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O-line Watch 2022


ArmyBengal

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Just heard and had to come here.
I have just three words for you…

FUCKIN’ FUCK YEAH !!!

I know there are concerns, but this is a great signing. Best true RT we were going to find in free agency or the draft. Can still draft one to groom.

I’m beyond happy with how the o-line is going to look this season. Now work on the D-line and secondary. Maybe, just maybe they find another LB to add to the corps.

Bring on 2022 !!!

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Absolutely fantastic. Bravo, front office.

2020 free agency: home runs in theory and on the field (forgiving Waynes, but otherwise great)

2021 free agency: home runs in theory and in practice

2022 free agency: home run in theory

By organizational process, this makes three in a row. By on the field production, it could easily be three in a row if it’s as good as it looks.

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Just now, COB said:

Holy shit, three new starters on the o-line, any of which would have been our best lineman last year.  Well done whoever runs the front office now.

I still can't believe it. 

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From Hobson's piece on the signing:

Quote

 

Pollack knows Collins is special. Who else would tell him he missed his famously grueling practices? From his days in Dallas, when Cowboys running back Ezekial Elliott won an NFL rushing title, Pollack can still see that play against Seattle, when Collins rode not one, but two Seahawks down the field. And of them was perennial Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner.

"He's the real deal. His play demeanor, he's a tempo-setter, he's a glass-eater through and through," Pollack said. "He's physical. He finishes. He punches. He's heavy-handed in pass protection. He's relentless in the run game. He's an impressive guy. It's great to coach him again."

And, that's right, Collins can't wait for another Pollack practice.

"I missed it," Collins said. "I missed the grind. I missed the work. By the time we got to the game, the games were easy."

 

 

 

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This tops off the biggest run over 3 seasons in bengals fee agency history.  
 

Drafting a RT or signing another second tier FA May be in the cards. I’d draft and let the guys from last year drum it out to see who goes to practice squad or cut.  
 

absolutely gonna be a fun draft this year .  
 

what’s Vegas saying bengals are drafting first round now ?  

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Yes for as much shit as the front office has taken over, well…. forever, credit has to be given. 3 off seasons in a row and they just keep shooting. When has free agency ever been THIS much fun in Bengaldom ??

So excited for the draft and to see how it all plays out. Something tells me this team isn’t going to suffer a letdown after that SB loss.

There’s a lot of energy from these guys.

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15 hours ago, membengal said:

OH MY GOD THIS IS SUCH GOOD NEWS


Paul Dehner Jr.
@pauldehnerjr
·
3m
Can confirm #Bengals land La’el Collins. New right tackle in place to complete OL overhaul. 

Three-year deal in Cincinnati.

OUT

FREAKIN

STANDING

(but sorry not sorry Mem, we need to get a solid veteran backup due to availability risks, and no, that guy is not on the roster right now)

early word out is that the contract is a relative bargain as well, like 10M average.  Just awesome.

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14 hours ago, membengal said:

CHILLS

Marisa Contipelli
@BengalsMarisa
Just spoke with La'el Collins who told me the first thing he said to Joe Burrow: "Your new bodyguard is in town, no one's touching you."

this is E X A C T L Y what I want :-)

echoing Army here.....

O H

F U C K

Y E S ! ! ! ! !

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Schefter:

Bengals gave former Cowboys’ OT La’el Collins a three-year, $30 million deal that, in reality, is more of a two-year, $20 million deal worth up to $22 millon, per sources. The third year was added to help prorate the deal and spread out Cincinnati’s cap charge.
 

So they did the void year thing again apparently.  Costs them the same or more than a trade would have, plus guaranteed money. Well, they sure wanted him, no doubt about that. 

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Breer in si.com:

The Bengals deserve credit for doing the obvious thing. And to me, it goes beyond just that—there was very much a plan they were following in landing the linemen they did to play in front of their burgeoning superstar of a quarterback. But in going and getting Patriots C Ted Karras III and Bucs G Alex Cappa, and then pursuing and landing the right tackle that Dallas cut, La’el Collins, over the weekend, they followed through on an internal promise to prioritize smarts, toughness, consistency and, yes, pass protection in the linemen they pursued (their list also included, for what it’s worth, Ryan Jensen, Laken Tomlinson and Austin Corbett). The idea was to get guys who could work with Joe Burrow mentally (no mistake that the two guys they signed played with Tom Brady) and give him room to step up and maneuver in the pocket. Adding Collins was huge in that regard, and Burrow personally made sure that happened (he invited Collins to join Cappa, Karras and new tight end Hayden Hurst and their significant others for dinner at his house on Friday night) over the weekend. And they may not be done yet, with a pretty good shot, they’ll look for depth in the draft, too. But, to me, the last week represents a pretty good start in positioning themselves to be the sort of contender they were last year.


https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/03/21/mm...n-watson-chase

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Pollack made a kinda vague but positive statement about Carman

He’s invested in himself on his approach this offseason. I was proud of some of the choices he’s making to better himself as a professional in that area,” Pollack said via Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson.

