AMPHAR

Teams just trading Jonah Williams type players around the league. That's mostly what free agency is. Been that way for decades now. Media will tell you differently. Vegas probably slightly moves its Superbowl odds.

The group of local reporters are under qualified. They've down so much fear mongering over the Burrow extension, self serving. It will always come down to Tobin's value evaluation. If Higgins wants more then another group of current Bengals will get the bag from him.

Good point on the elderly TE.

Hurst out there too. Although he had some health scare and I'm not sure he's playing. CJ, Irv or whatever low level TE, keep it cheap if you go that route. I wouldn't mind the same group back from last year at the same percentage or less in cap. Then if there's a true difference maker, maybe you make the play for them. I think Houston TE just signed tho.

I saw some videos and got sold on Bowers. However, my question and this pertains to any potential Free Agent investment in TE. How are you getting them on the field IF Tee Higgins remains? Chase/Higgins will play 95%+ snaps when healthy. Burrow 100% - 5 OL - 100%. That's 8 guys. They will play some RB -90% of the time. So you got 2 spots left. A Bowers pick with Tee on the roster basically says goodbye any significant production from 3rd/4th WR. Then they've always had the "Dru Sample" role so, I would think any high TE pick or FA signing would have to work in that role as well. Just would be curious to see them work it. Cause paying that much or drafting that high a TE is no good if they are only playing as frequently as CJ or Hurst.

I would think Bowers would have had to be the pick there. I guess. Latham at 18 would be awesome too, but I'd would prefer Bowers. Newton would have been hard to pass on. But that's all gravy if 4 QBs go above them. Can't imagine if it gets so crazy 5 or 6 QBs go above them.

Great the Broncos are gonna suck. Thanks. Just give KC a divisional walk again. Hopefully Harballs can get Chargers rolling.

Bengal fans can look at the cap and draft and talk about fixing holes. A lot of AFC playoff contenders are talking about plugging holes they have created to just get cap room. Bengals have a ba-jillon in cap room even after tagging Higgins. That move puts them in winning the off season even though the majority of talking heads will discount the move because Higgins was already here. That's stupid. To give up that advantage, Tee Higgins is worth a top 15 pick or equivalent, IMO. There's been a whole lot of wasted breath comparing to the Colts. Bengal fans should just worry about getting back to the Superbowl. We are far ways away from worrying about getting Burrow his 2nd superbowl championship, lol. To give Higgins up and take on the risk of replacement. They better get adequately compensated. The worse case IS still a great situation because if 2024 Tee don't work out. His money is off the books. I wish the Bengals could sign every franchise Free Agent to a 1 year deal.

It seems like the latest round of mocks have put more QBs in the top half of the draft. Most have 4 and some have 6. So Bengals will need to strike on whatever position doesn't get the run because there will be someone previously thought to be unattainable sitting at 18. The only slim way I could see a Powers-Johnson at 18 is no run on QBs.

RIP Mort Report.

lol. Did the owners release the report or the players?

I do not like the thought of Justin Fields in Pitt. There's a lot of potential with him and if used effectively in a system can really upgrade their QB spot that's been below average even with fat/slow Ben.

Quit carrying the NFLPA's water. 2 years in a row the NFLPA members have said their family/friends are too good to sit next to you at tax payer provided stadium. Yet fans get in the fetal position when they read this shit. OMG, "we aren't going to get free agents". "Just make them happy". Whatever happened to that fear mongering report about the Bengals supporting worker comp legislation that was sure to scare off Free Agents? There's a whole bunch of agenda driven people/organization AND NFLPA is one of them that's going to beg for public support via these stupid report cards. Quit supporting it. The collective of players are more than capable of going to negotiations when something is truly important to them. The owners should release one that grades players on ability to pay child support. Ability to show up sober on game day. Report showing how much expense is needed to sequester players a night before a game because they can't stop getting high or whatever. Ability not to hit your girlfriend.

Players can strike or stfu. Its not a problem. Quit falling for the union bullshit.

Who gives a shit? Drop them off at Burrow's new 80,000 room house. Daycare isn't an easy fix. Next year's survey will be highlighting one of kids getting fingered by a child care provider or whatever. Yeah just let section 151 row 9 watch the kids. The easy fix is tell the player to STFU and pay for child care.

NFLPA bitch list. Who cares? I'll apply for the dietician job. Yes, that candy bar you are eating. That's bad. Smoothie bar manager. Somehow players believe their family is entitled to an all inclusive when they go to paycor. Just know in some shape or form this comes out of your pocket.

