The Cincinnati Bengals don’t play today because of their bye week, so it is a perfect time to kind of zoom out and look at things on a more macro level beyond just this season.
Recently, John Sheeren from A to Z Sports put together a list of upcoming players who will have their contracts expiring following the season. It may seem long at first, but in reality most teams have a laundry list of players who are set to become free agents following the end of the season, but they aren’t all filled with
the same quality of talent.
Here we are going to focus simply on the 2023 draft class as it seems to be the most prominent:
Jordan Battle, Chase Brown, Andrei Iosivas, Myles Murphy, and DJ Turner II are all former draftees from the Bengals’ 2023 draft class set to hit free agency next offseason. That’s five starters who’ve all been together since the beginning of their careers.
It is safe to say that Turner is probably viewed as the most “you have to re-sign this guy” on the entire list. If he were to hit free agency, he would easily be one of the top free agents. The odds of that are low, as the franchise tag would probably be used, but him being unsigned is likely a sign of a bigger problem Cincinnati has had, which is catching up with giving their players more guaranteed money or even guaranteed money beyond the first year. Neither side dragged this out in the media, but given how common of a theme it has been, that is likely.
The problem after that is you kind of have to start looking at who is worth re-signing or maybe investing in elsewhere. We have seen this team successfully do this a few times. They opted to let pass rusher Carl Lawson and cornerback William Jackson walk in free agency after both had been fairly productive during their rookie contracts. Instead, they reinvested that money into players like Trey Hendrickson, Chidobe Awuzie, and Mike Hilton. It effectively helped lay a nice bedrock for that defense that helped them during the height of their Super Bowl window in 2021 and 2022.
Are players like Chase Brown, Myles Murphy, Andrei Iosivas, and Jordan Battle replaceable for the right price in free agency or with moderate to low draft capital? I would say absolutely. Brown has had a rough patch, but even if he were playing at a high level, at some point you have to look at all the money you are spending on offense when you know you have an Amarius Mims contract coming up. Murphy might have a case depending on the price, but he likely wouldn’t sign for less than what he was set to make if they had exercised his fifth-year option without at least hitting the open market first.
The front office’s biggest win was not extending Battle this offseason, like there were rumblings about. He has flashes of being a playmaker, but his tackling has been downright unacceptable for a guy who is going to be in so many open-field situations. He is 100 percent replaceable with a veteran signing. The team already has several players in place to take Iosivas’ spot at WR3. Honestly, he had been splitting time there with Mike Gesicki already, and the team could stand to add someone with a bit more speed to open things up and take advantage of the constant 1-on-1s they see because of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
It is set to be an offseason where we may see another big turnover. The 2023 draft class has been mediocre at best, and some of the better hits are at positions that are easily replaceable.
Who are you keeping out of the upcoming free agents?
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Bengals News
3 Potential Trades the Bengals Could Make Prior to 2026 Deadline
Pro Football Focus currently has Barton graded as the 27th-best linebacker in the league. The cap hit for the 30-year-old linebacker is over $4 million for the 2026 season. If it’s an all-in situation, Barton would fit the bill.
The Bengals made an unnecessary cote of confidence in Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight at linebacker by not bringing in any competition at the position. Now we are seeing some consistent struggles pop back up. This team has to find a way to fix that issue and fast. We have seen the Bengals make an in-season trade in each of the last two seasons (running back Khalil Herbert 2024 and Joe Flacco last season), so it wouldn’t be that out of the realm for this front office to do something like this.
Bengals banking on Al Golden, Jack Kiser Notre Dame reunion
What is fortunate here is that Kiser isn’t Cincinnati’s answer to their linebacker problem. He is hopefully the answer to a special teams issue. Even though he is replacing one of their better pieces in linebacker Swayze Bozeman. This unit — especially on field goal blocking and punt return — could not be much worse. You have to consider had the Bengals not rushed anyone on field goal blocks or had anyone move on punt return that they probably have at least one more win. It is unacceptable.
Bengals Could Reshape Backfield With Star SEC Running Back in 2027 NFL Draft
Pro Football Focus had the Bengals landing Florida running back Jadan Baugh. Even if it isn’t Baugh, this could be the year that taking a dynamic running back makes sense to get this offense to that next level of ridiculousness. You already have Burrow, Chase and Higgins, you just need someone who can make that first man miss to really do some damage.
NFL News
NFL Network: Bears QB Caleb Williams (hamstring) expected to start Sunday vs. Falcons
This is a big return for the Chicago Bears who are coming towards a fork in the road on their season similar in a way to how Cincinnati sits at 3-2 going into the bye week. The Bears have fared alright in his absence, but they are coming off a rough loss to the Green Bay Packers and need a jolt of energy.
Eagles place Jalen Hurts on IR, as he deals with superficial blood clot
This is a pretty sizable blow to an Eagles team that is already dealing with a ton of injuries. The exact severity here is still the main concern, obviously. We all want Hurts to be okay. From a football perspective the NFC East is looking more wide-open than ever.
After knocking out KC Concepcion, Jets safety gets fine from NFL
Minkah Fitzpatrick has — and will always be — a dirty player. What he did in this Browns game is truly unacceptable and he honestly deserves a suspension for how consistent he has been with these actions that endanger offensive players. The NFL was going to fine Chase and Higgins more for their celebration than head hunting a rookie wide receiver.
