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The Complete 2020-21 Offseason Plan v2


TJJackson

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I guess the signing of Michael Wilcox (a 2020 UDCFA and a member of our practice squad all year) could be considered to be the first FA signing for 2021, since the Bengals chose to SIGN him off the practice squad rather than just elevating him for whatever reason for this one game

https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/2021/01/01/bengals-roster-moves-week-17-ravens/

no terms were disclosed but given theres only game left for the year, I'd have to guess it is a 2-3 year contract and on the cheap

resume: https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/mitchell-wilcox

possible insurance against Cethan Carter leaving in FA?  dunno:

https://www.cincyjungle.com/2020/5/25/21252008/bengals-2021-free-agents-nfl-a-j-green-joe-mixon-carl-lawson

woo hoo SuperBowl baaaabbbbbyyyyyyy :-)

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There's an article on CincyJungle today about how outstanding Darius Philips has been the last few weeks

and they're right.   His play has been notably good

but

I like him the same way I liked Eifert - he's generally been good to great when healthy

Let me emphasize when healthy

I'd love to count on him as our CB2 next year and after, but when you have a player who is so frequently injured, you have to keep a second player of similar quality on roster or you're screwed.....see Sims, LaShaun for example of "screwed" in this fashion

so we should plan on at least 6 CBs on roster if he is one of the 6, and given that he is not a FA for 2021 he will most likely remain a Bengal for 2021

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5 hours ago, membengal said:

I can’t stress enough how much of a step he has lost. Keeping him off the roster do we can skip “force the ball to AJ”itis is important.

Agreed.  His play fell off a cliff.  Shoved off a cliff, actually, by the torn ankle ligaments he suffered in the summer of ‘19.  Unless he’s willing to sign an inexpensive deal and take on a limited role that includes tons of mentoring/coaching, goodbye and we’ll all be rooting for you wherever you land.

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the second saddest news that could start this offseason is here

https://www.cincyjungle.com/2021/1/4/22212148/zac-taylor-bengals-news-2021-nfl-season-black-monday-rumors

Yes, we're stuck with one of the most incompetent coaches in the NFL for at least one more year

Lets hope that he meets the necessary condition for the Browns to let him go - his guaranteed money on his contract ending - by the end of this season

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Is Joe Burrow just being the professional I know he is (Im stuck with this guy anyway, so I might as well be happy about it) or is he being dishonest about a bad situation that many folks are well aware of?  Or is he speaking to potential free agents he knows he (and the team) needs, ie "yeah, we lost a lot of games, but Taylor isnt part of the problem he is part of the solution" to defray their worries about joining such a piss poor team?

https://twitter.com/JoeyB/status/1346166811239329792?

I hate to speak ill of the guy......he is likeable in so very many ways both as a player and as a human being, but was this tweet necessary?

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1 hour ago, TJJackson said:

Is Joe Burrow just being the professional I know he is (Im stuck with this guy anyway, so I might as well be happy about it) or is he being dishonest about a bad situation that many folks are well aware of?  Or is he speaking to potential free agents he knows he (and the team) needs, ie "yeah, we lost a lot of games, but Taylor isnt part of the problem he is part of the solution" to defray their worries about joining such a piss poor team?

https://twitter.com/JoeyB/status/1346166811239329792?

I hate to speak ill of the guy......he is likeable in so very many ways both as a player and as a human being, but was this tweet necessary?

Nah.   Joe supports Taylor.  Live with it.  

It came out hours after the MB statement.

 

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11 hours ago, AMPHAR said:

ZT did an excellent job with Burrow.   Fans/Media that don't want ZT are going to overlook that fact and proclaim "any coach" could do it.

I don't really think it's that easy.  It is important factor in retaining Taylor.

 

 

Probably the crucial factor.

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To try to calm some nerves there will be a massive roster turnover this off season.    There will be a lot of comings and goings just off the top of my head there will be many Marvin guys gone with cap space cleared.  

Geno - good as gone

AJ - good as gone

Ross - good as gone

Hart - rumored to be gone

Bullock - gone

Shawn Williams - gone

Redmond - gone (didn't want him last year)

Hopkins - probably a pup lister

Dunlap - Already gone

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I pretty much have never liked Hobson's stuff.....too fluffy and "yey team" for my tastes, but I made the mistake of reading his latest article which is a Q&A piece that mostly centers on getting ready for 2021

https://www.bengals.com/news/hobson-s-choice-wish-lists

so is his priority getting more protection for New Guy?  No.  according to Hobson, we have very talented offensive linemen right now and the problem wasnt the OL but the scheme used.  He claims Price is a good center, so np if Hopkins isnt ready for game 1.  His priority for FA and the draft is all defense all day long.

Now I get that our D sucked bigtime, but here's the thing.  The D was decimated by injuries, most notably the highly paid 2019 free agents, and we have a promising group of young linebackers that are just getting better and better, whereas we already know what we have for the most part on the OL.   Said another way, the D should (barring injuries again) be much better in 2021 assuming we re-sign WJ3 and Lawson; while the OL isnt gonna get any better on its own

And of course we have New Guy recovering from a shredded knee.

so while i completely understand and agree that we have needs on defense, we first and foremost need to give New Guy the tools he needs to be the star he certainly can be, starting with protection so he is in our games instead of watching them on TV

Since we need to give him that protection both now and for the next decade, that means prioritizing OL both in FA (for now) and in the draft (the future)

That doesnt mean I want us to ignore the D in FA and/or the draft - it just is priority 2 rather than priority 1 in both cases as I see it.  And really, to be more specific, the D priority is a pass rushing DE, though we could use a good young pass rushing DT as well

Bottom line: I think Hobson is an idiot.  No surprises there

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we absolutely must re-sign WJ3 and Lawson.  Must.

Assuming that occurs, FA priority is (in order)

1. a tier 1 passblocking OL, preferably a OG, with some years left on him....lets say no older than 32

2. a passblocking ORT with some years left on him who is a notable upgrade from Hart.  Doesnt have to be a star, just an above average starting quality guy

3. an above average pass rushing DE or DT.  If we go the DT route, Hubbard then kicks out as our starting DE, which I think would be fine.

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