Unrestricted and Restricted Bengal Free Agents

[ArmyBengal]

I was just curious where most of you were standing in regards to our own free agents. I can see a free agency period consisting of trying to resign some of our own and very little after that. As for the restrcited guys, is there anyone we need to make sure we secure to keep other teams from offering them something we don't match ?? What do you think we do with these guys ??

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT

Cedric Benson, RB

Darryl Blackstock, LB

Chris Crocker, S

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB

Jamar Fletcher, CB

Eric Ghiaciuc, C

Shayne Graham, K

TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR

John Thornton, DT

RESTRICTED

John Busing, S

DeDe Dorsey, RB

Glenn Holt, WR

Rashad Jeanty, LB

Brandon Johnson, LB

Cory Mays, LB

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB

Orien Harris, DT

The unrestricted guys I'd like to see back are TJ, Shayne, Benson, Blackstock, and Crocker, I didn't see enough of Fletcher to make a call and I could take or leave Fitzpatrick. Thornton, Ghiaciuc, and Andrews can get bent...

I think Holt can hit the bricks with Mays. Busing is a big teams guy if he can stay healthy. Dorsey is always talked about getting his shot, but has also been nicked up. The status of our LB corps makes Jeanty and Johnson the two that are the most to be concerned about with depth being a consideration when our guys go down.

Harris was big coming out of college, but has never gotten a big chance and if he has, I missed it. I know he got some playing time this year. Coats should be removed from the thought of being an everyday FB after we draft one this year...

[HairOnFire]

The unrestricted guys I'd like to see back are TJ, Shayne, Benson, Blackstock, and Crocker....

I can't believe I'm writing this but I see resigning Cedric Benson as the Bengals biggest offseason priority. Everyone else falls into the "I want 'em but I can live without 'em" category, but Benson is a guy I'd build around.

I didn't see enough of Fletcher to make a call....

I think they'll let him go, and I'm fine with that because he's not the type of player a rebuilding team needs to keep very long. At best he was a stopgap that bought 'em some time. What I DO want very badly though is a better option for the nickleback role currently occupied by David Jones. Jones is still too much of a project for my tastes, and while I'm fine with him being on the roster I don't want him on the field as much as he currently is. It's simply too important a role to be left in it's current state.

I could take or leave Fitzpatrick.

That sums things up for me as well.

Thornton, Ghiaciuc, and Andrews can get bent...

Well, Andrews has already gotten bent so why make a fuss. As for Thornton, the Bengals have always shown an interest in the 290 lb elephant DE role, but they've always passed over more expensive options in favor of cheaper moves. So unless Thornton gives the Bengals a so-called hometown discount I'd expect them to respectfully bid and casually chase after Thornton before tearfully waving goodbye.

[Clackwoods]

The unrestricted guys I'd like to see back are TJ, Shayne, Benson, Blackstock, and Crocker....

I can't believe I'm writing this but I see resigning Cedric Benson as the Bengals biggest offseason priority. Everyone else falls into the "I want 'em but I can live without 'em" category, but Benson is a guy I'd build around.

I didn't see enough of Fletcher to make a call....

I think they'll let him go, and I'm fine with that because he's not the type of player a rebuilding team needs to keep very long. At best he was a stopgap that bought 'em some time. What I DO want very badly though is a better option for the nickleback role currently occupied by David Jones. Jones is still too much of a project for my tastes, and while I'm fine with him being on the roster I don't want him on the field as much as he currently is. It's simply too important a role to be left in it's current state.

I could take or leave Fitzpatrick.

That sums things up for me as well.

Thornton, Ghiaciuc, and Andrews can get bent...

Well, Andrews has already gotten bent so why make a fuss. As for Thornton, the Bengals have always shown an interest in the 290 lb elephant DE role, but they've always passed over more expensive options in favor of cheaper moves. So unless Thornton gives the Bengals a so-called hometown discount I'd expect them to respectfully bid and casually chase after Thornton before tearfully waving goodbye.

I believe the Bengals have to resign Cedric. He did a great job here and I really think we need to resign him. He had great games against the people that he should have and he struggled against stronger defenses like the Ravens and Steelers which is understandable. I think they keep Benson and sign another RB from FA or draft one in the later rounds that can be a speed, change of pace back from Benson.

