It was a slow start to free agency for the Cincinnati Bengals, but noon turned into afternoon, and the Bengals made their moves. Seriously, they made both of their moves, and it’s been radio silence for two days. I mean, what is that about?
But I digress.
The team made two pick signings.
They signed Bryan Cook, who was widely seen as the top safety in free agency. Finally, they did something to solidify that position in a meaningful way. The former Cincinnati Bearcat comes home. Tears in his eyes, I suppose. This was a great move for the Bengals, but it was not enough.
Should we do one more? Let’s do one more. Okay, one more it is.
People have asked, “Who is this year’s Trey Hendrikson?” Well, it might just be Boye Mafe. They gave the young edge rusher a huge contract, betting more on his future than his past. Like Hendrickson, he might be right on the fringe of his breakout
The excitement from these moves slowly decreased, then turned largely into rage as we got into Wednesday night, and there was still no third move.
It’s coming. I’m telling you, it’s coming. They have the money.
The Bengals were also involved in the John Franklin-Myers sweepstakes, but despite an initial report from a phony Twitter account, Ed McMahon did not come knocking on their door.
Logan Hall was the other name to consider in this unimpressive lineup of interior rushers, but he went to Houston on the cheap, so it appears the Bengals were not in on that deal. Which is weird, because it would have made a lot of sense. I am not totally confident in Hall, but he has the versatility to play the run on the edge, which would at least give them some value if he didn’t pan out as an interior rusher.
Speaking of making sense, let’s talk Leo Chenel. He would have made a lot of sense for this defense. He is a linebacker who has some crazy athletic traits, is young, and has that oh so important ability to line up on the edge. He would have been an excellent complement to Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight, but alas, it was not meant to be. He wound up in Washington on a very reasonable deal.
There was a lot of talk from the fan base about Devin Lloyd, but apparently, they were never involved, even though everybody and their brother has been reporting that they have been interested in him. Perhaps it is Ezekiel Elliott all over again.
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Who Dey!
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