AMPHAR

Scratch all this dumb shit. They just signed Orlando Brown.

Uh, did they sign Orlando Brown! I went to bed looking for Eli Apple confirmation and wake up to that. NO FUCKING WAY! Biggest shock of my Free Agent following life. Its up on NFL.com. 4 years. 64m. $16m a year average. Huh? We are paying less than the Cheifs per year than they did for Jawan Taylor? I'm going to get the biggest pile of wings and just watch the shit out of NCAA today with the biggest smile on my face. That's what Jessie Bates signed for. This is just unfucking believable.

Solid numbers for him given TE FA pool and draft class. Wish they could have worked it out here, but I don't think the Bengals are down with 6/7m per year TEs at that level. At least they haven't been two years in a row.

I have no idea. I just saw it. I have not seen terms or anything as of yet. Personally, I would like to break the streak of 1 year deals for him and try to get 2 at least. He's been hard to remove from the field and I'd just rather have that in their back pocket next year. Still wouldn't mind drafting one of the tall corners either.

Eli Apple returns! Positive move.

Bates is really the only high level player that was at risk to be lost. Everyone accepted that reality a long time ago. The rest of them gave us solid year or years and now you have to wait to see what and how its replaced. I'm guessing there will be some of the $29m cap room spent to do so. Overall I hope they get replacements for this year but also start ticking off some of the potential openings after this year.

Running back store will feature a Cowboy special soon Zeke Elliot. It seems his glory days are behind him but a big name for sure.

No one is demanding they honor Mixon's contract. You don't need to cut him until you need the money or you have his replacement. Losing Perine proves the point. If another RB doesn't appear soon. It might not be stupid to pay Mixon. You act like this guy can't make a NFL roster or thinking walking into draft day with Williams/Evans as your backs is the best thing to do. Its not. I'm not to overly concerned with Mike Brown's wallet. Simple point is teams defend Burrow by rushing 4 and park two deep safeties. Perine could catch and run he's gone. Mixon can too, he can't be gone until they have someone that can replace. To suggest cutting Mixon at this point is saying goodbye to 600+ reception yards with just Evan and Williams bourbon brothers to replace.

I don't think any of these FA losses are surprises to the Bengals. The Ekeler report is just fun. I doubt the Chargers who I assume want to win the AFC don't think the best way to do that is sending him to the AFC Champs and Runner up the past two years. As a whole none of the Bengals FAs were must keeps but they are must replace. No way Bengals walk into draft with $29m in cap room having this many holes.

I like that he's back but its ????? if he's going to be the only replacement for Perine.

Hurst to Panthers. Another counter move to 2 deep coverage gone. This one sucks too.

Perine is a loss. Teams can get pressure with 4 and park 2 deep safeties. Perine can be replaced but its not as easy to not be concerned at all. They dumped it off to Mixon and Perine a bunch and let them get YAC. Not every back in the running back store is good at that.

Nah. That's not real smart. You don't cut Mixon until you've secured his replacement and/or need his cap room. Then even if they secured his replacement there is a stance you don't cut him til after the draft because its likely the Bengals won't need his cap room til summer. That would be a dick move but certainly a strategic one. I have no idea why Bengal fans get emotional over certain players but any suggestion that its smart roster management having just Chris Evans at RB when the team goal is to win the AFC and Superbowl before the draft just isn't smart. Perine unexpectedly jumping ship proves the point.

Also CJ Gardner-Johnson is having fun on twitter, but its favorable Bengals and has the coconut telegraph buzzing.

Hate to see Perine go, but that's why you don't prematurely cut Mixon. That said, rumors are the Bengals are in the mix with Jamal Williams and Burrow was having dinner at Precinct with Austin Ekeler.

There's a couple interesting safeties out there. Taylor Rapp (Rams) and former Ram/Browns (Johnson). Former 2nd and 3rd round draft picks. Just throwing it out there. Gardner-Johnson is interesting because he's still blowing in the wind. Big money goes fast to the prospects that are most desired. So maybe his market isn't what it was thought to be or maybe he signs a top market deal in a couple hours? Anyway I think the Bengals are going to try to keep that replacement safety deal below what is assumed the Pratt/Bell allocation.

Agree. Until some FA signings roll in I think Safety and overall secondary come in right with Tackle. I do think some of those spots get filled in FA. Sydney Brown at Safety would be great, IMO.

Just to further this point Andre Dillard who has never been as good as Williams and I think lost his starting job just signed for $10m a year. Just Average Guys are getting paid.

Projections of 3rd and 5th round comp pick based on loss of Bell/Bates. Major roster holes in 2024 so I would expect them not to sign FAs that are going to destroy the extra picks without factoring in on the 2024/2025 roster. That's the reality they are in now. We'll see. Maybe bigger focus on 1 year vet that has been cut? Any safeties that fill that bill? I

Based on first day of Free Agency. Jawan Taylor and McGlinchy got major deals. Jonah Williams is going to get paid and these two are not any more elite than Jonah. Right Tackles although KC fans think Taylor will play LT. Taylor its either 2 year for $40m or 3 years for $60m. McGlinchey is around $17/18m. I don't see Bengals paying that and don't think Williams is going to play well enough for Bengal fans to think he should get that. I'm gonna say mock drafts from this point probably need to include Tackle early and maybe two total in the draft. 2024 will see an exit of Williams. Collins is probably done already. Carman is a critical piece but not really proven and they'll be drafting low in the first round again next year. The demand for edge protectors even just average ones has risen.

Pratt only has a first year cap hit of $5.4. So this is clearly the big surprise on FA for me. I was thinking some team would overpay in the range of 10-13m.

Gardner Johnson would be an excellent pick up and he's mixing it up on twitter with some Bengals players. It sounds like Zac Carter and Hilton are recruiting him. I would be floored if this were to happen because I assumed he gonna be right there in Bates market. Maybe Bengals have a $13-15m deal out there for higher level safeties? First come, first served. Who know? I would be shocked and awed.

Reportedly $7m which is about what Pratt got. So I'm guessing it was an either/or but not both, who wants to get paid?

Sucks about Bell but there is a deep draft class and FA class for safeties. My guess would be Bengals weren't going to sign both Bell and Pratt. Pratt took their money and Bell moved on. In an either/or situation assuming cap hit the same I'd probably take Pratt over Bell due to age.

Surprise! Thought he was gone and at $7m per season sounds like a good cap hit. I thought he would have been out of their price range but I guess not. Pratt was smart to get it done on first day of FA. Money dries up fast.