Bengals Free Agents

[kevnz]

I've been wondering what the Bengals were looking at in terms of their own Free Agents. Here is the list:

UFA: S Rogers Beckett, RB Brandon Bennett, C Rich Braham, OG Mike Goff, QB

Shane Matthews, OG Matt O'Dwyer, S Mark Roman, TE Brad St. Louis, DT Glen

Steele.

RFA: PK Shayne Graham, WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, LB Riall Johnson, RB Rudi

Johnson, S Kevin Kaesviharn, OG Victor Leyva, TE Tony Stewart

of the UFA's the one that really catchs my attention is Rogers Beckett, he's been pretty damn good this year and I'm still wondering why he got cut in SD (not that he's complaining I'm sure) Also Rich Braham, he's been doing really well since he was put back in at center, but I think are some quality FA's out there that could be enticed into coming to Cincinnati...

Now with the RFA's I'm more than a little worried that some of them could be gone. The Redskins showed no fear at signing RFA's last year, and considering the Bengals won't have heaps of roon under the cap someone could give Rudi a contract with a "pill" that couldn't be swallowed under the cap. I also wouldn't be surprised to see someone try to sign Graham cause good kickers are a must, but the Bengals could match that I'm sure. Now TJ would be interesting, he hasn't played this year, but a team could be interested in him and he could get the Bengals a mid round draft pick.

What's everyone elses take on the situation?

[richmond_mat]

I've been wondering what the Bengals were looking at in terms of their own Free Agents. Here is the list:

UFA: S Rogers Beckett, RB Brandon Bennett, C Rich Braham, OG Mike Goff, QB

Shane Matthews, OG Matt O'Dwyer, S Mark Roman, TE Brad St. Louis, DT Glen

Steele.

RFA: PK Shayne Graham, WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, LB Riall Johnson, RB Rudi

Johnson, S Kevin Kaesviharn, OG Victor Leyva, TE Tony Stewart

We shouldn't be having this conversation.

BUT I CAN'T resist.

Of the UFA's

Beckett has played well.

Brandon Bennett is probably getting pricey for a third down specialist, but he's played well the last two weeks. Note that he had a lot of trash time against Baltimore. He's probably a goner.

C Rich Braham, should be kept until we draft a replacemnt. Center is high on my draft list.

OG Mike Goff and OG Matt O'Dwyer, At least one should be kept.

QB Shane Matthews keep unless he wants a raise.

S Mark Roman is playing better than he ever has, but the secondary is weak and someone's has to go.

TE Brad St. Louis, the days of long snapping specialist are coming to an end.

DT Glen Steele, acording to lapdog this man needs more PT

RFA

TJ is gone. Hope we get a fifth rounder.

Victor who?

Sign Rudi!, (and make corey learn to catch the ball and play third down if no one wants him).

Sign shane graham!

Riall and Stewart, can't say.

Kaeshviharn is versital and worthy of the nickle job.

Draft cornerback(s), safety, center, lineman (O&D) and linebacker. Maybe a late round RB. Pick undrafted FA clean.

That's my 2-cents

Kick ram bootie.

[BengalszoneBilly]

You're right richmond mat, we shouldn't be having this conversation. At least not now. We still have two regular season games, with the very distinct possibility of a few playoff games after that! You don't know who's going to step up when the money is on the line, and become a "Prime Time Player", the evidence which of yet, we just haven't seen! Once this season is over, and all is said and done with for the Bengals, THEN is the time and place. I admit, it is hard not to contemplate the subject and possibilties though...

[Kirkendall]

First off all, we should dump all of our TEs. Why we have four on the team baffles me. The TEs combined are good, but when one of them comes in it's awfully predictable on what our offense is going to do. Oh, Schobel is in? Pass coverage. Oh Reggie is in? Rush. Come on, other then telling them the play it gives the defense a huge advantage. Get a first round or second rounder TE and replace all of these guys with one that can do what they all do. At least the defenses would guess a little more.

