away as Joe will tell his agent to chill out. Joe's contract will remain the same, but not until we nearly miss the playoffs again due to zac taylor chicanery.

Chase: same. if he is not the highest-paid WR he will NOT be playing for the Bengals. They should have signed him up for 36 million a year to surpass JJ. now, it's going to cost them. Chase will ask to reset the market at 50 million. the Bengals will simply just say "out of your damn mind" and offer him 30 million. Chase will be insulted and ask to be traded. they will settle at 40 million, but not until he misses several weeks of camp and a few games the trade narrative will be a huge distraction." The Bengals will lose the first 2 games of the season, and zac taylor will be blamed.

Higgins: with the investments to keep Burrow and Chase happy, he will likely sign somewhere else. there's always some team willing to spend stupid money. his market value is around 20 million, the Bengals sorely need to rotate some talent in and out at OL and in several defensive positions. you can't win if the other team is allowed to pummel your franchise QB, and you can't win if the other team is allowed to score at will.
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OL: expect some shakeups at OL. some of the players we brought in to help, have gotten a bit worn out and this division and our schedule exposes a lot of players who might have otherwise looked good. more of the same though. we will bring in players who look poised to help, and they will likely disappoint us. it's a repeating pattern.

Defense: a lot of shakeups, it will help if we can bring in a defensive coordinator with some experience, contacts, and a network of people who believe in him. if we bring back paul geunther I'm going to vomit. Anyway, expect some improvements, but not too much. a lot of dent fixing and slapping lipstick on a pig and drywall hole patching. the defense has nowhere to go but up, we had the worst defense in the NFL until the late season surge. they will sign Hendrickson.

End result: after another slow start, we will return to the playoffs as things will sort themselves out. we will miss higgins, but the development of Jones and Iosivas will surprise many. we will likely also bring in another weapon to replace Burton, Burton will leave via trade and his new team will put him on the right meds and he will do much better, exposing zac taylor once again. Gisecki will continue to play a roll. in the end, we will miss Higgins, but not much. he will be playing for another team but will be injured half the year, so the people who will cry "shoulda signed higgins" will seem kinda stupid when he's on the bench over half the year.

2025 playoffs: we will win our first game, but after that we will be the road warriors once again due to the slow start. The Bengals will dominate the Chiefs or Bills in the afc playoff game or divisional game, but the refs will throw a record high number of flags to push the other team forward. people will protest the fix, but quickly move on.

If one and two occur, then 3 will happen. If 1 doesn't happen, but rather goes the other way, then 2 and 3 won't which is good for the team.

You can't have 1, 2 and 3 all go down that road, almost impossible.

So negative Nancy, take a breath, hibernate until the draft, and we will revisit this at the end of April.

 

[Cincyfan78]

In talking about OL grades, this is true pass-blocking sets.

Karras - 73.9
Brown Jr - 67.1
Mims - 57.3
Ford - 47.7
Cappa - 32.4
Volson - 29.1

Should be noted that Brown was in the 80's before his injury, and Mims was 67.7 over his final 8 games showing vast improvement after returning from injury, playing through injury, and getting thrust in the rotation fairly quickly after Brown went down at RT.

 

[DanBengalfan]

If one and two occur, then 3 will happen. If 1 doesn't happen, but rather goes the other way, then 2 and 3 won't which is good for the team.

You can't have 1, 2 and 3 all go down that road, almost impossible.

So negative Nancy, take a breath, hibernate until the draft, and we will revisit this at the end of April.

Joe B will likely shoot down 1 and ask his agent not to bring it up for a few years.

2 and 3 are obvious.

 

[DanBengalfan]

In talking about OL grades, this is true pass-blocking sets.

