BREAKING NEW: The biggest storylines for the Bengals entering NFL free agency…

Starting next week, I wouldn’t want to be in charge of the Cincinnati Bengals’ front office, but I would want to be a fly

on the wall and observe how they make judgments.

The free agency period begins on March 11 and will be crazy for a few days while some teams make big moves in the

market and others hold out for the draft.

Sadly, Cincinnati never had a reputation for being a squad that could draw attention. They would end the season

(without making it to the playoffs), forego free agency, sign a few low-end veterans, and draft a few decent players—

some of whom would go on to change the course of the franchise, while others would prove to be huge busts—in the

same manner every year until a few years ago.

Then, in 2020, the Bengals made the bold decision to entirely rewrite the story and pursue a strong free agency class.

They also signed DJ Reader, a flamboyant and outspoken personality who is unfortunately once again a free agent,

and Vonn Bell, the former fan favorite and safety who saved the franchise.

After making those two significant additions, the organization decided to go after free agency with more vigor and

signed Mike Hilton, Chidobe Awuzie, and Trey Hendrickson, which turned out to be one of the best moves in Bengals

history.

Since then, they have kept up this practice. They signed Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, Hayden Hurst, and La’el Collins in

2022. Then, they inked Orlando Brown Jr. to a huge contract for the previous season.

In their quest to assemble the last few pieces of a championship-caliber club, the Bengals are entering what is likely

their greatest free agency class to date. Over the past few years, this squad has been quite close, but they haven’t been

able to take advantage of it due to injuries or misfitting parts.

Seven of the 17 free agents the Bengals have are established starters. They must find a way to prevent making the

same error they did the previous season, when they let both of the starting safeties walk, which led to the Bengals’

secondary collapsing into chaos.

They have to provide answers to some inquiries that are getting close to insanity. Which roles are they hoping to fill?

Who specifically do they believe could thrive in Cincinnati from those positions?

Lastly, how much can the Bengals afford to spend for several franchise players who still need to be re-signed while

having one of the greatest cap gaps in the league?

The Bengals’ key narratives to follow as they enter free agency are listed below.

Enhancing The Attacking Sequence

The offensive line is the most crucial offseason topic, so let’s start there. Obviously, we’ve all recognized very quickly

that they need to protect Joe.

Of the more than 100 available free agents, 37 are 30 years of age or older. You must consider both their age and any

past injury history due to the physically demanding nature of the role. Sadly, there aren’t many names that I would

even think about signing.

However, there is a substantial market for youthful, strong offensive lineman in the next draft.

The safety position is the next one I’m examining. They were completely dismantled the previous offseason, and they

still haven’t assembled the appropriate team. They permitted the fifth-most explosive plays (10+ yards), which made

it very evident.

In contrast to the offensive line, there are many good safeties on the market with plenty of games left in them. There

are just over 60 safeties to pick from. Cincinnati made a terrible attempt to cover the safety hole in the previous

season.

I hope a new year means a fresh strategy. A few worries are also raised by the defensive line. DJ Reader, one of this

line’s best players, is a free agent after they signed him in 2020. He has shown that he is a tremendous asset to this

club and a game-changer. We were able to determine just how thin their defensive line was due to his injury during

the close of the previous campaign.

The reader is extremely deserving of a large salary, which is what he will be hoping for. Both on and off the field, I

think it would be a grave error for the Bengals to not re-sign him. If they choose not to re-sign him, expect them to

choose several guys in the draft or sign a free agent to cover the void. Even if they decide to re-sign him, expect them

to draft someone with depth.

The tight end is perhaps the position with the most uncertainty. Since the late 2010s, when Tyler Eifert left the team,

the Bengals have not had a reliable tight end. Following that, they had Mitchell Wilcox, Tanner Hudson, Drew

Sample, and CJ Uzomah. Afterwards, they had Hayden Hurst.

The 2019 draft features several good tight ends, the most notable of them being Brock Bowers of Georgia. While I

don’t mind if they select a tight end early, I think there are more important issues that need to be resolved first. The

fact that they don’t use tight ends as frequently as other teams is my biggest worry with selecting one early in the

draft.

However, it’s also possible it’s because they’ve never had a top player fill that role. Having said that, Burrow needs

time to develop his ability to locate his targets down the field while sitting back in the pocket.

He needs a line full of elite players for it to occur. The wide receiver and running back positions are the next areas

you should focus on if you truly want to get into the weeds. Tee Higgins was recently assigned a franchise tag by the

Bengals. I don’t think they’ll exchange him.

Tyler Boyd is the next player, having joined the Bengals in 2016. I can only see Boyd returning to Cincinnati on a

short-term, one- or two-year contract in an attempt to pursue a championship.

Now, several reports regarding Joe Mixon’s potential dismissal surfaced in the rumor mill on Wednesday night.

Some might be surprised by this, while others would have expected it. Ranking third among the Bengals’ all-time top

rushers, Mixon has been one of the team’s greatest backs since joining in 2017. He joined the team in 2017.

Chase Brown, a rookie who the organization signed last season, shown a lot of explosiveness and promise. Together,

he and Mixon demonstrated a remarkable display of complementing football from the backfield.

Behind them, the team had Chris Evans, who hasn’t played much at all, and Trayveon Williams, who hasn’t played

on the field much during the past two seasons. This is the point at which

The team would only let him go in order to make some cash. Nevertheless, they will have to shell out a sizable sum of

money if they test the running back free agent pool. In any case, I can see them selecting a back whether they decide

to keep Mixon or release him and sign a free agent. However, that will dictate which round they aim for.

You can see why I wouldn’t want to be in this front office now that you’ve seen all of the potential questions this

squad will face. They have a busy week coming up, and then they have a crucial few months to research these draft

prospects.