Top 3 Offseason Needs: Cincinnati Bengals

In advance of March 9, the start of free agency in the NFL, Pro Football Rumors will detail each team’s three most glaring roster issues. We’ll continue this year’s series with the Cincinnati Bengals, who missed the postseason for the first time in six years after finishing with a 6-9-1 record.

Depth Chart (via Roster Resource)

Pending Free Agents:

• Chykie Brown, CB
• Rex Burkhead, RB
• Karlos Dansby, LB
• Wallace Gilberry, DE
• Margus Hunt, DE
• T.J. Johnson, C
• Dre Kirkpatrick, CB
• Brandon LaFell, WR
• Cedric Peerman, RB
• Domata Peko, DT
• Andrew Whitworth, T
• Eric Winston, T
• Kevin Zeitler, G

Top 10 Cap Hits for 2017:

1. Andy Dalton, QB: $15,700,000
2. A.J. Green, WR: $13,500,000
3. Geno Atkins, DT: $10,600,000
4. Adam Jones, CB: $8,166,666
5. Carlos Dunlap, DE: $7,250,000
6. George Iloka, S: $5,400,000
7. Michael Johnson, DE: $5,125,000
8. Clint Boling, G: $4,925,000
9. Tyler Eifert, TE: $4,782,000
10. Vontaze Burfict, LB: $4,725,000

Other:

• Projected cap space (via Over the Cap): $44,293,339
• Ninth pick in draft
• Must exercise or decline 2018 fifth-year option for CB Darqueze Dennard

Three Needs:

1) Add an edge defender: The Bengals are now two years removed from a 2014 campaign in which they finished dead last in the NFL with only 20 sacks, and thanks to the return and gradual recovery of All Pro defensive tackle Geno Atkins, who suffered a torn ACL halfway through the 2013 season, the club’s pass rushing attack is now league average, as the unit ranked 15th in adjusted sack percentage and 19th in sacks. Much of that production (52% of Cincinnati’s 30 sacks in 2016), however, comes from Atkins and defensive end Carlos Dunlap, and given the lack of other high-quality edge rushers on the roster, and the fact that Dunlap and Atkins will both be nearing 30 years old when the 2017 season gets underway, the Bengals need to invest in another pass rushing force.

To be sure, the interior of Cincinnati’s defensive line could use some work as well, but the presence of Atkins makes up for a lot. Veteran nose tackle Domata Peko is a pending free agent and is unlikely to be re-signed, but the club does have other options up the middle. 2016 fourth-round pick Andrew Billings should be ready to contribute after missing his entire rookie season with injury, Brandon Thompson‘s one-year contract will toll after he spent all of last year on the physically unable to perform list, and Pat Sims and Marcus Hardison are still under team control for 2017.

The edge, however, is relatively barren outside of Dunlap. Michael Johnson has never been a prototypical defensive end, as his prowess in the run game far outweighs his ability to take down opposing quarterbacks, and the 29-year-old is coming off arguably the worst season of his career. The Bengals are loathe to release veterans in the midst of multi-year deals, but cutting Johnson has to be in consideration this offseason. At the very least, he’ll need to see far fewer snaps than the 831 he played in 2016. Failed second-round pick Margus Hunt and multi-stint Bengal Wallace Gilberry are both heading for the open market, and it would be a surprise to see either return to Cincinnati. As such, Will Clarke — a former third-rounder who played on roughly a third of the Bengals’ defensive snaps last year — could be the only other defensive end available to play opposite Dunlap.

The free agent market for pass rushers isn’t exactly overflowing with options, and the Bengals won’t even think about adding a high-priced player such as Chandler Jones or Jason Pierre-Paul. The most expensive free agent Cincinnati might contemplate is the Patriots’ Jabaal Sheard, who spent four seasons in the AFC North with the Browns before defecting to New England. Sheard, 27, is capable against the pass but is excellent in the run game, a trait the Bengals value immensely. Datone Jones (Packers) could also be on the table, and could benefit from playing in a 4-3 scheme, while Courtney Upshaw (Falcons) and Andre Branch (Dolphins) may also make sense.