There's a lot of smoke about cutting Joe Mixon. So I guess it could plausible. A couple points that make it seem questionable. He COUNTS $8.85 against the cap but is only getting PAID $5.7m which includes a roster bonus AND incentives. Then he's off the books for 2025. So 1st can it actually be done to replace or upgrade his production for less than $6m with incentives? In Free Agency? For a singular year? 2nd? Why? They placed the tag on Higgins and still have $50m. Why create an immediate need when you don't have to? Just eat the $3m roster bonus if the upgrade is sitting there after the draft. I would think most backs signing in the first week of Free Agency are going to cost more than $6m cash and probably have cap ramifications beyond the 2024 season. I could easily see them drafting a back to pair with Brown and Mixon.

If I were Duke nothing less than a top 15 pick or equivalent value for Tee. Anything lower offered go take a walk.

On the day free agency opened up and Whitworth walked into UFA. How much was he worth? Thinking they had two highly regarded tackles. A very good OL development record. How much was Whit worth a couple years later? I'd say Whitworth's "fan" value grew 100X in that period? How much was J. Joe worth the day he signed with Houston? How much was he worth a couple years later when Zimmer had an entire secondary of former No. 1 draft picks balling out? His "fan" value shrunk. The value "fans" place on paying or not paying Tee is and always be based on hindsight. How Tee is going to perform after extension? How well they can replace him? Unfortunately the tag is due before anyone is going to know. So I say tag. Extend if possible. Losing Housh, First derailed his career (he's admitted that), derailed Palmer's to the point he went crybaby. Then cost himself the chance to throw to AJ Green and play with Zimmer's D. If Andy D was Qbing those teams to the playoffs. They'd be significantly better with Palmer. Keep elite talent when you have the chance. Takeo Spikes never played in the playoffs. Forced himself out of his best situation. Dillon threw his pads in the stands and got a Superbowl ring. Judgement will always be based on things that aren't known at the time.

Supposedly they were going to get the same stuff Titans/Rams have. Weirdly those turf surfaces look the best on TV. But in the press release it appears they went in a different direction. Hopefully they change the midfield logo. I'm tired of the "B".

I'm waiting for JC Latham hype train to get going. He is one I thought would be a good tackle at 18. The worry on Murphy is; his "hype" train is in overdrive right now. Is it a function of media/fans now catching up to what NFL scouts have known all along? He was considered 2nd/3rd rounder early and now seems to have cemented himself as the top DT. His production stats are all positive. He's an athletic freak. Naturally, the 2nd round pick often justifies the first round pick. A lot of people in the heat of the draft weekend didn't like the Chase pick and hesitantly warmed up to it when Carmen was selected. Crazy to think about it because Chase was the best player in that draft and should have been taken no less than 2nd. Major steal. I don't have a lot of heart burn about losing DJ Reader. I think fans have his 2021 season in mind. He's missed 6/7 games in 2022. Now has a quad injury after a very average 2023. Going on 30. He only plays 55%-65% of snaps when healthy. There were too many double teams working their way up to Pratt this past year. If another team wants to give him $15m+ on a multi year, have at it. This is one you invite him back in July sub $10m on a 1 year deal.

If that many tackles go before 18. Along with those QBs and WRs. Brock Bowers, Quinyon Mitchell, and/or Byron Murphy would be waiting, I'd hope. Any of those dudes would be a steal at 18.

I would put a vote in for A'shawn Robinson formerly of the Rams for a run stopping DT. He was a big factor in Superbowl 56. Recently saw him pop up as a Free Agent. Could be a cheap/effective add.

Another way to say it. I doubt the Bengals look at the available college talent and think 5 OTs are among the 18th best/impactful players. They may have 1 or 2 OTs they view that way and then its comes down to the draft falling that way in order to take OT at 18. It was the same with TE last year. There were X amount of TEs mocked in the first. It was rumored Kincaid would have been the pick If available. He wasn't. So they didn't move on to the next TE then went to Murphy. Now that draft pick will be debated until he achieves a decent pass rush season, but that's a clear indication of their thought process.

RT has been a need for a while. The easy solution is to pay the dude you drafted to fill the biggest need. Jonah Williams. I doubt they bite that bullet. I would love for them to draft the next Willie Anderson so this isn't my preference but just thoughts of what actually happens. Not a whole lot of easy solutions in the rest of Free Agency at RT past Jonah Williams. At least one that are known to fans. Maybe there's a surprise cut somewhere, trade. Maybe. But most mocks have 4 OTs going before 18. Yikes. I get queezy thinking about Tobin and staff sorting through the 5th, 6th, 7th best OT to take at 18. My outside thought/guess is: Cody Ford will get a pay increase but a minor 2 year deal. First run at starting OT, with a later round OT draft pick to push for competition. They've liked him since he was drafted. Signed him. Most scribes viewed him as a TC cut before TC started. Cody Ford was the first OL off the bench, I think for the whole season.