We need to drop Fitz on his head, I would rather see Jordan get a shot at the backup role because I liked him coming out of college. I would like to bring back Blaystock as well, I really liked him coming out of college, but he is a 4-3 linebacker and he was stuck in Arizona's 3-4.

Dump Thorton

Sign Haynesworth

[Clackwoods]

The unrestricted guys I'd like to see back are TJ, Shayne, Benson, Blackstock, and Crocker....

I can't believe I'm writing this but I see resigning Cedric Benson as the Bengals biggest offseason priority. Everyone else falls into the "I want 'em but I can live without 'em" category, but Benson is a guy I'd build around.

I didn't see enough of Fletcher to make a call....

I think they'll let him go, and I'm fine with that because he's not the type of player a rebuilding team needs to keep very long. At best he was a stopgap that bought 'em some time. What I DO want very badly though is a better option for the nickleback role currently occupied by David Jones. Jones is still too much of a project for my tastes, and while I'm fine with him being on the roster I don't want him on the field as much as he currently is. It's simply too important a role to be left in it's current state.

I could take or leave Fitzpatrick.

That sums things up for me as well.

Thornton, Ghiaciuc, and Andrews can get bent...

Well, Andrews has already gotten bent so why make a fuss. As for Thornton, the Bengals have always shown an interest in the 290 lb elephant DE role, but they've always passed over more expensive options in favor of cheaper moves. So unless Thornton gives the Bengals a so-called hometown discount I'd expect them to respectfully bid and casually chase after Thornton before tearfully waving goodbye.

I believe the Bengals have to resign Cedric. He did a great job here and I really think we need to resign him. He had great games against the people that he should have and he struggled against stronger defenses like the Ravens and Steelers which is understandable. I think they keep Benson and sign another RB from FA or draft one in the later rounds that can be a speed, change of pace back from Benson.

We need to drop Fitz on his head, I would rather see Jordan get a shot at the backup role because I liked him coming out of college. I would like to bring back Blaystock as well, I really liked him coming out of college, but he is a 4-3 linebacker and he was stuck in Arizona's 3-4.

Dump Thorton

Sign Haynesworth

Do you know that Benson played two summers of Minor league baseball for the Dodgers?

[HairOnFire]

I think they keep Benson and sign another RB from FA or draft one in the later rounds that can be a speed, change of pace back from Benson.

IMHO there aren't many possible/realistic moves that would accelerate the Bengals rebuilding efforts as much as retaining Benson long-term.

We need to drop Fitz on his head, I would rather see Jordan get a shot at the backup role because I liked him coming out of college.

In regards to Fitz, there shouldn't be any suprises left to consider because everything, good and bad, was exposed. As for Jordan Palmer and the whole bunch, I hope they do a far better job this offseason of getting all of their backups ready to play from day one.

Dump Thorton

Sign Haynesworth

Mmmmm, crazy drunk talk.

[HoTbOy]

Yeah, I guess priority #1 should be to sign CBenson, we need him more than he needs us...I would also like to sign CCrocker he improved the 2ndary when he got on the field...

[GregCook]

I was just curious where most of you were standing in regards to our own free agents. I can see a free agency period consisting of trying to resign some of our own and very little after that. As for the restrcited guys, is there anyone we need to make sure we secure to keep other teams from offering them something we don't match ?? What do you think we do with these guys ??

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT

Cedric Benson, RB

Darryl Blackstock, LB

Chris Crocker, S

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB

Jamar Fletcher, CB

Eric Ghiaciuc, C

Shayne Graham, K

TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR

John Thornton, DT

RESTRICTED

John Busing, S

DeDe Dorsey, RB

Glenn Holt, WR

Rashad Jeanty, LB

Brandon Johnson, LB

Cory Mays, LB

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB

Orien Harris, DT

The unrestricted guys I'd like to see back are TJ, Shayne, Benson, Blackstock, and Crocker, I didn't see enough of Fletcher to make a call and I could take or leave Fitzpatrick. Thornton, Ghiaciuc, and Andrews can get bent...

I think Holt can hit the bricks with Mays. Busing is a big teams guy if he can stay healthy. Dorsey is always talked about getting his shot, but has also been nicked up. The status of our LB corps makes Jeanty and Johnson the two that are the most to be concerned about with depth being a consideration when our guys go down.

Harris was big coming out of college, but has never gotten a big chance and if he has, I missed it. I know he got some playing time this year. Coats should be removed from the thought of being an everyday FB after we draft one this year...

