Fire Sale

[ArmyBengal]

Agree with massive changes being needed on defense and yes, Trey should be gone for no other reason that using that money to make the changes needed.
There isn't a single DE worth spit, including Trey this year.  I've almost forgotten the DT names on this roster because you never hear them.
There are rookie linebackers, that may or may not be more than they are now and then you have the secondary that is simply horrendous.

There really isn't anyone I would say is a "Must Keep" on that side of the ball.
You guys are right that Logan Wilson is an equal part of that.
It is what it is.

I don't blame the coaches either.  They coach who they have.  I just don't think what they have equates to NFL level talent.
That falls directly on the shoulders of the scouting staff.  And here I thought only weathermen could be wrong so much and still keep a job.

[HoosierCat]

At this point, I would list Turner, Dax, Stewart, Jenkins and Ced Johnson as my defensive keepers, mostly because you can't turn over the whole D in one offseason and these guys all have value (or in Stewart's case, too early to judge).

Since I'm already on record saying the corners are the least bad unit, I'll let the rest of the current group stay. Again, you can only do so much at once.

At LB it's clear Taylor has hitched his wagon to the noobs. Unless he's gone in January I don't see that changing, so I'm kind of stuck there.

We need two new safeties. Stone can go, Battle can be a backup.

Dline gets gutted. Need 6-7 new guys.

Draft round 1 BPA dline, round 2 BPA safety, round 3 BPA dline? Need more picks...

[Prophecy]

For crying out loud, hire an real GM so you can get value for players. The Cowboys 7th will likely be in the pick 230-240 range. Thats a player that likely wont make the roster. If they couldnt get better, they should have kept him because their LB depth sucked as it was.

Wanna bet that $6.5 million in cap space for next year that just freed up won't go to Trey Hendrickson?

[HoosierCat]

Zac getting fired this week? Duke Tobin out? Charlie Brown gonna finally kick that football? Well, at least two of those thing could happen if you believe Muckraker Mike.

Quote

Now, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio is saying that director of player personnel and de facto GM Duke Tobin could be fired very soon.

Here’s what Florio said:

“[The front office is] constantly evaluating everyone. Players who will be back or not be back. Coaches who will be back or not be back. There’s this bubbling up now that Duke Tobin, the de facto GM, is gonna be out. We’ll see. Maybe during the bye week, maybe sooner… Heads are gonna roll in Cincinnati. This is unacceptable, because it’s largely unprecedented how bad this defense is.

https://www.cincyjungle.com/cincinnati-bengals-rumors/179709/duke-tobin-fired-bye-week-mike-florio 

All I’ll say is that I see better than I hear…

[AMPHAR]

Isn't this the bye week? 

 

My personal opinion.    Zac/Tobin et al achieved good things here, BUT its an exclusive club with plenty of people deserving of a chance.  I'd be shock with they cut that deep but it would be warranted.    Don't make the same mistake that was made with Marvin trying to band aid it. 

 

 

[Stripes]

I will not be teased. Tobin will remain a permanent fixture, and I will hate it, until I see otherwise.

[Prophecy]

Doesn't matter if they fire Tobin, if they're only going to hire another "Director of Player Personnel" and have them do some of the GM duties. Brown family needs to give up control and hire an actual GM. Give him the damn title and power/authority. Mikey named himself GM in 1991 and hasn't officially gave up the title since. GTFO

[ArmyBengal]

1 hour ago, Prophecy said:

Wanna bet that $6.5 million in cap space for next year that just freed up won't go to Trey Hendrickson?

Good.  Having one $40m player on a roster of polished turds is a luxury they shouldn't pursue.
Take that $40 and get two guys that can help out on that side of the ball.

[Prophecy]

10 minutes ago, ArmyBengal said:

Good.  Having one $40m player on a roster of polished turds is a luxury they shouldn't pursue.
Take that $40 and get two guys that can help out on that side of the ball.

Normally, I would agree, but no decent player wants to come to the Bengals, because Ownership refuses to guarantee anything more than the 1st year of the contracts. Players want stability and guarantees. If they cant bring in anybody, or draft anybody who can get to the QB, the only option would be re-sign Trey.

[COB]

I support benching Wilson and trading him.  He looked so much slower trying to move laterally this year.  He can probably still run, straight line speed is likely still ok.   But his lateral movement looked like he was stuck in concrete.  
 

7th round pick?  Lol.  This is a salary dump.  
 

We’ll see if they can do anything with Trey.  A 2nd plus a player would be a dream at this point.  