Carman is hopefully going to be a long-term staple of the franchise, and he’s going to instantly be contending for a starting spot, whether he wins that battle or not. Pollack has been impressed by what the young guard has already been able to take in.

“I think there are still a lot of things in motion. It’s kind of hard to say. You have to be flexible. Jackson is definitely a guy competing for that spot. No question about it. His learning curve and growth he showed last year definitely puts him in position to be guy that’s going to compete for it,” Pollack continued with."

I'd guess this means we can lightly pencil him in as the starter at OLG.  If Spain signs, I figure it will be a camp competitition at OLG.  Not sure Spain will sign, tho

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2 hours ago, HoosierCat said:

Schefter:

Bengals gave former Cowboys’ OT La’el Collins a three-year, $30 million deal that, in reality, is more of a two-year, $20 million deal worth up to $22 millon, per sources. The third year was added to help prorate the deal and spread out Cincinnati’s cap charge.
 

So they did the void year thing again apparently.  Costs them the same or more than a trade would have, plus guaranteed money. Well, they sure wanted him, no doubt about that. 

At least they didn’t have to give up draft capital

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From Dehner's piece this AM:

Quote

 

Collins signing set up the opening day offensive line: LT Jonah Williams, LG Jackson Carman/D’Ante Smith/rookie/other, C Ted Karras, RG Alex Cappa, RT La’el Collins. Regardless of what happens with the left guard spot, that’s four players who ranked in the top quarter of their position in PFF grade last year.

Collins completes the trifecta of giving offensive line coach Frank Pollack his type of player. The personnel staff handed a list of the top-tier players they wanted Pollack to rank and find his favorites. Last year, he partially took the existing pieces and tried to make it work with his scheme. Now, he picked his own players to fit into his system. Pollack admitted that’s a big deal. Collins called Pollack the best line coach he’s had in the league by a long shot and that admiration went both ways. Continuity of staff and scheme to go with better pieces to front the wide zone increase the chances it takes off.

 

Oooohhh, that's interesting...

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17 hours ago, membengal said:

The guys who got them to the Super Bowl are now back-ups. That is in and of itself, good depth. We can and should expect Smith, Prince, Adeniki, Hill and Carman (if he doesn't win the LG job) to be quality back-ups with a chance to properly develop now behind veteran leaders. 

I'd say they got there in spite of them. It will only take 1 or 2 injuries to the starters (it will probably happen at some point) and you're looking at almost the same line as last season, especially if they try Carman at LG this year and he continues to struggle.  They were fortunate last year to win a lot of last-minute games with FG's due to how bad the 0-line was and the fact they couldn't score TD's nearly as often, it cost them a SB., and set a playoff record for sacks given-up.  That isn't a long term plan for success.

Just one injury last year to Reiff decimated them in terms of how effective they were.  That can easily happen again to Collins or Jonah.

I don't think the signings prevent them from drafting an OT in particular on day one, it shouldn't any ways, they have to start developoing better depth there.  They can't develop or draft mid-round o-line talent, so draft them higher where they don't need as much development.  So I'm talking top 3 rounds I guess.

Just MO.

 

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I guess I believe in the likelihood of continued development of those guys - now with actual nfl playing experience to draw from. And with legit good vets to now learn from. I also trust pollack. So from my perspective it is reasonable to believe that smith, Adeniji, Carman , hill and Prince all have a legitimate change to keep improving and be ready if called upon. They were at least good enough to get to the super Bowl with parts of that crew. I fully expect that crew to be valuable backups and develop in those roles - even if they don’t draft someone else on line in the first three rounds.

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They typically keep 9.   It doesn't stop them from drafting OT in the top 150.  An action in doing so probably punts Fred or Prince off the roster. 

The issue will be drafting that OT over player that could push someone for snaps immediately at another position. 

 

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Schefter:

A unique one: Bengals now waiving OL Fred Johnson, per source. Johnson recently signed his restricted free agent tender, but after signing OT La’el Collins, the Bengals have decided to waive Johnson, who can be claimed on waivers. So teams and players can, and do, change minds.
 

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Not to be funny, but even with him coming back, I had Fred as the odd man out even if they carried 9 o-linemen.

Didn't they carry 9 guys last year ??  Correct me if I'm mistaken please.

What they do in the draft will tell a lot about how they view Carman's development.
If they go to the interior of the o-line at #31, I think Carman is backing up.

If you are looking for "unique" as Schefter put it, ESPN's depth chart already has Carman as a backup with Adenji as the starter.
Time will tell, but at the point now where #31 isn't necessarily a lock for an o-line selection.

I'm still giggling thinking about what the line is going to look like in 2022 !!!
Everyone is talking about protecting Burrow, but has anyone asked Mixon his thoughts in adding those guys ??
Mixon is PRIMED for a massive season in 2022 !!!  Dude has to be drooling to get back out there.

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