Of the Unrestricted there are only three that are vital, Benson, TJ and Graham. TJ is the most likely to be tagged and the others will shake the bushes for better deals than Cincy is offering. Crocker and Blackstock are also nice pickups for 2009. Thornton wasn't so bad, he'll find a home elsewhere. Stacy won't get a second look if the draft is a good one for OT's. Benson I'd watch out for, he's likely to disappoint us by getting signed elsewhere since he proved he can play well and not get distracted even when the team is losing all the time.

Restricted guys have two keepers, Jeanty and Brandon Johnson. They played well last year and Jeanty is a true tough guy.

As for the unsigned guys, who cares? Neither made an impact and Coats proved that the Bengals must get a true FB next season.

[Clackwoods]

I was just curious where most of you were standing in regards to our own free agents. I can see a free agency period consisting of trying to resign some of our own and very little after that. As for the restrcited guys, is there anyone we need to make sure we secure to keep other teams from offering them something we don't match ?? What do you think we do with these guys ??

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT

Cedric Benson, RB

Darryl Blackstock, LB

Chris Crocker, S

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB

Jamar Fletcher, CB

Eric Ghiaciuc, C

Shayne Graham, K

TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR

John Thornton, DT

RESTRICTED

John Busing, S

DeDe Dorsey, RB

Glenn Holt, WR

Rashad Jeanty, LB

Brandon Johnson, LB

Cory Mays, LB

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB

Orien Harris, DT

The unrestricted guys I'd like to see back are TJ, Shayne, Benson, Blackstock, and Crocker, I didn't see enough of Fletcher to make a call and I could take or leave Fitzpatrick. Thornton, Ghiaciuc, and Andrews can get bent...

I think Holt can hit the bricks with Mays. Busing is a big teams guy if he can stay healthy. Dorsey is always talked about getting his shot, but has also been nicked up. The status of our LB corps makes Jeanty and Johnson the two that are the most to be concerned about with depth being a consideration when our guys go down.

Harris was big coming out of college, but has never gotten a big chance and if he has, I missed it. I know he got some playing time this year. Coats should be removed from the thought of being an everyday FB after we draft one this year...

Of the Unrestricted there are only three that are vital, Benson, TJ and Graham. TJ is the most likely to be tagged and the others will shake the bushes for better deals than Cincy is offering. Crocker and Blackstock are also nice pickups for 2009. Thornton wasn't so bad, he'll find a home elsewhere. Stacy won't get a second look if the draft is a good one for OT's. Benson I'd watch out for, he's likely to disappoint us by getting signed elsewhere since he proved he can play well and not get distracted even when the team is losing all the time.

Restricted guys have two keepers, Jeanty and Brandon Johnson. They played well last year and Jeanty is a true tough guy.

As for the unsigned guys, who cares? Neither made an impact and Coats proved that the Bengals must get a true FB next season.

One thing your not considering, Benson put up similar numbers to last year when he was in Chicago. No one was lining up to sign him then so what has changed? Also, hopefully he has a sense of loyalty to an organization that helped resurrect his career.

[GregCook]

I was just curious where most of you were standing in regards to our own free agents. I can see a free agency period consisting of trying to resign some of our own and very little after that. As for the restrcited guys, is there anyone we need to make sure we secure to keep other teams from offering them something we don't match ?? What do you think we do with these guys ??

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT

Cedric Benson, RB

Darryl Blackstock, LB

Chris Crocker, S

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB

Jamar Fletcher, CB

Eric Ghiaciuc, C

Shayne Graham, K

TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR

John Thornton, DT

RESTRICTED

John Busing, S

DeDe Dorsey, RB

Glenn Holt, WR

Rashad Jeanty, LB

Brandon Johnson, LB

Cory Mays, LB

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB

Orien Harris, DT

The unrestricted guys I'd like to see back are TJ, Shayne, Benson, Blackstock, and Crocker, I didn't see enough of Fletcher to make a call and I could take or leave Fitzpatrick. Thornton, Ghiaciuc, and Andrews can get bent...

I think Holt can hit the bricks with Mays. Busing is a big teams guy if he can stay healthy. Dorsey is always talked about getting his shot, but has also been nicked up. The status of our LB corps makes Jeanty and Johnson the two that are the most to be concerned about with depth being a consideration when our guys go down.

