The Draft is officially eight days away, so let’s talk some Bengals. Over the next week there will be a handful of writings and musings dealing with the Orange and Black.Today I’d like to introduce a guest poster to Frederick’s Folio: Kyle. This will be part one of a two-part piece that Kyle has written.
This has been the most exciting Bengals offseason in recent memory. In the next few paragraphs I will give a realistic fan view and breakdown of the offseason. I will try to keep my opinions as unbiased as possible.
In this first part, Kyle looks at who joined the Bengals, who left, and he gives an overall grade for the offseason, thus far.
Key Offseason Additions:
Cordy Glenn – LT – acquired via trade from Buffalo
Tyler Eifert – TE – retained FA
Preston Brown – MLB – signed FA
Matt Barkley – QB – signed FA
Chris Baker – DT – signed FA
Teryl Austin – Defensive Coordinator
Frank Pollack – Offensive Line Coach
Let’s start with the trade that brought us (when healthy) a top 15 starting LT in Cordy Glenn. Based off of team need and what was given up/exchanged in the trade I feel like the Bengals made a great deal. There are some concerns though as in the last few seasons Glenn has had some injury and durability issues. If Glenn can stay healthy and Ogbuehi can develop into a starting caliber RT, this line should move from the cellar to the top 10 in the NFL. Grade: A
I was happy that the Bengals were able to re-sign Tyler Eifert. When healthy he has the skills and ability to be an All-Pro. I believe the Bengals should only use Eifert in the red zone, on 3rd and longs, 4th downs and potential game winning drives in order to help keep him healthy for a whole season. I know that realistically this is a farfetched idea and they’re not paying close to $10 million this year to have him on a snap count. Grade: B
Preston Brown should help the defense tremendously. If you watched any Bengals game last year it was obvious that outside of Burfict, tackling was a major issue. Brown tied for the lead in tackles last year and has the most tackles by any player since joining the league in 2014. My concern with Brown is that I find myself wondering what kind of baggage he’s bringing. Based off of his production it’s fascinating that he wasn’t drawing more interest in the open market. Grade: B+
Matt Barkley brings some veteran experience with him but never lived up to his USC hype. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Barkley cut by the end of the preseason. Grade: C-
The Chris Baker signing could turn out to be a great under the radar signing if he can get back to the same form that he displayed in Washington. Or the rumors end up being true that he is now lazy and no longer able to play at a high level. The good news is that the Bengals could release him without taking a notable cap hit. Grade: C
I am extremely happy that the Bengals brought in a new defensive coordinator in Teryl Austin. Guenther’s play calling, decision making and scheme were overall terrible. He was never able to get the most of the skill players like Dunlap, Atkins and Burfict. Grade: B+
Frank Pollack might be the most underrated offseason acquisition by any team. He is the architect behind the dominant Dallas Cowboys offensive line of the past few years. I believe he will make Ogbuehi a starting caliber RT and groom a rookie C into a starter. Grade: A
Key Offseason Losses:
Adam Jones – CB – released
AJ McCarron – QB – signed with Buffalo
Jeremy Hill – RB – signed with New England
Russell Bodine – C – signed with Buffalo
Chris Smith – DE – signed with Cleveland
Adam Jones is a player that I still think can contribute to a team. His time in Cincinnati is up though due to the emergence of William Jackson. With Dennard having his best season in 2017 and the Bengals singing Kirkpatrick to a long term deal, the writing was on the wall for “Pacman”. Love him or hate him you can’t argue that Jones was a huge reason why the Bengals defense was able to play at such a high level for a few years. I think he would be best utilized in a defense that plays a lot of zone and he still has the ability to contribute on special teams. I like the fact that a hot head is now gone and we get younger at the position. Grade: B+
The AJ McCarron saga is one that perturbs many fans. A lot of people wanted AJ to get his shot while Dalton struggled heavily the last two seasons. As a Bengals fan the thing that makes me angry is the fact that McCarron walked in free agency without the Bengals getting some type of return on their investment. Clearly the coaching staff and front office weren’t committed to McCarron. In spite of this they weren’t able to get a trade done for a player that many teams considered to be a starter. Grade: F
In 2014, Jeremy Hill looked like he would be the franchise running back that the Bengals have been missing out on since Corey Dillon and to a lesser degree, Rudi Johnson (people easily forget how dominant Rudi was in 4 straight seasons from 2003-2006). Unfortunately Hill was never able to recapture his rookie season magic. He’s a player that I hope does well with his new team but I’m glad Cincinnati moved on from. Grade: B
Russell Bodine is a tough one to grade in terms of value to the Bengals. Many people considered him to be a weak link on the offensive line. Considering how poorly the line played as a whole in 2017, the fact that he was singled out as a weak link is really bad. PFF has Bodine ranked as the 25th best center in 2017 with an overall poor rating. Watching him over the past 4 seasons has always left something to be desired. He was serviceable but shouldn’t have been a regular starter. He did play in every game since being drafted and now the Bengals look to the draft or turn to the center that Bodine beat out to claim the starter spot. Grade: B+
Last year the Bengals made a trade with Jacksonville and brought in Chris Smith. Smith only had 3 sacks in 2017 but he was constantly collapsing the pocket and putting pressure on the QB. For the 2nd straight year Smith becomes the casualty of a deep depth chart at DE. The Bengals are going to give Lawson and Willis more reps and still have Dunlap and Johnson as starters. I personally would have liked to see the Bengals work out a 2 year deal with Smith and move on from Johnson. The worst part about this is the fact that the Bengals will now have to face Smith twice a year in the foreseeable future. Grade: C
Overall Offseason Grade: A-
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