Karras - 73.9
Brown Jr - 67.1
Mims - 57.3
Ford - 47.7
Cappa - 32.4
Volson - 29.1

Should be noted that Brown was in the 80's before his injury, and Mims was 67.7 over his final 8 games showing vast improvement after returning from injury, playing through injury, and getting thrust in the rotation fairly quickly after Brown went down at RT.

yea, we can't buy into the whole "Brown sucks as an OL" he is what he is. injuries do matter. he'll be ok.

 

[Cincyfan78]

yea, we can't buy into the whole "Brown sucks as an OL" he is what he is. injuries do matter. he'll be ok.

Right.

If you get an OL where LT is in the 80's, C is in the 70's, and RT is in the 70's...you have something. However, the LG/RG were so bad, I have no doubt it brought down the rating of nearly everyone in some way (though I know these grades are supposed to be independent on position - I still feel there is a connection at times, or domino effect).

If you can get LG/RG and get them into the mid 50's, even...Suddenly....

 

[DanBengalfan]

yea. volson hurts, I thought he was going to be a blue collar hard workin' dude, but perhaps not a good fit for the scheme. maybe he'll get better with experience, but the future is now. win with the Joey. when he goes, the team will be back to square one.

Mims I think has potential. I thought Ford was better.

but it's not an easy set of positions to fill evidently, you have to keep trying.

 

[Cincyfan78]

yea. volson hurts, I thought he was going to be a blue collar hard workin' dude, but perhaps not a good fit for the scheme. maybe he'll get better with experience, but the future is now. win with the Joey. when he goes, the team will be back to square one.

Mims I think has potential. I thought Ford was better.

but it's not an easy set of positions to fill evidently, you have to keep trying.

Dude cannot pass-pro. He's on the ground every other play and is easily bumped off his anchor. If he does remain standing, watch how far back his initial pass-pro set is...it's almost in Burrow's lap - and then he gets pushed. It's no wonder he gives up a ton of pressures. It also seems that his guy is the one with a ton of batted passes as he can't keep connection with the defender to keep them off-balance.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Dude cannot pass-pro. He's on the ground every other play and is easily bumped off his anchor. If he does remain standing, watch how far back his initial pass-pro set is...it's almost in Burrow's lap - and then he gets pushed. It's no wonder he gives up a ton of pressures. It also seems that his guy is the one with a ton of batted passes as he can't keep connection with the defender to keep them off-balance.

he'd probably do well in a soft NFC division.

 

[Cincyfan78]

While he had a few that wobbled, for sure - I think overall this speaks volumes...Bengals found their punter....FINALLY!

Stat of the Jay: Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase Not Only Bengals Who Set Franchise Records in 2024

Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase set franchise marks in 2024, but no one broke more Cincinnati Bengals records than an undrafted college free agent.

www.si.com

 

[CrashDavisSports]

While he had a few that wobbled, for sure - I think overall this speaks volumes...Bengals found their punter....FINALLY!

Stat of the Jay: Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase Not Only Bengals Who Set Franchise Records in 2024

Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase set franchise marks in 2024, but no one broke more Cincinnati Bengals records than an undrafted college free agent.

www.si.com

Yep. Pretty awesome season! Glad they can relax and watch the playoffs from the comfort of their homes this year. *sigh*

 

[Cincyfan78]

Good question I saw on X -

If you can only have 1 on next years' team, and going forward...who do you keep?

Tee Higgins?

Trey Hendrickson?

I love Tee, and he helps to open this offense, but dudes that sack the QB like Trey are RARE...honestly, it's not even that close, IMO, you extend Trey.

(also this is happening in a vacuum - no trades for other WR or DE, no draft....this is an either or situation)

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Good question I saw on X -

If you can only have 1 on next years' team, and going forward...who do you keep?

Tee Higgins?

Trey Hendrickson?

I love Tee, and he helps to open this offense, but dudes that sack the QB like Trey are RARE...honestly, it's not even that close, IMO, you extend Trey.