Harris was big coming out of college, but has never gotten a big chance and if he has, I missed it. I know he got some playing time this year. Coats should be removed from the thought of being an everyday FB after we draft one this year...

Of the Unrestricted there are only three that are vital, Benson, TJ and Graham. TJ is the most likely to be tagged and the others will shake the bushes for better deals than Cincy is offering. Crocker and Blackstock are also nice pickups for 2009. Thornton wasn't so bad, he'll find a home elsewhere. Stacy won't get a second look if the draft is a good one for OT's. Benson I'd watch out for, he's likely to disappoint us by getting signed elsewhere since he proved he can play well and not get distracted even when the team is losing all the time.

Restricted guys have two keepers, Jeanty and Brandon Johnson. They played well last year and Jeanty is a true tough guy.

As for the unsigned guys, who cares? Neither made an impact and Coats proved that the Bengals must get a true FB next season.

One thing your not considering, Benson put up similar numbers to last year when he was in Chicago. No one was lining up to sign him then so what has changed? Also, hopefully he has a sense of loyalty to an organization that helped resurrect his career.

Legal entanglements. Plus mouthed off about his teammates as I remember.

[combatbengal]

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT

Cedric Benson, RB Sign

Darryl Blackstock, LB sign

Chris Crocker, S sign

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB sign

Jamar Fletcher, CB

Eric Ghiaciuc, C cut

Shayne Graham, K sign

TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR SIGN

John Thornton, DT

RESTRICTED

John Busing, S

DeDe Dorsey, RB cut

Glenn Holt, WR

Rashad Jeanty, LB sign

Brandon Johnson, LB sign

Cory Mays, LB

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB sign

Orien Harris, DT

[TJJackson]

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT - broken and sucks. no.

Cedric Benson, RB - sign LT w/fewer guarentees and more incentives

Darryl Blackstock, LB - invisible. no.

Chris Crocker, S - probable 2009 starter, defensive leader. sign LT NOW!

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB - did better than I expected under the circumstances. . sign lt if possible (probably not possible, he wants to chance to start)

Jamar Fletcher, CB - solidly good nickel db. sign for min or w/small bonus

Eric Ghiaciuc, C - *sigh* sign for min (as backup), otherwise no

Shayne Graham, K - great FGs, improving kickoffs. sign LT, possible franchise tag

TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR - top notch. sign LT, possible franchise tag

John Thornton, DT - sucks. no.

RESTRICTED

John Busing, S - too many safeties. no.

DeDe Dorsey, RB - love him healthy, but too fragile. no.

Glenn Holt, WR - hurt, fumbles. no.

Rashad Jeanty, LB - solid member of emerging defense. min tender (no compensation, just the right to match)

Brandon Johnson, LB - good member of emerging defense. tender to draft status (r5 pick compensation)

Cory Mays, LB - injured too often. no.

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB - one of the physically strongest players on the team. Give him one more year. Min vet contract.

Orien Harris, DT - unnoticeable, time to move on. no.

[kingwilly]

I was just curious where most of you were standing in regards to our own free agents. I can see a free agency period consisting of trying to resign some of our own and very little after that. As for the restrcited guys, is there anyone we need to make sure we secure to keep other teams from offering them something we don't match ?? What do you think we do with these guys ??

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT

Cedric Benson, RB

Darryl Blackstock, LB

Chris Crocker, S

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB

Jamar Fletcher, CB

Eric Ghiaciuc, C

Shayne Graham, K

TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR

John Thornton, DT

RESTRICTED

John Busing, S

DeDe Dorsey, RB

Glenn Holt, WR

Rashad Jeanty, LB

Brandon Johnson, LB

Cory Mays, LB

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB

Orien Harris, DT

The unrestricted guys I'd like to see back are TJ, Shayne, Benson, Blackstock, and Crocker, I didn't see enough of Fletcher to make a call and I could take or leave Fitzpatrick. Thornton, Ghiaciuc, and Andrews can get bent...

I think Holt can hit the bricks with Mays. Busing is a big teams guy if he can stay healthy. Dorsey is always talked about getting his shot, but has also been nicked up. The status of our LB corps makes Jeanty and Johnson the two that are the most to be concerned about with depth being a consideration when our guys go down.

Harris was big coming out of college, but has never gotten a big chance and if he has, I missed it. I know he got some playing time this year. Coats should be removed from the thought of being an everyday FB after we draft one this year...