UFA

S Rogers Beckett - Dump him. Good against the run, but our issue is pass coverage.

RB Brandon Bennett - Dump him. Never been any good. Had a couple of good weeks recently, not justified enough for a contract.

C Rich Braham - Dump him. A 5th round rookie can do better than he has.

OG Mike Goff - Dump him. See above.

QB Shane Matthews - Dump him. He's a good QB, but shouldn't be a 3rd stringer, he's a 2nd stringer and give him that much.

OG Matt O'Dwyer - Are you serious? Dump him.

S Mark Roman - I like Roman. His pass coverage has been solid all season. Short term contract on probationary basis.

TE Brad St. Louis - 4th TE? Dump him.

DT Glen Steele - Love this guy but with Thornton and hopefully a few draft pick ups I don't think we'll need him.

RFA

PK Shayne Graham - He's the man.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh - Dump him now. Don't wait.

LB Riall Johnson - He's decent, but not needed.

RB Rudi Johnson - Guess what I think!

S Kevin Kaesviharn - Like him on a charactor basis but that doesn't help on pass coverage, ba-bye.

OG Victor Leyva - He's decent, maybe Goff's replacement.

TE Tony Stewart - Dump him.

[redsfan2]

Dump him ........... Dump him ................ Dump him ......... Dump him. Jeez Kirk, why don't you say how you really feel ??

Have to agree with you on most of them. Exceptions are :

Rogers Beckett - You said it yourself, good against the run. As much trouble as we have containing the run, I don't think we should get rid of people who are contributing in that area.

Brad St. Louis - As long as he's the best long snapper, he stays.

Leyva - Dump him too.

Agree but ......

Shane Matthews - Kitna is unbreakable. Palmer was very durable during college days, can't see any reason that he won't be the same now. Just plain don't need 3rd qb.

Rudi Johnson - Mr. Johnson, here's the keys to the executives washroom, the keys to your new suv, and the keys to the city. Your new contract is ready for you to sign and your reservations for dinner have been made. Will there be anything else Mr. Johnson ??

[Kirkendall]

Rudi Johnson - Mr. Johnson, here's the keys to the executives washroom, the keys to your new suv, and the keys to the city. Your new contract is ready for you to sign and your reservations for dinner have been made. Will there be anything else Mr. Johnson ??

I think we should let him have first dibs on Jessica, other wise she's mine.

Rogers Beckett - You said it yourself, good against the run. As much trouble as we have containing the run, I don't think we should get rid of people who are contributing in that area.

Don't get me wrong, most of the guys that I said dump to I like. I just don't think they help our football team. If we can get a guy at SS that is a formidable pass coverage guy, then our front seven can concentrate on the the rush. Also if it were up to me, I'd dump Ross and Gibson. Both should be high draft picks to ensure a better rush defense.

Getting rid of Beckett only helps us in terms of pass coverage. Solidify LB and DT then I think we will improve greatly on rush defense and thus need to improve our safty that can cover also, plus we can avoid bringing our secondary up or dropping our all of our linebackers back. Plus this will stop all of the defensive line schemes that seem to burn us more than not.

With all of that said, I do like Beckett and he's done well for us. But we could clearly improve the position.

[JBrooks]

UFA

S Rogers Beckett - Dump him. Good against the run, but our issue is pass coverage.

RB Brandon Bennett - Dump him. Never been any good. Had a couple of good weeks recently, not justified enough for a contract.

C Rich Braham - Dump him. A 5th round rookie can do better than he has.

OG Mike Goff - Dump him. See above.

QB Shane Matthews - Dump him. He's a good QB, but shouldn't be a 3rd stringer, he's a 2nd stringer and give him that much.

OG Matt O'Dwyer - Are you serious? Dump him.

S Mark Roman - I like Roman. His pass coverage has been solid all season. Short term contract on probationary basis.

