Fixing the Bengals in one draft

[AMPHAR]

I'd question a RB pick that early with Chase and Perine on the roster.   IMO, it would be stupid.  

1st Zac and Joe have no interest in protecting anything with a running game.  Joe is very much like Dan Marino in regards to the run game.   I don't know if that's a positive or negative.   So I'm not sure what another RB would do other than be a question all season long of why so and so isn't getting more carries?    Joe said it best when talking about Mixon.  All they care about the run game is to be efficient and keep them on schedule in down and distance. 

Zac - wants an RB that can catch and protect.  They have 2 already that have shown to be able to do that.

 2nd - Guard talk.   Yes, they can upgrade guard.   However it is not a gigantic hole and very close, IMO, to be coming an overrated talking point.   They return everyone from a top 10 unit except RG in which they cut the starter and then replaced with an equal talent.   The talk was Cappa was hurt all year so I guess you can say an upgrade via health is already there, I guess.  

Anyway they got 3 guys with a bunch of starts between them at guard.  Sure fill the hole via the draft IF BPA dictates it otherwise wait for another round or so.   In no way shape or form should they reach for one. 

[HoosierCat]

Didn't get around to throwing this up yesterday but La Canfora had a bit on Trey in his column yesterday. Nothing much we didn't already know or hadn't guessed, really. Nut grafs:

Quote

According to several NFL executives who have gauged the Bengals’ trade interest on Hendrickson, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to publicly discuss players under contract to another team, the Bengals want first-round value for the veteran if they do deal him. Numerous teams have dangled midround picks but to no avail. Of course, the Bengals’ defense is in tatters, they badly need to reload in this draft, and deadlines spur actions — in this case getting picks for Hendrickson they can use in 2025.

“They’re being unreasonable,” said one NFL executive who has been taking the Bengals’ temperature. Another executive said: “If they can’t get him signed this week, I think he’s gone by the draft.”

Translation: "interested" teams aren't offering anything more than trash picks, but someone might get desperate and pony up some decent comp on draft day.

[ArmyBengal]

The idea of starting Ford and Volson scares the shit out of me.  I could handle Volson if there was someone markedly better than him playing on the other side, but that's not the case with Ford.  Ford is pretty much a shit show and regardless of how you view him, was a much below average OG when given the opportunity last season.  Volson gave up more sacks than Ford did as well.

If Lucas Patrick can play up to par and start over Ford, that would be a plus as well, but there simply isn't anyone else with any type of experience that you can hang your hat on and say, "We are good there".  Kirkland?  Maybe the guy from all those years ago that once was viewed as a top end player before getting hurt.  Not today.

I'm not commenting on the OG position because it's just a hot topic among reporters, but because they suck.

WHY NOT SCHERFF ??

[ArmyBengal]

I could see a trade for Trey being capable of happening during the draft, but I don't see the Bengals pulling that off.
It's just not something I could see them doing.  I would bet they will just stick to their guns with Trey and force the issue.
I'm not saying that's good or bad, but a draft day trade which includes a high profile player?
Not something I see happening.

[HoosierCat]

Well sh*t, now I guess the Bengals are going to have to get UC to hire Hendrickson for their front office now or something...

https://emueagles.com/news/2025/4/14/maxx-crosby-named-assistant-general-manager-for-emu-football.aspx

[TJJackson]

all the Top 30 visits from DTs is telling me that they clearly are not sold on Jenkins and Mount McKinley

[AMPHAR]

Burrow doesn't give a shit about playing behind Volson or whoever.   Zac doesn't give a shit about calling plays to hide 2 low tier guards.

Draft isn't going to reflect that either.   They'll pick a guard candidate IF that's the a player with an adequate grade.

If it was the other way around there would be another FA guard addition.   What they are going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on WRs but refuse and ignore Joe over $8m FA guard?   Nah.   Its simply not the panic button issue its made out to be.   It can be improved and hopefully will but they can line up today and think Superbowl with who they have.

 

 

[HoosierCat]

10 hours ago, TJJackson said:

all the Top 30 visits from DTs is telling me that they clearly are not sold on Jenkins and Mount McKinley

Nah, it just says they know they need to keep adding youth to the line. Both Hill and Slayton are basically one year rentals with one (Slayton) or two (Hill) club option years. If both were cut after this season, the team would pick up a combined $11 million in cap space.