On offense, what we do with Benson and TJ will dictate the draft plan and what this team can be expected to produce next year.

For Benson, he warrants a market offer. Nothing insane, just a solid offer to stay and be part of the team. 3-4 years is about all they could get out of him. I would have liked to have seen more James Johnson as I feel he could replace Watson. Keeping DeDe, in the chance he can get healthy, probably won't cost much. Then adding a true FB will only make Benson and others more effective.

As for TJ, this is a real puzzle. At 32, he "should" be slowing down but then again, he has never been a burner. He catches about everything, blocks well, is a team guy and is trusted by Palmer. Seeing as there is no clear repalcement, though Caldwell had his moments, an effort must be made to sign him. I think tagging him would be a mistake so getting him another 3 year deal for good coin makes the most sense. 2010 is an uncapped year, so we will absolutely see him go bye-bye after 09 were he tagged. For Holt, signing him should not be difficult but then it creates a logjam of WR's. Someone has to go. In my mind it will be Chatman as he cannot stay healthy.

On defense, priority should be given to B. Johnson and Blackstock. These guys improved the LB play by leaps and bounds over the Landon/Scrub crew of 07 (not that it would be too difficult).

Crocker shined during his time and also warrants being brought back for decent deal. His intensity was infectious. I think D-Jax ends up on the outgoing list.

Most of the others I am indifferent about. I was very critical of Fitz-sack-trick, much of it warranted, but I also concede that the line play was out of his control.

Guys who are sure goners: Ghiaciuc, Graham, Fletcher, Thornton, Andrews and Busing. There are upgrades currently on the team and in the draft that will fill those holes. Some will argue that Graham merits a new deal but that will be a big chunk of coin for a kicker who I think is overrated.

[Clackwoods]

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT - broken and sucks. no.

Cedric Benson, RB - sign LT w/fewer guarentees and more incentives

Darryl Blackstock, LB - invisible. no.

Chris Crocker, S - probable 2009 starter, defensive leader. sign LT NOW!

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB - did better than I expected under the circumstances. . sign lt if possible (probably not possible, he wants to chance to start)

Jamar Fletcher, CB - solidly good nickel db. sign for min or w/small bonus

Eric Ghiaciuc, C - *sigh* sign for min (as backup), otherwise no

Shayne Graham, K - great FGs, improving kickoffs. sign LT, possible franchise tag

TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR - top notch. sign LT, possible franchise tag

John Thornton, DT - sucks. no.

RESTRICTED

John Busing, S - too many safeties. no.

DeDe Dorsey, RB - love him healthy, but too fragile. no.

Glenn Holt, WR - hurt, fumbles. no.

Rashad Jeanty, LB - solid member of emerging defense. min tender (no compensation, just the right to match)

Brandon Johnson, LB - good member of emerging defense. tender to draft status (r5 pick compensation)

Cory Mays, LB - injured too often. no.

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB - one of the physically strongest players on the team. Give him one more year. Min vet contract.

Orien Harris, DT - unnoticeable, time to move on. no.

IF Tomlinson is cut, he will go to a better team than us. He wants to compete for a superbowl and I could see him signing with the Patriots.

[Kazkal]

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT - broken and sucks. no.

-I'd say min year or two deal.

Cedric Benson, RB - sign LT w/fewer guarentees and more incentives

-Highly doubt he'll get cut,maybe if we traded for him

Chris Crocker, S - probable 2009 starter, defensive leader. sign LT NOW!

-Could be possible he stole WHites job.

Eric Ghiaciuc, C - *sigh* sign for min (as backup), otherwise no

-Even if we only signed him as a backup I still would pass simply chance of them ignoring center....

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB - one of the physically strongest players on the team. Give him one more year. Min vet contract.

Meh I'd say keep him as a TE but draft a real TE....He can still be the "hybrid TE/FB but i'd feel better getting a true FB...

rest I agree with.

IF Tomlinson is cut, he will go to a better team than us. He wants to compete for a superbowl and I could see him signing with the Patriots.

-Aye and maybe if not a contender like the Patriots which I'm sure would be the moest likely,maybe the Broncos who very well could be contender next year vs 4-11-1 team that made the mistake of passing on him....

[ArmyBengal]

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT - broken and sucks. no.

Cedric Benson, RB - sign LT w/fewer guarentees and more incentives

Darryl Blackstock, LB - invisible. no.