More likely, though, Cincinnati will instead target a veteran on a low-cost one-year contract, attempting to fill the edge void on the cheap (the club has used a similar strategy over the past two seasons at linebacker by signing Karlos Dansby and A.J. Hawk). Dwight Freeney is the most obvious candidate for such a deal, as the Bengals worked out the 36-year-old last May before he signed with the Falcons. It’s possible Freeney will retire at season’s end, especially if Atlanta wins the Super Bowl, but he was still effective in 2016 while playing on nearly 40% of the Falcons’ defensive snaps.

A reunion with former Bengal Frostee Rucker could also be in the cards, especially given that Rucker offers the versatility to move inside on passing downs. Rucker, who spent 2007-11 in the Queen City, shouldn’t be expensive as he enters his age-34 season. Meanwhile, it wouldn’t be surprising if Cincinnati called Chris Long about a contract, while fellow veterans Jason Jones, Mario Addison, and Charles Johnson could all be available with various price tags. If released, Mario Williams, Jared Odrick, and Connor Barwin could also be on the Bengals’ radar.

If the Bengals do opt for a one-year stop gap at end, the club will almost certainly devote additional resources to the position in the form of draft picks. Sitting within the top-10 for the first time in years, Cincinnati should have the opportunity to select a near-elite prospect who can contribute immediately. While Myles Garrett will be off the board, the Bengals should have a shot at one of Jonathan Allen (Arkansas), Derek Barnett (Tennessee), Tim Williams (Alabama), or Solomon Thomas (Stanford), the latter of whom was mocked to Cincinnati by both Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN.com and Josh Norris of Rotoworld. Michigan’s Taco Charlton, Missouri’s Charles Harris, and Auburn’s Carl Lawson, meanwhile, could be available in the early part of Day 2.

2) Sort out the offensive line: In 2015, with starting offensive tackles Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith set to become unrestricted free agents the following offseason, the Bengals used their first- and second-round picks on collegiate tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher, respectively. Though Cincinnati had other — and perhaps more pressing — needs at the time, the club stuck to its normally forward-thinking approach and should have set itself up along the offensive line for years to come.

That hasn’t happened. Whitworth eventually agreed to a one-year extension and has continued to play at an exceptionally high level, but is now headed for free agency once again, while Smith did leave when he hit the open market, agreeing to a deal with the Vikings. Ogbuehi, recovering from an ACL injury suffered during his final season at Texas A&M, barely played during his rookie season and face-planted after being handed the starting right tackle job in 2016, eventually being relegated to backup duty behind journeyman Eric Winston. Fisher, meanwhile, has mostly been deployed as an extra offensive lineman in jumbo packages.

While the Bengals have issues at tackle, changes could be coming on the interior, too, as right guard Kevin Zeitler will become an unrestricted free agent in March. As of mid-January, Cincinnati had not begun talking extension with Zeitler, but the two sides will surely speak about a long-term deal in advance of free agency. Zeitler, who earned the eighth spot on PFR’s most recent Free Agent Power Rankings, isn’t going to come cheap, though, especially given that fellow right guards Kyle Long and David DeCastro recently inked pacts that pay $10MM annually. And given that the NFL frustratingly still assigns one franchise tender amount to all offensive lineman instead of separating interior players from tackles, the tag isn’t an option given that it’s expected to be worth north of $14MM.

So what would an ideal outcome look like for Cincinnati? Re-signing both Whitworth and Zeitler would be a home run, but given that both offensive linemen are the best available free agents at their respective position, there will be plenty of other suitors around the league. As such, if pressed to choose between the two, the Bengals need to prioritize Zeitler, not only because he’s more than eight years younger than Whitworth, but because retaining Zeitler would give the club more options going forward.

Re-signing Zeitler — and letting Whitworth walk — would allow the Bengals to move Ogbuehi to left tackle while placing Fisher on the right side. Given that Ogbuehi has struggled at right tackle, moving him Andy Dalton‘s blindside may seem like a odd solution, but Ogbuehi has been adamant that left tackle is his “natural position,” and indicated that he simply doesn’t feel comfortable on the right side. Of course, handing left tackle to a player who has thus far given no indication that he’s a starting-caliber NFL lineman is a risky strategy, but it might be the best chance the Bengals have to begin a youth movement up front.