[ArmyBengal]

This ownership is notorious for being loyal to their contracts to a fault.
They have paid top dollar to both their own and to free agents and those players know the front office is going to pay them.
Even if their play falls off, they continue to hold onto them.  The trade of Logan Wilson, as a trade deadline move, is an anomaly for them.
There might be other reasons why they don't want to play in Cincinnati, but it's not because of their unwillingness to pay players.
Trey is a whiny little bitch, that should have bet on himself, had multiple chances to do so, and took the money when given.
When that money started to appear less than what others got, he started to bitch.  It's his fault.

The Bengals should have struck when the iron was hot concerning Trey, but they didn't.

[HoosierCat]

Some people just want to watch the team burn…

 

[COB]

I really hope they’re trying to get something for Trey.  He’s not coming back here next year.  And we desperately need players.  

[ArmyBengal]

Even a third round pick and a player for the defense would be good at this point.
If he walks away, that could be a 3rd round comp pick, but not until 2027.
Make that make sense when there's dire need NOW.

[HoosierCat]

And so another trade deadline has come and gone.

Moving Wilson was honestly more than I expected. Trey still being her now suggests either his injury is significant or the Bengals plan to tag him in 2026. Or possibly both.

[ArmyBengal]

I hate the Bengals

[TJJackson]

9 hours ago, HoosierCat said:

Zac getting fired this week? Duke Tobin out? Charlie Brown gonna finally kick that football? Well, at least two of those thing could happen if you believe Muckraker Mike.

in other news about things that could happen, monkeys may fly out of my butt at any moment

[TJJackson]

I dont think getting high picks helps them at all

they used their r1 picks recently on Myles Murphy and Shemar "Dont touch the quarterback" Stewart

The superbowl window has closed

slammed shut, actually

[AMPHAR]

The no trade of Trey probably sets them on the path of franchise tagging Trey.   Given the fact no team has been able to bring enough of a package to complete a trade despite multiple opportunities.   Trey after some public moaning and groaning probably takes it and completes the deal he could have had sometime last off season.

So that sets the stage of rebuilding a defense (again) with 1 piece taking up $36m in cap (????).   Worth it?  Right now no other DE or DL can sniff the QB unless they hold on to the ball.   Have no idea but Bengals aren't going to let Trey walk into UFA and realistically if he doesn't bounce back 2nd half of the season making $36m is probably his best opportunity.

BJ Hill is probably on the fringe.  He essentially signed a 1 year deal.  Surprised there were no trade rumors surrounding him.    They probably got to upgrade/replace 5 bodies factoring young players they won't give up on.  

DJ Turner/Dax Hill are probably the only ones worth consideration of extension right now.   Maybe Battle. 

 

 

[HoosierCat]

If they're going to tag Trey (and I agree that seems likely now) it would help if they could find some savings on the offensive side. Looking at the cap for next year, Orlando Brown Jr. is in his final year and is set to soak up a whopping $22 million against the cap, versus a $14 million cap savings if he's cut. Not saying that's a slam-dunk move, but I don't think OBj's play so far this year warrants such a huge number. At the very least they could significantly reduce his hit with an extension.

Ted Karras seems to have stabilized play-wise after looking pretty washed earlier in the year, but they've been collecting young centers on the PS and letting him go frees up $4 million in cap space. Have to think about that.

Cutting Cody Ford saves almost $3 million though it probably costs about the same to replace him.

They could free up $1 million by cutting Burton (or they can pay him $1.5 million to sit on the bench for another year).

 

[ArmyBengal]

12 hours ago, TJJackson said:

I dont think getting high picks helps them at all

they used their r1 picks recently on Myles Murphy and Shemar "Dont touch the quarterback" Stewart

You know TJ, I have always loved the draft and still do, so the thought of picks makes me happy.
Then reality sets in and I remember our scouting department and their gleaming rate of success.

"HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND"

[HoosierCat]

12 hours ago, TJJackson said:

I dont think getting high picks helps them at all

And you would be wrong. They do much better when they have high picks. Compare their last three picks in the second half of the first round -- Murphy, Mims and Stewart -- to the last three in the first half: Ja'Marr, Burrow and Jonah.

[AMPHAR]

Its the same pattern as the Dalton era.   Once they started winning the draft success declined sharply as the draft position lowered.  Then as they paid the very good guys they drafted the success in the FA market also declined.

It most likely they shift more to filling a "need" and projecting roster openings outward as they try to manage a tighter cap vs. just taking the BPA.   

For example.  Mims looks like a guy they will want to extend and could be a high level player.  However he was the 6th,7th tackle off the board and passed on the draft's best CB.  Then this year they went DE as assumed Trey leaving a future hole over a very good set of safeties. 

Myles Murphy taken to replenish projected aging DL in a DE draft class thats been blah over a Sam La Porta.   In both cases of Murphy and Stewart there has been rumors that they weren't the top target.   There's been several rumors suggesting Walter Nolen was the top of board.   So that suggest they are trying to fill an overall roster gap at position group.