Chris Crocker, S - probable 2009 starter, defensive leader. sign LT NOW!

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB - did better than I expected under the circumstances. . sign lt if possible (probably not possible, he wants to chance to start)

Jamar Fletcher, CB - solidly good nickel db. sign for min or w/small bonus

Eric Ghiaciuc, C - *sigh* sign for min (as backup), otherwise no

Shayne Graham, K - great FGs, improving kickoffs. sign LT, possible franchise tag

TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR - top notch. sign LT, possible franchise tag

John Thornton, DT - sucks. no.

RESTRICTED

John Busing, S - too many safeties. no.

DeDe Dorsey, RB - love him healthy, but too fragile. no.

Glenn Holt, WR - hurt, fumbles. no.

Rashad Jeanty, LB - solid member of emerging defense. min tender (no compensation, just the right to match)

Brandon Johnson, LB - good member of emerging defense. tender to draft status (r5 pick compensation)

Cory Mays, LB - injured too often. no.

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB - one of the physically strongest players on the team. Give him one more year. Min vet contract.

Orien Harris, DT - unnoticeable, time to move on. no.

IF Tomlinson is cut, he will go to a better team than us. He wants to compete for a superbowl and I could see him signing with the Patriots.

At first I thought he was talking about LT as in Tomlinson, but after seeing it repeated could he mean long term ??

Guessing here...

[Pidge]

LT = Long Term

[cincyhokie]

No way in hell LT even thinks about coming here if he is cut. No way.

[redsbengalsbucks]

I was just curious where most of you were standing in regards to our own free agents. I can see a free agency period consisting of trying to resign some of our own and very little after that. As for the restrcited guys, is there anyone we need to make sure we secure to keep other teams from offering them something we don't match ?? What do you think we do with these guys ??

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT drop bust

Cedric Benson, RB sign, I cant beleive it, but he is a must sign for the offense

Darryl Blackstock, LB sign for depth

Chris Crocker, S sign great find on Defense

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB sign if willing, solid backup QB now with experience running the system

Jamar Fletcher, CB sign for depth

Eric Ghiaciuc, C drop bust and go into FA and find an average C strong enough for the AFCN

Shayne Graham, K sign if not to expensive, but there are many alternatives out there

TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR sign if not to expensive, he is getting old, it maybe smart to let that happen elsewhere

John Thornton, DT drop

RESTRICTED

John Busing, S either way just depth

DeDe Dorsey, RB either way just depth

Glenn Holt, WR sign good depth, average WR

Rashad Jeanty, LB sign solid player

Brandon Johnson, LB sign still improving

Cory Mays, LB either way just depth

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB sign he is improving his blocking skills

Orien Harris, DT sign to min if possible, he has potential to help in a rotation with Peko and Sims

[TJJackson]

LT = long term, yep.

[TJJackson]

I realize my position on Ghiaciuc - to try to retain him at min salary (or close to it) as a backup - will probably be unpopular. No problem

Yeah, he sucks. Yes, he was a turnstile. Yeah, the "matador" nickname fits. I get it. I saw the games too.

but

1) He has shown decently good ability in the past. He played well in his rookie season against even top DTs (I recall praise he received for his work against two top Jag DTs at the time). What I think he needs is to improve his mass and strength (doable with a lot of offseason work, no steroids needed) and he could be solid. Not great, solid. I'll happily take solid over the current product, thank you. Will he do it? no idea.

2) he has been durable. That's something we do need a lot more of.

3) he's cheap. I do not think he will fetch a much of a price on the FA market after the season we just had, particularly after the dismal OL performance. Min vet contract will be very, very cap friendly.

4) He knows the system here. This has value not just for us, but for him. Long term, if he hopes to ever get a fat signing bonus, he needed to improve. The best place for him to improve is where he already has the system down and just needs to improve how he executes it. If he goes anywhere else, he takes three steps back to learn the new system before he can start moving foward. Almost certainly his only chance to START is here, and if he isn;t starting, again, no chance of a big signing bonus ever.

[HoosierCat]

For Benson, he warrants a market offer. Nothing insane, just a solid offer to stay and be part of the team. 3-4 years is about all they could get out of him.