(also this is happening in a vacuum - no trades for other WR or DE, no draft....this is an either or situation)

You for sure take Trey.....17.5 sacks, rest of the team 18.5. Without Trey you have zero pass rush. Losing Trey on defense is damn near like losing Chase on the offense. I was going to make the Burrow comparison, but there is not a single player on this team that means as much as Burrow.

 

[DanBengalfan]

prioritize Trey.

there's a chance Tee goes through a rehab regimine, and perhaps surgery. He could end up resigning with us (or another team) in fall of 2025 if he decides not to do the whole training camp thing. I mean, it's not likely, but it's possible, especially if we are contenders.

 

[wilwhite]

Sign Chase (5 years / $180 million - $120 million guaranteed) and Higgins (4 years / 80 million with $35 million guaranteed) to long term deals.

I think you're right on Chase, but Higgins is going to get high 20s per year.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I think you're right on Chase, but Higgins is going to get high 20s per year.

Higgins said he doesn't need to be paid as a #1. That is what caused the change of agents to Ja'marr Chases agent, Burrow getting more vocal and potentially going to rework his contract. We will see how it all pans out, but high 20's is indeed still #1 money. I see $16-$20 million as the top #2 WR market. If that is not the case, then we probably don't wind up with Higgins.

 

[DanBengalfan]

he will play for the Washington Redskins and he will be elevated to #1 receiver status and salary. they will blow him away with an offer he can not refuse.

 

[wilwhite]

Higgins said he doesn't need to be paid as a #1. That is what caused the change of agents to Ja'marr Chases agent, Burrow getting more vocal and potentially going to rework his contract. We will see how it all pans out, but high 20's is indeed still #1 money. I see $16-$20 million as the top #2 WR market. If that is not the case, then we probably don't wind up with Higgins.

Waddle $28M, Devonta Smith $25M.

He'd have to really love Cincinnati.

 

[cincygrad]

Waddle $28M, Devonta Smith $25M.

He'd have to really love Cincinnati.

It's really not the annual cash that will be a potential sticking point - It's the guaranteed money. The Bengals will want all the guaranteed money to be in the first year. I think Tee will look for a shorter contract (perhaps 3-4 years?) so that he can hit FA again at 28 or 29. If he's willing to forgo guarantees in years 2, 3 and 4 I think the Bengals can sign him. And I don't think it confers much risk to Tee. As I said, the Bengals will want to give him a big bonus as the only guarantee (similar to what they did with Orlando Brown Jr). In reality, there isn't much risk to Tee as the Bengals wouldn't cut him due to cap hits, but agents like to flash big guarantees.

 

[Cincyfan78]

It's really not the annual cash that will be a potential sticking point - It's the guaranteed money. The Bengals will want all the guaranteed money to be in the first year. I think Tee will look for a shorter contract (perhaps 3-4 years?) so that he can hit FA again at 28 or 29. If he's willing to forgo guarantees in years 2, 3 and 4 I think the Bengals can sign him. And I don't think it confers much risk to Tee. As I said, the Bengals will want to give him a big bonus as the only guarantee (similar to what they did with Orlando Brown Jr). In reality, there isn't much risk to Tee as the Bengals wouldn't cut him due to cap hits, but agents like to flash big guarantees.

Agents like to flaunt the overall number, when in reality they know the likelihood of the player ever seeing all of that cash is almost zero.

Anyone who knows how the Bengals do their deals know that while it might be less cash overall, and even less "guarantees", the chances of them seeing the full term of their contract is extremely high because they value those contracts. Now, some of that has changed, but largely guys who sign see their deals filled.

As an aside, I'd be OK with Tee taking a lesser deal in years...if he wanted a 3 year deal - I'd do that. That's fine. Chase is likely getting a 3 year deal as well at this point - so why not let them both expire together and then you can re-up Chase at that point. It also gives you 3 more years to draft/sign another young WR and integrate them into the system. In effect, it kicks the can down the road to what the Bengals have been facing coming into this season, and into next for another 3 years. FIne.