Stripes

It’s coming soon, so here’s a thread. Week 2 is already revealed: @Arrowhead, 4:25 PM on CBS (likely Nantz/Romo). https://x.com/bengals/status/1790346772054766037?s=46

I think ADG and Bachie are solid backups, but I agree it’s barren after that. And STs take a hit without Bailey.

I also agree that WR is only starting worse. Given time Burton could blossom into an upgrade. DT will be interesting. I think we’re explicitly worse against the run, but the pass rush should be better. Hopefully the trade-off is sufficient, especially in division games. I don’t fault the Bengals for their moves in any event. Personnel turnover is inevitable.

QB is certainly improved when accounting for Burrow’s health and any play from Jake Browning. At the start of last season I underestimated how much the calf would hamper Joe.

How I feel about each position group relative to the start of last season: QB - no change OT - improved IOL - no change RB - slightly improved WR - slightly worse TE - improved DE - no change DT - worse LB - no change CB - no change S - improved At least a slight improvement overall.

Poop. Stupid ass B.

I’d extend Karras yesterday. Just a quality player, great leader, and community superstar.

Move them both to Fox and get rid of Bradshaw.

I would have also preferred a trade up. It'd be nice to know what they tried to do, because obviously any draft trade requires a partner. They might have made the attempt. And, it's fair that some trades that reach into next year (e.g., dumping a 2025 2nd rounder to move up in the 3rd round) is a lot to swallow.

It’s also perfectly legal to dislike the draft. We’re all guessing anyway.

I'm glad they took All over Stover. All has a higher chance of being a bust given his injuries, but I think he also has a considerably better chance of being a difference maker. Stover is the definition of "just a guy" to me.

I’m fine with it. I do not object to the strategy of gambling on risky players with high upside. I think they picked the right positions in the rounds where that makes any difference (about 1-4). Rounds 5-7 may produce some practice squad candidates, which is what they always do. I am completely okay with all of them maybe other than the safety (and he may not necessarily even play safety). There’s no single pick that particularly activates my sex. I’m not getting randy. But I don’t have ED either. I’m, as ever expected, whelmed. I trust this staff for the most part. I guess that’s a B. A ranking of how much I liked each pick… Matt Lee > Erick All > Amarius Mims > Jermaine Burton > Kris Jenkins > McKinley Jackson > Josh Newton > Cedric Johnson > Tanner McLachlan > Daijahn Anthony

He’s very likely to make the roster. The only competition is Trey Hill.

Signings per this guy: https://twitter.com/BengalsTalk RB Elijah Collins (Oklahoma State) RB Noah Cain (LSU) QB Rocky Lombardi (Northern Illinois) LB Aaron Casey (Indiana) LB Maema Njongmjeta (Wisconsin) OT Eric Miller (Louisville) P Austin McNamara (Texas Tech) WR Trey Mosley (Michigan State) WR Cole Burgess (SUNY Cortland) CB Lance Robinson (Tulane) S P.J. Jules (Southern Illinois) S Michael Dowell (Miami (OH)) ED Justin Blazek (Wisconsin-Platteville) TE Cam Grandy (Illinois State)

I think the fanbase is largely traumatized by the Ogbuehi/Fisher incident (and even Jonah's rookie injury). At the very least, Mims is a better athlete than anyone the Bengals have drafted on the OL in recent memory. Ogbuehi had decent athleticism too, but he still wasn't in Mims' zip code. Mims is a body composition freak.

It’ll be interesting to see how the TE room stacks up. Rostering five strikes me as improbable, but four is feasible. Sample - lock Gesicki - lock Then two of [All, McLachlan, and Hudson] Perhaps All opens on the PUP list to make it moot. Beyond that though, a good player is getting stashed on (and hopefully not plucked from) the squad.

Seems like he may not necessarily be a safety — more of a miscellaneous versatility DB.

Punter!

Twitter's mindless spam is making me like this pick.

New center. Definitely a teams guy. Gunner.

Definitely could use IOL before the draft is up. I can't even remember who's on the team after the starting 5, Mims, and Ford.

Another tight end. Odd. *braces for TJ caps lock*

Any opinion I pretend to have about this pick would be, well, pretending. Josh Newton, CB, TCU?????????????????????? Okay.

Tight end from Iowa — hard to complain

At this point and moving forward, my view tends to be "sure, do whatever you want". I think it's pointless to draft for needs on Day 3 (maybe apart from special teams), so just give me the best players you can.