Bengals possible Free Agents

[benny44]

Out of all the free agents that the Bengals will have next season there are only 2 players that i hope they sign. I would love to see Landon Johnson back as a starting Linebacker next year. He deserves to resign with the Benagals. He may not be a super star but he has always been solid for our D.

The next player that i want to keep is Madieu Williams. He may not be a great player but again he is solid. He is the leader of the secondary and is a good leader on and off the field.

[volcom69]

Landon yes we should resign him if anything he is a team player, madieu well he is ok nothing special in my eyes but then again this team really doesnt have a good saftey so if they keep him they keep him if not oh well they better bring in someone who is though.

[BengalByTheBay]

Madieu is the toughest call for me. He showed great flexibility in essentially covering two positions as a rookie and performing well. After his injury he has been a pretty big disappointment. He has shown flashes, but has never played up to the level of his rookie year -- frustrating for a defensive back to be sure. This one could go either way because he could walk and end up being a very good player for another team for a long time. If he stays, based on his performance this year at least, the Bengals should be able to keep him without breaking a huge deal. Very tough call. I'm no good at predicting which Madieu would show up next year.

Landon's future will be determined by just how much interest he gets from other teams. While he's a starter on the Bengals it's primarily due to the fact that he's the only LB we have that can move between spots so well. That makes him an incredibly valuable backup on most teams. On the Bengals it makes him a 3 position starter. I'd like to think we could keep people healthy enough that he would be at least dedicated to one position if we keep him. If he gets some big offers, however, it could be hard to keep him. I tend to think he's more valuable to the Bengals than he would be to any suitors, but the way FA contracts have been going that could still dictate big $.

[Storm]

How in the world does anyone expect this front office to replace even the mediocre players that are going to be gone?

They couldn't even replace the marginal Kaehsvaharn, this offseason is going to be very interesting

[BengalszoneBilly]

How in the world does anyone expect this front office to replace even the mediocre players that are going to be gone?

They couldn't even replace the marginal Kaehsvaharn, this offseason is going to be very interesting

I think it's more "wouldn't", not "couldn't".

[Kazkal]

Landon and Madieu for sure,Their not the weakness of our defense and if we let em go it just creates more holes.

Replace Justin,Replace JT Find some Good LB's who can stay on the field besides landon and we'd be fine IMO.

[J24]

Landon and Madieu for sure,Their not the weakness of our defense and if we let em go it just creates more holes.

Replace Justin,Replace JT Find some Good LB's who can stay on the field besides landon and we'd be fine IMO.

I agree with you that Landon and Madieu they are not the weakness of this D in fact I think they( espically Madieu) are getting way to much blame for this season but both are going to get more lucertive deals from other teams and the question will be can we spend that money on two players that are just solid.

[Storm]

If this team couldn't replace Kaehsvaharn how in the are they going to replace Justin, Madiue and Landen Johnson?

[ArmyBengal]

I'm still sick of hearing about K2... He sure is making out real well for himself in New Orleans huh ?? Ndukwe is a better player than K2...

WHODEY !!!

[BengalszoneBilly]

I'm still sick of hearing about K2... He sure is making out real well for himself in New Orleans huh ?? Ndukwe is a better player than K2...

WHODEY !!!

But K2 had the knack for pulling off key INTs when you least expected it! That pick he had against the Steelers that sealed the game was AWESOME!

[ArmyBengal]

And even a blind squirrel will find a nut every once and a while... Given what we have in Ndukwe, I'll take him over K2 any day of the week and the proverbial twice on Sunday !!!

WHODEY !!!

[redsbengalsbucks]

And even a blind squirrel will find a nut every once and a while... Given what we have in Ndukwe, I'll take him over K2 any day of the week and the proverbial twice on Sunday !!!

WHODEY !!!

While I dont have anything against the player KK was for the price he played for as a Bengal, I dont think he is/was worth what he got to leave and I'm glad the Bengals did not match the offer and keep him for more than he is worth.

I'm happy with the replacement Safeties that the team has in place and Indiana Jones was doing a fine job on ST as his replacement until he was recently IRed.

BTW, Army you never did care for KK did you?

[Kazkal]

Lance briggs will be a free agent for sure next year.

[TJJackson]

Per the DDN:

In addition to punter Kyle Larson, the UFAs are defensive ends Justin Smith and Bryan Robinson; linebackers Landon Johnson, Dhani Jones, Lemar Marshall and Caleb Miller; free safety Madieu Williams; offensive tackle Stacy Andrews; center Alex Stepanovich; and wide receiver Antonio Chatman.

Four others with high 2008 price tags - defensive tackle John Thornton ($3.5 million), tailback Rudi Johnson ($3.2 million), cornerback Deltha O'Neal ($1.6 million) and strong safety Dexter Jackson ($1.3 million) - could become salary cap casualties.

