Team Needs:

LB, OT, OG, TE, CB, 1T, QB

Available Draft Picks:

1(11), 2(42), 3(73), 4(104), 5(139), 6(170), 6(186), 7(201)

Starting Cap Space:

$51,298,221

Trades:

None

Restructures:

None

Cuts:

LB Vontaze Burfict to save $5,581,250

With Zac Taylor taking over as the new head coach, it would be wise of him to cut the talented but troubled Vontaze Burfict to help change the culture in the Bengals locker room. This defense becomes a worse defense by letting go of Burfict but the team as a whole becomes a become team.

Re-signings:

CB Darqueze Dennard for 1 year, $3,000,000

LB Preston Brown for 1 year, $5,250,000

IOL Trey Hopkins for 3 years, $10,500,000

RB Brandon Wilson for 1 year, $645,000 (ERFA)

CB Tony McRae for 1 year, $645,000 (ERFA)

G Alex Redmond for 1 year, $645,000 (ERFA)

DT Josh Tupou for 1 year, $645,000 (ERFA)

DT Adolphus Washington for 1 year, $720,000 (ERFA)

Darqueze Dennard signing a one-year contract here gives him one last opportunity to prove his worth to the Bengals organization and earn himself another payday before he reaches the dreaded 30 year old mark. Preston Brown missed the majority of 2018 with injury but had the best year of his career just one year ago so re-signing him here gives the Bengals a depth player for a season at the very least. Trey Hopkins is the only Bengals re-sign that earned a multi-year deal and for good reason, he’s the only one that earned a multi-year deal. Hopkins could be a very good depth/rotational player for the remainder of his contract. Re-signing Brandon Wilson, Tony McRae, Alex Redmond, Josh Tupou, and Adolphus Washington were easy decisions given their very small cap hit and ability to contribute in a pinch.

Free Agent Signings:

OT Daryl Williams for 2 years, $7,000,000

OT Trent Brown for 4 years, $17,000,000

IOL Jeff Allen for 1 year, $1,200,000

TE Charles Clay for 1 year, $4,000,000

LB Mychal Kendricks for 3 years, $13,500,000

CB Justin Coleman for 2 years, $6,000,000

DT Muhammad Wilkerson for 2 years, $10,000,000

Daryl Williams and Trent Brown took different paths to get in this situation but nonetheless they both end up in Cincinnati for the next few seasons as starting tackles. Jeff Allen is the third free agent to be signed on the offensive line but he’s there mostly just for depth or spot-starts. Charles Clay was just recently released by Buffalo but “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” so Clay can still come in and be a contributor for this offense.Signing Mychal Kendricks, Justin Coleman, and Muhammad Wilkerson gives this Bengals defense some immediate contributors with good scheme fits. Wilkerson has primarily played in a 3-4 for most of his career so he should be fine to play defensive tackle in a 4-3. Justin Coleman comes from a primarily zone defense, which is a great fit for this Bengals defense. Mychal Kendricks has seemingly always been a bit of an under-the-radar player (insider trading scandals aside), so bringing him in to at least help the young guys while they learn how to play at the next level should be great for this whole team.

Draft Results:

Pick 1.11 – Devin White, LB, LSU

The Bengals have a dire need for a game-changing linebacker so with their first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Bengals add the best linebacker in the class.

Pick 2.42 – Charles Omenihu, DL/EDGE, Texas

Charles Omenihu is a long lineman that could play at either EDGE or on the interior in a 4-3, he should be a fun piece for whoever puts together this defense.

Pick 3.73 – Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M

Tyler Eifert was dominant when healthy. The only problem with that is that he was almost never healthy. Drafting his replacement here is probably the best way to handle the TE situation this year.

Pick 4.104 – Khalil Hodge, LB, Buffalo

Double-dipping on the linebacker position is actually a pretty solid move here. The Bengals get a potential starter in the mid-late rounds and take the pure tackling machine that is Khalil Hodge.

Pick 5.139 – Dru Samia, IOL, Oklahoma

Dru Samia really struggled against Quinnen Williiams in the college football playoff and that’s as close to NFL talent as you would have seen in college football last year so this isn’t a risk-free pick. However, I think with how late this pick is, it could be well worth the small risk.

Pick 6.170 – Brett Rypien, QB, Boise State

Climbing up boards a bit as of late due to his strong showing during Shrine Week and Senior Bowl week, Rypien has all the tools to be an NFL backup at the very least, with the potential to be a starting QB in the league. The Bengals take no risk here for a player with starter potential.

Pick 6.`86 – CeCe Jefferson, EDGE, Florida

CeCe Jefferson never quite lived up to the hype he had coming out of high school but he’s shown that he’s capable of defending the run and rushing the passer so that makes him a late round pick that could be a rotational player in the near future.

Pick 7.201 – Bryce Love, RB, Stanford

Giovani Bernard is entering the final year of his contract so one direction the Bengals might be to draft his replacement now and then let him walk after his contract expires. Bryce Love was often compared to Giovani Bernard before last season when his stock plummeted, so who better to replace Gio than Gio light.

Cap Space Spent on Re-signings:

$15,050,000

Cap Space Spent on Free Agents:

$19,650,000

Cap Space Spent on Draft Picks:

$8,061,656

Total Cap Remaining:

$3,115,874

Backfield Starters

QB: Andy Dalton

RB: Joe Mixon

Receiver Starters

WR1:  AJ Green

WR2: Tyler Boyd

Slot WR: John Ross

TE1: Jace Sternberger

TE2: Charles Clay

Offensive Line Starters

LT: Trent Brown

LG: Clint Boling

C: Billy Price

RG: Trey Hopkins

RT:  Daryl Williams

Defensive Line Starters

WDE: Carlos Dunlap

DT: Geno Atkins

DT: Muhammad Wilkerson

SDE: Charles Omenihu

Linebacker Starters

WLB: Mychal Kendricks

MLB: Devin White

SLB: Khalil Hodge

Secondary Starters

CB1: William Jackson III

CB2: Dre Kirkpatrick

Slot CB: Darqueze Dennard

FS: Jessie Bates

SS: Shawn Williams

Special Teamers

K: Randy Bullock

P: Kevin Huber

KOS: Randy Bullock

LS: Clark Harris

KR: Alex Erickson

PR: Alex Erickson