[HoosierCat]

Excellent breakdown of the guard situation from Dehner today. His prediction:

Quote

Prediction

Ratledge in Round 2. There are just too many connections here. I think going for a guard in the first round will be tempting, but the Bengals inevitably pick a more premium player-position combination at that point. A player like Booker going before, say, a safety like Nick Emmanwori or Malaki Starks or one of the premier pass rushers doesn’t connect to Cincinnati’s DNA. With that said, Ratledge reuniting with Mims will top the list of a grouping of players expected to go in the middle of the second round. More importantly, Cincinnati needs to come away with somebody from that group or the hole they dug by failing to properly attack the spot in free agency will only loom larger. It would certainly require picking up the phone for Brandon Scherff’s agent.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6270997/2025/04/15/bengals-nfl-draft-needs-guard/

Also, combined with his look at LB and safety yesterday: https://archive.ph/n1tTq

…his rounds 1-3 prediction is now:

1 Starks, 2 Ratledge, 3 LB Demetrius Knight.

Works for me.

[AMPHAR]

1 hour ago, HoosierCat said:

Nah, it just says they know they need to keep adding youth to the line. Both Hill and Slayton are basically one year rentals with one (Slayton) or two (Hill) club option years. If both were cut after this season, the team would pick up a combined $11 million in cap space.

That and hopefully Golden can develop more of rotation among the DL instead of running them into the ground.

[AMPHAR]

8 minutes ago, HoosierCat said:

Excellent breakdown of the guard situation from Dehner today. His prediction:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6270997/2025/04/15/bengals-nfl-draft-needs-guard/

Also, combined with his look at LB and safety yesterday: https://archive.ph/n1tTq

…his rounds 1-3 prediction is now:

1 Starks, 2 Ratledge, 3 LB Demetrius Knight.

Works for me.

I could go without Dehner's gaslighting.    They could line up today and play with the guards they have today. 

Its just an odd perspective many Bengal fans and media have towards the team.   They've dug themselves a hole, lol.  Uh, they've returned 10 of 11 starters and replaced the one that was cut.  That unit produced points that rivals the greatest era of offensive football in team history. 

Its a spot they can and probably will improve.   Digging holes, GTFO. 

 

 

[ArmyBengal]

#1. Can they line up what they have at OG and play? 
#2. Can they think Super Bowl while lining up with what they have at OG? 

As to #1... Yes they can, but when looking at how shitty Ford and Volson are, I'm not in favor of that approach.
As to #2... They can think that all day long if they so desire.  I simply disagree.

Ford and Volson are both below average OG's by any standard, not some PFF crap either.
If the process is about improving the roster through the draft, look for what gives you the most bang for the buck.

Just world according to ArmyBengal, but DE, OG, LB are my top three.  They have 6 picks.
There's no way you can look at the OG's on this roster and think, "Yeah, we are good there".

If you do, cool.  Again, I disagree.  They suck ass.

[ArmyBengal]

I will also add that, like any other position, if they don't address it, it's not the end of the world.
However, you don't ignore an obvious weakness when you have the chance to improve it.

[COB]

4 hours ago, AMPHAR said:

  What they are going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on WRs but refuse and ignore Joe over $8m FA guard?   Nah.

I wish I had your confidence in our FO.  Because ignoring terrible interior o-linemen is exactly what they’ve been doing for years.  

one example - we had Arguably the worst starting guard in the nfl, worthy of being outright cut at the end of the season.  But they started him all year, didn’t upgrade or even try if I recall correctly.  Then, in a move that confirms they knew how bad he was, they cut him.  

If you have an inkling what their plan is, I’d love to hear it.  Because they, justifiably, cut the starter from last year.  I hope Lucas Patrick is the answer, but we have to be realistic about him, he’s 31 coming off a season ending knee injury.  

As far as filling the hole with one of our depth guys - none of them could displace Alex Cappa last year, and Cappa struggled.  That’s surely not their plan.  

[ArmyBengal]

My favorite thing to watch with the o-line is seeing a guy they start all season long get cut.
You would expect a "starter" to at least get looked at by other teams, but that's not what happens.
Our "starters" get cut and then never play in the league again.

Not brought in to start, not to be a back up, not the practice squad, but out of the league.
Is that an over exaggeration?  Sure, but not by much...

[AMPHAR]

1 hour ago, COB said:

I wish I had your confidence in our FO.  Because ignoring terrible interior o-linemen is exactly what they’ve been doing for years.  

one example - we had Arguably the worst starting guard in the nfl, worthy of being outright cut at the end of the season.  But they started him all year, didn’t upgrade or even try if I recall correctly.  Then, in a move that confirms they knew how bad he was, they cut him.  