Larson should be resigned, preferrably with a minimal signing bonus if any. Effort made to bring some serious (and cheaper) competition to camp. 7 figures for a punter is very steep.

Justin can go. I'd say he is an average DE, but is paid like a superstar. No need to pay him like that again. Seeya. Will probably be replaced by veteran FA DE, and/or a 1st or 2nd round draft pick. Preferably "and". I doubt we get a superstar, but we can can Justin-like performance for well under a mill a year. While Fanene, Henderson, and\or Pollack might serve as replacements, none have demonstrated the ability to remain healthy enough to do the job. Frostee the Slowman? *laff*

Bryan Robinson can also go unless he wants to sign a bare minimum veteran contract, which he might, as he seems to be an intelligent and reasonable fellow who knows he is nearing he end of his career. He's an average player who knows his role, which could include tutoring the early round DE we draft. As long as he signs for average dollars, that's fine. He wants a signing bonus? Someone else can pat it

Thornton - 3.5 mil is a lot, but it isn't anywhere near the 8 (or 9?) you were paying Justin in 2005. I think Marvin is happy with his leadership qualities and will retain him. Not saying I agree, but I also don't think you'll be able to sign or draft a better player for 2008, sad but true. Said another way, it is the lesser of two evils to keep him.

Landon is a keeper. We *should* be working to re-sign him now with whatever cap money is left over this year, if any.

Dhani Jones is a keeper, but I am not sure we'll have the dollars to resign him.

Lemar Marshall played *very* well in his limited time in the early season. However, the nature of his injury plus his age leave significant doubt as to whether he'll be able to come back in 2008, so signing him would be a significant risk to the cap, ie you might have to IR him before the season and eat the money. In this case, I think you have to not sign him and hope he can work his way back to health on his own, keep tabs and monitor his health, and keep him in mind as the season progresses if a LB injury occurs and he has gotten healthy in the meantime. A lot of if's, unfortunately.

Caleb Miller has been no better than average when healthy, and has had a lot of problems remaining healthy. I think you offer hima minimum veteran contract, preferably for 2-3 years, if he is healthy by the end of February, and not, seeya.

Madieu can go. He was great in his first year, but following injury, he has been less than an average player; and like Justin last year, he'll demand star dollars. Not again, please. Seeya. I believe Marvin White or (more probably) Ethan Kilmer will replace him.

DJax? Lost a step, err, make that three. Seeya. Replaced by Chinny, who has suprised the heck out of me.

Deltha has one more year on his contract. They will likely let him play it out, since it is his audition for a big FA contract in 2009. The cap number is high for a nickel corner but not excessively so, particularly when he will be playing for a new contract.

Stacey Andrews is a hard read, but I take on faith (on the order of 55% for, 45% opposing) that this is his year to blossom, as his experience and technique finally approaches his potential. I still think he'd be a better guard than tackle, and would like to see him swap spots: Whitworth to RT and Andrews to LG, with Kooistra the top backup at both spots.

Alex Stepanovich: kinda depends on Santucci's development, which I have heard nothing about. I suspect they'll try to sign him for minimum money, and that he'll be happy to get it.

Antonio Chatman - now that he is finally healthy, he's been reasonably good (not great) both on offense and as a PR. As with anything, the price must be reasonable, with the possibility of a limited signing bonus, but I think you try to keep him.

Rudi - I like the guy as a person, but from a purely football-playing point of view, I'd like to see him go........and think there will be an excellent crop of reasonably priced quality replacements we could pick up as free agents. That said, you've all heard the chants -- RUUUUDEEEEE! RUUUUDEEEEE! -- and that's what sells tickets. Mike Brown likes to sell tickets, so he likes Rudi. Mike Brown (unfortunately) has the final say. Rudi (unfortunately) stays. If the chanting stops next year, and I think it will, Rudi will stop selling tickets and then he'll go. Then again, this is a smart guy who decided last offseason he needed more quicks and then did everything he could to make that happen. Maybe this offseason he decides to gain power and muscle mass, and if so, I have no doubt he will. If he does, I will actually look forward to seeing what Rudi Mark III - the pure power back - can do.

For the draft, keeping in mind that I believe we will end up with a bonus 3rd and 6th round compensatory picks:

1 DE emphasis on pass rushing

2 OLB emphasis on speed and tackling

3 OLT

3 CB (preferably with KR ability)

4 Balanced TE

5 DL\DE versatile

6 RB

6 C

7 LB Versatile/ST

[Bengals44]

Madieu is the toughest call for me. He showed great flexibility in essentially covering two positions as a rookie and performing well. After his injury he has been a pretty big disappointment. He has shown flashes, but has never played up to the level of his rookie year -- frustrating for a defensive back to be sure. This one could go either way because he could walk and end up being a very good player for another team for a long time. If he stays, based on his performance this year at least, the Bengals should be able to keep him without breaking a huge deal. Very tough call. I'm no good at predicting which Madieu would show up next year.

