This offseason has been one of the most active in team history for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have signed eight players from outside organizations including the likes of defensive tackle D.J. Reader, cornerback Trae Waynes, and safety Vonn Bell. Along with those three players and five other free agent acquisitions, Cincinnati was also able to keep star wide receiver A.J. Green by franchise tagging him.
After a disappointing 2-14 season in 2019, the Bengals’ front office brought in some talent to turn the ship around.
The Bengals now have just under $10 million in salary cap space and are most likely done with free agency signings, at least until after the draft. The team has now created a great foundation of new talent, which gives them a bit more freedom in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Although rumors are continually swirling about a possible trade of the first overall pick, it is generally believed that the Bengals will be keeping the selection and taking their hopeful franchise quarterback in Joe Burrow.
The Bengals will take a break from signing free agents for the time being but will instead draft the best available talent, and will most likely reassess their roster post-draft to see if there are any other players they can or need to sign.
The organization will lean towards more of a “best available” style of picking as opposed to filling the gaps of each position individually. Through last season, there was not really any position that played consistently well for this team outside of running back, where Joe Mixon stood out. Besides him and a few other veterans, most starting jobs will be up for grabs come training camp … which is both a fun and terrifying thought.
After the draft in two weeks, the Bengals will need to sit down and figure out what other talent they want to bring in from outside of the organization fill the empty spaces of this very confusing puzzle.