TE Brad St. Louis - 4th TE? Dump him.

DT Glen Steele - Love this guy but with Thornton and hopefully a few draft pick ups I don't think we'll need him.

RFA

PK Shayne Graham - He's the man.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh - Dump him now. Don't wait.

LB Riall Johnson - He's decent, but not needed.

RB Rudi Johnson - Guess what I think!

S Kevin Kaesviharn - Like him on a charactor basis but that doesn't help on pass coverage, ba-bye.

OG Victor Leyva - He's decent, maybe Goff's replacement.

TE Tony Stewart - Dump him.

Beckett...plays with heart. Great against the run, which we definitely need. He'll get better with learning the scheme against the pass. A guy Lewis loves. Will be better with better 2ndary help.

Bennett...With Watson back there, get rid of him.

Braham...team leader. The guys love him. He's helping the running game, but getting old. Keep him around to tutor a young guy.

Goff...Take him or leave him depending on contract.

Matthews...Look @ Denver. You always need a good 3rd guy. Whether it's Matthews or not...?

O'Dwyer...Dump him.

Roman...Keeps getting better, but this is where Kaesviharn fits in. One or the other.

St. Louis...See NY Giants special teams disaster-fest. How many times do we see a bad long snap from this guy. He's not expensive.

Steele...Need a stronger DT unit. He's expendable.

Graham...Steady kicker is a wonderful thing. He's not Rackers.

Housmanzadeh...All hype. Get gone.

Riall Johnson...Great special teams guy. Solid depth at LB. Re-sign. Marvin sees this guy playing more.

Rudi...Done and Done!!

Kaesviharn...He's a good safety. Good special teams. Always around the ball. Other than his give-up against Terrell last week I like this guy. It's either him or Roman.

Leyva...Don't know enough about the guy. Sorry, Vic.

Tony Stewart...See above.

As far as the TE position, I disagree Kirk. Kelly's a better pass-catcher than advertised. A Schobel-Dillon package could be great trade fodder, but we can't start from scratch at TE. If we were in desperate need of a pass-and-block TE, maybe, but we have the horses to catch passes at Wide-out and guys who aren't afraid to go over the middle. And Jeremi Johnson has become more reliable all year catching passes.

I like our TE's.

[redsfan2]

I like most of these guys as well. Hate to sound cold, but that's beside the point. I could learn to like their replacements too. Especially if they're doing a better job.

I like Schobel a lot, but you're right. As soon as the defense sees him they know whats coming. Get rid of him or get him to do everyting so we're not so predictable.

Not as sure as you about giving up on Gibson yet, but there's no way Ross is here next year. I'm a little suprised that he is still on the field to tell the truth. Overall. I like our linebackers. I think they need another year together in the system, but the've showed steady if not remarkable improvement.

[Kirkendall]

As far as the TE position, I disagree Kirk. Kelly's a better pass-catcher than advertised. A Schobel-Dillon package could be great trade fodder, but we can't start from scratch at TE. If we were in desperate need of a pass-and-block TE, maybe, but we have the horses to catch passes at Wide-out and guys who aren't afraid to go over the middle. And Jeremi Johnson has become more reliable all year catching passes.

Don't get me wrong, I like all of them myself. I think that a decent all around young TE could help our offense than any one of the three based on what the defense would guard against. Schobel has made great plays that have won two games and if he becomes a better blocker than I'd be inclinded to keep him.

St. Louis...See NY Giants special teams disaster-fest. How many times do we see a bad long snap from this guy. He's not expensive.

Completely agree. I'm changing my vote, nice point.

[BengalBobNC]

I don't know what to say about most of the guys on the list but one is a definite: Rudi Johnson stays a Bengal! Period! End of story!

We are in good hands. Marvin Lewis is in control...and I like it that way!

Note to Mike Brown and Katie: Whatever Marvin wants Marvin gets should be the new front office motto/mantra! And thanks again for hiring him!