If you have an inkling what their plan is, I’d love to hear it.  Because they, justifiably, cut the starter from last year.  I hope Lucas Patrick is the answer, but we have to be realistic about him, he’s 31 coming off a season ending knee injury.  

As far as filling the hole with one of our depth guys - none of them could displace Alex Cappa last year, and Cappa struggled.  That’s surely not their plan.  

lol.  What am I going to tell you that over $100m dollars in contracts hasn't told you already?   Enjoy the Bengals how you choose.

Referring anything so far this offseason as "digging a hole" is sensationalizing bullshit.   Cappa was supposedly hurt and there Patrick supposedly is a healthy equal talent. 

Guard situation can be improved but nothing at this point is a critical failure point in regards to the offense. 

[AMPHAR]

23 minutes ago, ArmyBengal said:

My favorite thing to watch with the o-line is seeing a guy they start all season long get cut.
You would expect a "starter" to at least get looked at by other teams, but that's not what happens.
Our "starters" get cut and then never play in the league again.

Not brought in to start, not to be a back up, not the practice squad, but out of the league.
Is that an over exaggeration?  Sure, but not by much...

Cappa signed before FA.     Supposedly they cut him because they had doubts about his future ability to stay healthy. 

 

[AMPHAR]

2 hours ago, ArmyBengal said:

There's no way you can look at the OG's on this roster and think, "Yeah, we are good there".

If you do, cool.  Again, I disagree.  They suck ass.

I look at stats and see with those guards they've been top 10 offense yardage and points over multiple seasons. 

There's just a group of fans that aren't objective and have no interest in being objective.   Enjoy the Bengals how you want but your eyes and judgements don't trump stats.  Sorry.

They could line up today and play with those guards and perform top 10.   What facts would you use to disagree?

 

 

[ArmyBengal]

I'm looking at the guards in and of themselves.  Did the offense do well because of them or in spite of them?
The offense may or may not perform in the top 10, but what about the o-line as a whole?
The offense finished just in the top 10 last year, but the o-line was damn near the bottom.

I don't view what Volson and Cappa did last year and apply that to what Volson and Ford will look like this year.
Ford is markedly worse than Cappa and Cappa was one of the worst pass blocking guards in the league last season.

You yourself AMPHAR have noted, more than I mention linebackers, how this unit cannot keep giving up sacks at the rate they continue to do so.  The o-line gave up 48 sacks and the guards gave up 19 of those.

Again, when looking to improve the roster, to ignore a bottom of the league unit is just not smart.
If you at least continue to make an effort to improve the o-line (and do so) how does that impact the offense?
Considering the money spent on the offense, isn't that a smart thing to consider?

My point is, while I don't think the o-line world is falling, you cannot ignore what is one of the worst o-lines in the league when you have the skilled position players we pay.  The guards aren't the only ones I mention, although they are the most glaring.  An OT capable of playing OG for a season or two would be welcomed.

 

[HoosierCat]

Well, however you feel about players currently on the roster, most of the ones we’re currently talking about starting aren’t going to be here for long. Patrick, Volson and Karras — that’s the entire starting IOL — are set to be free agents in 11 months. Ford and OBj are up the following March. Mims is the only guy signed long-term right now.

Now, I’ve been high on Matt Lee, so maybe we have an answer for Karras. Then there’s Kirkland, who was getting some buzz last season before he got hurt — but he’s a free agent in ‘26 too. Beyond that it’s some camp bodies and taxi squad types.

So unless the front office is planning to drop a bunch on money on FA offensive lineman over the next couple years, they’re gonna have to draft some guys. 

[Stripes]

2 hours ago, AMPHAR said:

I look at stats and see with those guards they've been top 10 offense yardage and points over multiple seasons. 

There's just a group of fans that aren't objective and have no interest in being objective.   Enjoy the Bengals how you want but your eyes and judgements don't trump stats.  Sorry.

They could line up today and play with those guards and perform top 10.   What facts would you use to disagree?

 

 

You are absolutely not demonstrating "objectivity" in your process. You are instead demonstrating a bizarre urge to protest the prevailing views of Bengals fans (because you don't like to stand with prevailing views).

Your argument is nonsense.