Landon's future will be determined by just how much interest he gets from other teams. While he's a starter on the Bengals it's primarily due to the fact that he's the only LB we have that can move between spots so well. That makes him an incredibly valuable backup on most teams. On the Bengals it makes him a 3 position starter. I'd like to think we could keep people healthy enough that he would be at least dedicated to one position if we keep him. If he gets some big offers, however, it could be hard to keep him. I tend to think he's more valuable to the Bengals than he would be to any suitors, but the way FA contracts have been going that could still dictate big $.

I agree with all of this - exactly dude!

[ArmyBengal]

All I will say is, if we take another CB before taking a DT I might have to go on a killing spree !!!

WHODEY !!!

[TJJackson]

*shrug* I could see switching the DT and CB picks.

Then again, I really think Big Toe will be ready after the grooming time on the PS this year. His strength is in the lower body, which should help make him the immovable anchor DT we have always craved but never came close to acquiring.

You do need to groom a nickel corner replacement for Deltha, so you draft him in 2008 and let him learn the system, so he is ready in 2009

[ArmyBengal]

Yeah TJ, in looking over the roster it's hard to conclude who could fill that nickel role. Brandon Williams is there, but who knows what we have in him ?? I still say it would be hard to take a CB over a DT seeing how big of an impact two D-linemen in the first and second round would have on this team for the future. Blue Adams seems to be more of a special teamer kind of guy. Any thoughts on him filling the nickel ?? All this is assuming Deltha doesn't stay for the last year of his contract...

WHODEY !!!

[TJJackson]

Blue is purely a special teams guy, really.....and until the play this week, has actually hurt them at times as a special teamer with penalties resulting from poor judgement and/or lack of temper control

The other guy who is there is David Jones (http://www.bengals.com/team/player.asp?player_id=170), but he hasn't been active and no one has anything to say about him positive or otherwise. He's been inactive each week......the pay for a player on the roster is a lot higher than a PS player, but for all intents and purposes, he is a highly compensated PS player.

You're right tho - a top shelf DT or DE is a far more important need than a nickel corner. I still say they'll take one, but maybe in round 6 or so. The TE I have listed early is a pipe dream of mine - they've ignored TE so long I don't think they know they are allowed to draft one.

I think it is fair to say that the first 4 picks should be among DE, DT, OT, and OLB, preferably in roughly that order.

So Marvin will probably take a WR.

*shrug*

[kingwilly]

TJ Wright is a guy who impressed me. IR'd early, he could step up.

With Deltha on the hook until he is let off, the tandem of JJ, Hall and Deltha are the CB's.

Also, the prospect of rolling Marvin White or Ndukwe into FS and Madieu over as Nickel is another option should Deltha get released.

If Madieu goes away and noone on the roster can do the job, you gotta look at a FA CB.

[derekshank]

Hey guys... long time no see. I thought I'd weigh in on this one.

Although I agree Justin is a tad overpaid, I have trouble parting ways with the most consistent D-Lineman on the team. I really believe that drafting a top tier DT would go a long way to improving the Justin/Peko/Geathers line... which can only help the young secondary (and yes, I think they should re-sign Madieu. He shouldn't be overpriced, but is solid nonetheless.)

It's still hard to argue against the fact that LB has been the killer for the Bengals for 2 straight years. Injuries have just decimated them time and time again. Landon should definitely be brought back since he appears to be the only LB that can avoid the curse.

[CJBestInAFC]

I like Dhani Jones too. I think he should also be resigned along with Landon. Jones brings solid depth at the lb position that killed the Bengals this season.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

No reason to re-sign Justin, Fanene can do just as good of a job if he stays healthy, and if not, you draft someone any ways at that position who can make a difference, or sign someone.

I can't take watching another year of Justin Smith. Spend that $ on a stud LB or FA o-lineman, or better FA DE or draft pick.

The only real positions the Bengals' need to improve on or address are OT, C, OG, TE, LB (all 3 positions) and DT/DE.

If you can get 3 solid guys, rookies or not, to fill 6 of those needs then you've improved your team.

I'm tired of re-signing the same sloths every year. Re-signing Madeiu is fine if he's affordable (should be) though.

The Bengals' off-season needs are too multiple and complicated to go into, they have a number of tough decisions to make and ideally need to be aggressive and creative in finding some new talent - something I have no confidence in their ability to do.

[TJJackson]

If you can get 3 solid guys, rookies or not, to fill 6 of those needs then you've improved your team.

Err, 3 guys playing 6 positions?

Come again? :-)

[TJJackson]

With Deltha on the hook until he is let off, the tandem of JJ, Hall and Deltha are the CB's.

With Deltha leaving in 2009, it'd be best to groom the replacement in 2008....so he's ready come 2009