[kingwilly]

UFA

S Rogers Beckett - is a gamer. Keep unless we draft safety

RB Brandon Bennett - can get the same for less with Watson, he can go.

C Rich Braham - Not bad, or expensive. Another draftee could replace

OG Mike Goff -

QB Shane Matthews - dime a dozen, with Palmer looking good for 2nd string.

OG Matt O'Dwyer - versatile back-up, dime a dozen.

S Mark Roman - hard-hitter, also could be a draft victim.

TE Brad St. Louis - unless we have an alternative, you gotta keep the long-snapper

DT Glen Steele - victim of draft or other FA

RFA

PK Shayne Graham - keep

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh - gone. been hurt, not a bad rec. but dime a dozen guy, draft another WR?

LB Riall Johnson - keep, special teams and back-up.

RB Rudi Johnson - obviously keep

S Kevin Kaesviharn - versatile but burned enough to be replaced in FA or draft.

OG Victor Leyva - good back-up

TE Tony Stewart - not sure why they kept him over Sean Brewer, dime a dozen

Bottom line is even guys who are not UFA or RFA can get cut, look at Foley. Lewis has shown he will make whatever moves necessary to make team better.

Look for Free-Agency pick-ups at CB, S, D-line and draft of WR, CB, O-line.

I see them going after a top name CB in FA, might I suggest Woodson, McCallister and Bailey in that order. Drafting O-line will be good, we've got a mixz of young and old and it seems to work.

WR is another interesting position. We need depth, CJ, P-dub, K-dub, then who...Kevin Walter, TJ, they are ok, another guy who can return would be nice. Or a big guy in the TO mold or David Boston sized guy (they are freaks).

I see them keeping Schoebel, but you are right about predictability, it has to tip-off the D.

Spend the money on the Shut-down corner, get solid line help in the draft and get mid-level guys for D-line, we don't need a guy like Sapp to be good, just good coverage.

[kevnz]

I've just read that the Bengals have signed Brad St Louis to a five year extension. Even though he is listed as a TE he is a long snapper, and a damn fine one at that. How many bad snaps do the Bengals have? I'll be curious to see how many other players are signed to extensions before the end of the season.

[Kirkendall]

I'll be curious to see how many other players are signed to extensions before the end of the season.

Same here. When was the last time the Bengals thought about their future while in mid-season that past 12 years? I'll answer for you, NEVER! It's nice that we finally an NFL team. Jessica and Sharon said hi!

[chrishcovga]

It's quite simple to see what will happen come next year.Cincy will attract the bigger named players for what Marvin and company have done this year.However;every good team is built via the draft, so don't be surprised to see Jeff Burris gone,Rudi is given a contract extension before march 1st.Matt O'dwyer will be let go as will Kevin Kaesviharn, because simply put, if the play is behind him, it's a touchdown.If Dennis Weathersby is slow to grab a corner job next season look for Leslie Frazier to give him a shot at grabbing the Strong Safety job. With his size,and ability to cover one on one he could be another Corey Chavous.Personnally i like Rogers Beckett.He's been "leaving it on the field" every sunday, and when he's hurt or missing the defense is missing.He may not get alot of picks,but he's in position and has solidified the deep safety spot.The weak links in the secondary are KK,Mark Roman,and Burris.

T.J. Houshmanzadeh is all hype !!! Cut him !

[HoosierCat]

I've just read that the Bengals have signed Brad St Louis to a five year extension. Even though he is listed as a TE he is a long snapper, and a damn fine one at that. How many bad snaps do the Bengals have?

Bingo. This extension deserves as big a round of applause as CJ's. As for the rest of the FAs, I think these guys will be back: Beckett, Roman, Matthews (if he doesn't get a better offer elsewhere), Graham, Housh (if he was going to be cut he would have been already), Riall (MLB of future?) and Rudi.

[AGrizzlyBaer]

now who are the free agents that the bengals are going to sign from outside teams?