My favorite baseball team won 90 games and made the playoffs. They lost in the playoffs because their questionable bullpen was eaten alive by postseason-caliber batting. The bullpen is not a problem; keep doing what you're doing.

 My overall dining experience was positive, but the dessert may have given me food poisoning. The dessert is not a problem; keep doing what you're doing.

Nine out of ten times, the crack pipe has sent me flying on a high. The other time I went into cardiac arrest. It's generally working, keep doing what you're doing.

The Bengals are very clearly stronger on offense than they are on defense. I don't think anyone is going to question that assertion. That doesn't mean the offense is without a clear weakness, however, and it definitely has questions at guard. There are presently three candidates to start:

- Cordell Volson, who has never been very good and was benched in 2024

- Cody Ford, who has not been a regular starter since his second season (2020 with Buffalo). He's decent for depth, but I can't imagine even you are comfortable with him starting in an AFC Championship Game against a playoff-level interior defensive line.

- Lucas Patrick was a good pickup, and I have said as much before. I think he could even surprise some people as a starter if that's where he ends up. That's an optimistic view, however, and not one that should inspire such absurd confidence as you are presently displaying.

If two of the above players start, then it could absolutely bite the Bengals in the ass (especially during a playoff run). It's not a guarantee, and they could surprise. Who knows. But to suggest it's not "objective" for fans to view this group with doubts is itself a ridiculous and subjective notion.

Can they win the Super Bowl as currently constructed? Sure. Joe Burrow exists. That's a completely stupid thought process though that adds little value to any dialogue. The objective is to maximize the probability of ending there, not to have any probability at all.

[Stripes]

Put another way, much more succinctly:

Boasting a top 10 offense does not guarantee winning playoff games when the offense has a glaring hole waiting to be exploited by strong defensive opponents.

[COB]

I just read that Myles Murphy, as part of his off season improvement plan, gave up eating cereal.  Anything that results in more Lucky Charms for me is a good thing, so kudos to you Myles Murphy.

[AMPHAR]

13 hours ago, Stripes said:

Put another way, much more succinctly:

Boasting a top 10 offense does not guarantee winning playoff games when the offense has a glaring hole waiting to be exploited by strong defensive opponents.

except when you realize they did win multiple playoff games with Volson, Sharping and Carmen playing significant snaps.

The point is the Bengals will not have to reach for a guard at any point in this draft.   T

 

 

 

[AMPHAR]

13 hours ago, Stripes said:

You are absolutely not demonstrating "objectivity" in your process. You are instead demonstrating a bizarre urge to protest the prevailing views of Bengals fans (because you don't like to stand with prevailing views).

Your argument is nonsense.

My favorite baseball team won 90 games and made the playoffs. They lost in the playoffs because their questionable bullpen was eaten alive by postseason-caliber batting. The bullpen is not a problem; keep doing what you're doing.

 My overall dining experience was positive, but the dessert may have given me food poisoning. The dessert is not a problem; keep doing what you're doing.

Nine out of ten times, the crack pipe has sent me flying on a high. The other time I went into cardiac arrest. It's generally working, keep doing what you're doing.

The Bengals are very clearly stronger on offense than they are on defense. I don't think anyone is going to question that assertion. That doesn't mean the offense is without a clear weakness, however, and it definitely has questions at guard. There are presently three candidates to start:

- Cordell Volson, who has never been very good and was benched in 2024

- Cody Ford, who has not been a regular starter since his second season (2020 with Buffalo). He's decent for depth, but I can't imagine even you are comfortable with him starting in an AFC Championship Game against a playoff-level interior defensive line.

- Lucas Patrick was a good pickup, and I have said as much before. I think he could even surprise some people as a starter if that's where he ends up. That's an optimistic view, however, and not one that should inspire such absurd confidence as you are presently displaying.

If two of the above players start, then it could absolutely bite the Bengals in the ass (especially during a playoff run). It's not a guarantee, and they could surprise. Who knows. But to suggest it's not "objective" for fans to view this group with doubts is itself a ridiculous and subjective notion.

Can they win the Super Bowl as currently constructed? Sure. Joe Burrow exists. That's a completely stupid thought process though that adds little value to any dialogue. The objective is to maximize the probability of ending there, not to have any probability at all.

lol.  You can't even get the conversation correct.   No one has claimed the IOL is fine.  

You admit they can win the Superbowl with the roster as constructed? True or False?

So how did they dig themselves in a hole before the draft or paint themselves into a corner concerning the guard position?

Try to keep up.