Keeping Whitworth for another few years (likely at a cost of more than $10MM per season) is another potential avenue, and Cincinnati does have options to replace Zeitler at right guard in such a scenario. 2016 fifth-round pick Christian Westerman would be involved in the competition, as would both Ogbuehi and Fisher. A free agent could be in consideration as well, either at tackle or guard. Reuniting with Smith, who barely played with Minnesota before landing on injured reserve, would allow the Bengals to stage an all-out battle at right guard while Smith locks down right tackle. Adding an interior lineman such as Jonathan Cooper or Chance Warmack would likely mean full-fledged competition at multiple positions along the line.

Clearly, there are number of multi-forked roads the Bengals can travel down this offseason in regards to the construction of the offensive line, and we haven’t even discussed the play of center Russell Bodine, who has steadily improved but still ranks as one of the league’s worst starting pivots. But one way or another, Cincinnati needs to stabilize its front five, which ranked 26th in adjusted sack rate after perennially placing as a top-10 unit during the club’s recent run of success.

3) Go young at cornerback: Given that they’ve used three of their last five first-round picks on defensive backs, the Bengals have accrued a stockpile of youthful cornerback talent on their roster. However, thanks to the club’s developmental schedule (which moves at a glacial pace), those corners receive scant amounts of playing time until they’ve put in a few years as backups. By that time, their rookie contracts have nearly expired, and Cincinnati has wasted the advantages of having first-round talents on cheap deals.

Take Darqueze Dennard, for example: Drafted 24th overall in 2014, Dennard was oozing with pedigree. In his final season at Michigan State, Dennard was a unanimous All-American and received the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate defensive back. But he still couldn’t get on the field with the Bengals. In three seasons with Cincinnati, he’s averaged less than 20% playtime, spending most of his snaps on special teams. Injuries have certainly played a factor in his limited action, but Dennard has admitted that his time with the Bengals has been frustrating.

The Bengals have until this May to decide on Dennard’s 2018 fifth-year option, but they have essentially no basis on which to make their decision. And this isn’t the first time Cincinnati has taken this approach. Fellow first-round corner Dre Kirkpatrick didn’t become a full-time starter until his fourth season in the NFL, and it’s still unclear if he’s capable of being a reliable No. 1 cornerback. (2016 first-rounder William Jackson III can be thrown in here, but his rookie year absence was neither the fault of the Bengals nor Jackson, as a torn pectoral cost him all of last season).

Kirkpatrick, Dennard, and Jackson need to be Cincinnati’s starting corners next season, and given that Kirkpatrick is an unrestricted free agent, that obviously means he needs to be re-signed. Though Kirkpatrick should be one of the top corners on the market, behind the top-tier group comprised of A.J. Bouye, Trumaine Johnson, and Stephon Gilmore, the Bengals should be able to retain Kirkpatrick at a decent price. The rest of the league simply hasn’t seen enough from Kirkpatrick that would entice competing teams to outbid Cincinnati, which intimately knows Kirkpatrick and would presumably feel comfortable retaining him. Even if the price tag approaches $10MM/year, the Bengals should take the plunge.

Cincinnati could make a dent in Kirkpatrick’s cost by releasing veteran Adam Jones, as cutting him loose this offseason would create nearly $7MM in 2017 cap space. We won’t delve into Jones’ entire history of off-field incidents here, and it’s only fair to note that — until recently — Jones had stayed out of trouble for a good amount of time. But his most recent incident, which included an alleged assault, disorderly conduct, and an extremely unbecoming encounter while in police custody, was especially disturbing, and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Jones will likely face a suspension in 2017, but the Bengals reportedly haven’t decided whether they’ll release him this spring. The club doesn’t need the headache, could use the cap room, and needs to find out what they have in their younger cornerbacks, all of which points to Cincinnati cutting ties within the next few months.