The Cincinnati Bengals top priority this offseason should be to protect Joe Burrow at all costs. Burrow suffered a gruesome knee injury to end his rookie season, tearing his ACL on Nov. 22 against the Washington Football Team. Per reports, Burrow is on track to be the starting quarterback when the 2021 season begins. Now that the Bengals have their franchise quarterback in the building, they cannot risk his health by trying to save money in NFL Free Agency.
The Bengals will have the sixth-most cap space in an offseason where the salary cap is an issue. This can work to their advantage, due to teams cutting proven players for salary cap relief. Signing offensive line needs to be at the forefront of their offseason plans, because that unit was one of the worst in the NFL last season.
The Bengals have multiple free agents of their own, such as Carl Lawson and William Jackson III, that they need to re-sign. They elected not to use the franchise tag on either player, as they work towards potentially signing them to long-term deals. Outside of those two players, the Bengals need to look to free agency to bolster their roster significantly.
Bengals Free Agent Targets
Joe Thuney, Guard
All-Pro guard Joe Thuney is the biggest name among the offensive linemen hitting the free agent market. The New England Patriots did not use the franchise tag on Thuney, and he is expected to have multiple suitors inquiring about his services. It could cost the Bengals close to $15 million per year, and they aren’t necessarily accustomed to bringing in big names from other teams, but protecting Burrow has to be the focus for this team moving forward.
Daryl Williams, Offensive Tackle
The Bengals will need to add more than one offensive lineman if they want to dramatically improve this group. Daryl Williams will be one of the most sought after tackles in free agency. He has versatility across the line and can play multiple positions, and at only 28 years old, he is coming off the best season of his career. He only allowed three sacks last season for the Bills and had a PFF grade of 79.4. Williams will command a massive payday, and the Bengals may focus on interior lineman if they are set on drafting a tackle with their first round pick, but signing Williams would be a huge upgrade for this unit.
[sc name=”nfl-fa-date” ]Curtis Samuel, Wide Receiver
Offensive line is far and away the biggest need for the Bengals, but they have multiple other positions that need to be addressed as well. A.J. Green, arguably the greatest wide receiver to ever play for the franchise, will most likely be playing elsewhere next season. John Ross never panned out and will also be out the door, which presents numerous opportunities for a Bengals receiving corps that lacks speed. Curtis Samuel will hit free agency coming off his best season, bringing in 77 catches with 851 yards, as he is coming into his own as a very talented all-around receiver. He wouldn’t be too expensive, and this would help fill a need for the Bengals if they locked Samuel down on a multi-year deal.
Shaq Barrett, Edge Rusher
Rushing the passer is another weakness for the Bengals and keeping Lawson will be essential for the defense. Adding another piece to pair with Lawson would be ideal, and Shaq Barrett will be the best free agent edge rusher. He will cost a lot of money, but the Bengals desperately need to upgrade their defensive line. This may be an unlikely scenario, but it was reported in an interview with The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. that Barrett almost signed with the Bengals in 2019, until Cincinnati pulled out of the deal. This shows that Barrett did want to join this franchise.
Bengals Draft Strategy
Who the Bengals take with the fifth pick in the draft will be contingent upon how they decide to spend their money in free agency. Drafting Penei Sewell or Rashawn Slater seems like a foregone conclusion, but if the Bengals wind up signing multiple linemen in free agency, they may decide to draft a weapon for Joe Burrow.
Ja’Marr Chase and Kyle Pitts are very intriguing prospects that would be tremendous upgrades for this offense. A lot of fans would not be happy about selecting a skill position with their first-round pick, due to the beating that Burrow took last season, but if they are able to sign Thuney AND Williams, it is not out of the realm of possibility that they draft a weapon. There are still numerous talented offensive lineman that the Bengals could target in the second and/or third round.
On April 29, the Bengals will most likely take an offensive player, whether that is one of the lineman or receiver. This franchise understands the importance of protecting Burrow, and they would be doing a disservice to Burrow and the fanbase if they didn’t allocate all of their resources to ensure he stays upright.