I wouldn't offer Benson insane money either, but I suspect he's got a bit more time in him than just 3 or 4 years. Prior to coming to Cincy, Benson had 420 carries in three seasons; Rudi had 361 back in 2004 alone. His whole career doesn't add up to two years worth of work by our former "bell-cow." So for a four-year veteran, he has a lot of tread left on the tires. Get a change-of-pace/1-2 punch guy to spell him -- which Rudi never really had -- and that number could be a couple years longer. IIRC when the Bengals inked Rudi long-term a few years ago, it was a five year, $25 million deal. I'd factor in inflation (perhaps 5 years, $30 million) and suggest something like that.

[Clackwoods]

I was just curious where most of you were standing in regards to our own free agents. I can see a free agency period consisting of trying to resign some of our own and very little after that. As for the restrcited guys, is there anyone we need to make sure we secure to keep other teams from offering them something we don't match ?? What do you think we do with these guys ??

UNRESTRICTED

Stacy Andrews, OT

Cedric Benson, RB

Darryl Blackstock, LB

Chris Crocker, S

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB

Jamar Fletcher, CB

Eric Ghiaciuc, C

Shayne Graham, K

TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR

John Thornton, DT

RESTRICTED

John Busing, S

DeDe Dorsey, RB

Glenn Holt, WR

Rashad Jeanty, LB

Brandon Johnson, LB

Cory Mays, LB

UNSIGNED (EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS)

Daniel Coats, TE/FB

Orien Harris, DT

The unrestricted guys I'd like to see back are TJ, Shayne, Benson, Blackstock, and Crocker, I didn't see enough of Fletcher to make a call and I could take or leave Fitzpatrick. Thornton, Ghiaciuc, and Andrews can get bent...

I think Holt can hit the bricks with Mays. Busing is a big teams guy if he can stay healthy. Dorsey is always talked about getting his shot, but has also been nicked up. The status of our LB corps makes Jeanty and Johnson the two that are the most to be concerned about with depth being a consideration when our guys go down.

Harris was big coming out of college, but has never gotten a big chance and if he has, I missed it. I know he got some playing time this year. Coats should be removed from the thought of being an everyday FB after we draft one this year...

On offense, what we do with Benson and TJ will dictate the draft plan and what this team can be expected to produce next year.

For Benson, he warrants a market offer. Nothing insane, just a solid offer to stay and be part of the team. 3-4 years is about all they could get out of him. I would have liked to have seen more James Johnson as I feel he could replace Watson. Keeping DeDe, in the chance he can get healthy, probably won't cost much. Then adding a true FB will only make Benson and others more effective.

As for TJ, this is a real puzzle. At 32, he "should" be slowing down but then again, he has never been a burner. He catches about everything, blocks well, is a team guy and is trusted by Palmer. Seeing as there is no clear repalcement, though Caldwell had his moments, an effort must be made to sign him. I think tagging him would be a mistake so getting him another 3 year deal for good coin makes the most sense. 2010 is an uncapped year, so we will absolutely see him go bye-bye after 09 were he tagged. For Holt, signing him should not be difficult but then it creates a logjam of WR's. Someone has to go. In my mind it will be Chatman as he cannot stay healthy.

On defense, priority should be given to B. Johnson and Blackstock. These guys improved the LB play by leaps and bounds over the Landon/Scrub crew of 07 (not that it would be too difficult).

Crocker shined during his time and also warrants being brought back for decent deal. His intensity was infectious. I think D-Jax ends up on the outgoing list.

Most of the others I am indifferent about. I was very critical of Fitz-sack-trick, much of it warranted, but I also concede that the line play was out of his control.

Guys who are sure goners: Ghiaciuc, Graham, Fletcher, Thornton, Andrews and Busing. There are upgrades currently on the team and in the draft that will fill those holes. Some will argue that Graham merits a new deal but that will be a big chunk of coin for a kicker who I think is overrated.

How do you call a guy who is the second most accurate kicker ever overrated? Don't give me the Vanderjagt speil either because he was old as hell when he started to fall apart in Indy.

[Clackwoods]

LT = Long Term

OH OK, I thought you were saying it over and over again because you wanted it to happen really bad, I read it out of context.

[HairOnFire]

I wouldn't offer Benson insane money either....

I just might. And I'd consider doing it for all of the reasons you pointed out....plus a few others. But mostly it comes down to this. Teams rarely find potential building blocks/franchise players off of the street, and THIS team...at this moment in time....can't afford to let this opportunity pass.

Keeping Benson in stripes is the key to everything.

[alleycat]

100% Agreed.