A day Bengals fans in general — and Joe Burrow, specifically — have been awaiting has arrived.
There will be no mistaking the Bengals’ identity the next four years. It’s the same identity they rolled out for the coin toss of five consecutive wins to close the 2024 season: Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase and Burrow.
For all the messages through the media, trade requests, hold-ins, ballcap emoji tweets, pundit Bengals bashing, philosophical pondering and tireless debate over the last two years about the front office’s desire and ability to retain these two stars, it finally comes to an end.
With Burrow, Chase and Higgins at the forefront, the Bengals always have a chance to rack up 35 points and win. To make that statement, they paid $125 million per year in average annual value of the three deals. It’s one heck of a foundation. Now, we’ll see if the club can put enough around them.
Should this have cost less? No question. Failure to pay both last year cost them the equivalent of a quality player they could have added in free agency each year.
Just as importantly, an inability to knock these deals out before free agency cost them a clearly defined plan. As negotiations dragged out through the franchise tag deadline and the first week of free agency, an ambiguity of how the deals would come together impacted the aggressiveness and urgency necessary to execute a strategy to check every box instead of just the two biggest.
It leaves the Bengals in an uncomfortable spot in the trenches on both sides of the ball, the two positions most responsible for sinking the disappointing 2024 campaign.
While the rest of the league dedicates countless resources to stacking the line of scrimmage, the Bengals will be piecing together scraps from the third wave of free agency and the draft.
All this while trying to check the third large box on the offseason to-do list: Trey Hendrickson.
The cap relief created by the Higgins and Chase deals was expected and anticipated but substantial enough to re-open the conversations with the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year.
The arrow is pointed toward Hendrickson returning to Cincinnati. The lack of any outside pass-rushing acquisition in free agency painted the Bengals into a corner. If they don’t receive a solid edge rusher as part of a return for Hendrickson, any deal becomes a non-starter. It would essentially sink the 2025 season since all reasonable answers in free agency are gone.
Returning to the table with Hendrickson — both sides are now 100 percent aware of his market and trade value — at least produces perspective on the conversation. It was placed on the back burner while the receivers soaked up the Bengals’ attention.
Hendrickson has made abundantly clear he wants to stay in Cincinnati; his recently signed teammates (B.J. Hill, Joseph Ossai) have done the same in news conferences this week. There’s no debate there. For Hendrickson’s public relations nightmare that occurred with his trade request last year, he’s certainly coming off much softer and more calculated despite the obvious displeasure with the current state of his contract. Behind the scenes, though, there’s no doubt his camp would be extremely unhappy with the idea of having to play out this deal and willing to act on it. That much hasn’t changed since the season ended.
As for other spots on defense, there’s rising concern about the linebacker position. The Bengals made clear to Germaine Pratt he wasn’t in their plans and is a cut candidate as the club would save $5.6 million on the cap by letting him go. Pratt entered a trade request, but nothing has come to fruition.
The Bengals’ problem is that they haven’t added any replacements. Oren Burks came over from the Eagles but is by all accounts a replacement for Akeem Davis-Gaither, last year’s third linebacker and special teams stalwart who signed for two years and $11 million in Arizona. Depending on what develops, Burks could end up the starter with hopes he recreates the magic in filling in for Nakobe Dean in the Eagles’ title run.
Despite a pile of capable linebackers available in free agency, all the notable names came and went. Dre Greenlaw (Broncos), Robert Spillane (Patriots), Cody Barton (Titans) and Divine Deablo (Falcons) all signed for at least $7 million per year.
Joe Bachie is a player new defensive coordinator Al Golden and linebackers coach Michael Hodges have professed admiration for in the past and an obvious candidate to fill out the roster, but there’s a glaring missing piece next to Logan Wilson right now.
No missing piece is more glaring than what’s happening at guard, though. The Bengals weren’t in love with the free-agent class at the position and those at the top of their list ended up being paid at the top of the market, a level they were unwilling to go.
Still, a plan to sign at least one guard in free agency while laying out a competition at the other guard spot was placed into jeopardy.
Teven Jenkins is a name out there in recent days, but was never a realistic option for the Bengals. There’s a reason the former Bears guard wasn’t scooped up early in free agency and reportedly is taking a visit to Seattle on Monday in a league where players rarely take visits anymore. New Bears coach Ben Johnson seemed to speak loudly with the investment and resources given to immediately replace Jenkins (and other interior linemen) in Chicago and the rest of the league seemed to agree. The Bengals are among them. They aren’t pursuing him.
Mekhi Becton came to Cincinnati on a visit last year and didn’t sign. Neither side pursued the option again this year and he signed for two years and $20 million with the Chargers.
That leaves 33-year-old Brandon Scherff as the most viable candidate to solidify a spot. A resolution with him is not expected soon as the former Jaguars guard weighs options for the final stanza of his career.
Cincinnati will assess the remaining options on the market and look to pinpoint a gem amid the rubble of free agency at the position.
At both guard spots, that will leave behind competitions between Cody Ford, Cordell Volson, Jaxson Kirkland and a remaining free agent or two, along with the addition of a pick at a position that’s suddenly become an extreme priority in the draft.
Last week’s lackluster free agency leaves the club stressed to hit in a draft where it owns six picks. The strategy of “best player available” all but goes off the table with such an immediate need at multiple positions.
That’s not to say improvement can’t be had. The Bengals arrive at OTAs capable of owning the best passing game in football for the rest of the decade. Additions by subtraction on the roster could go a long way, and a bevy of recent top picks will be positioned to ascend.
The degree of difficulty has risen substantially. Added pressure falls on new offensive line coach Scott Peters along with Golden and his staff. There’s excitement about what the staff can bring to up the level of play across the board, but this will test how much difference they can actually make.
The good news for the Bengals is they have Burrow and his receivers on board and happy and quite rich. They will have multiple shots to throw their way to a championship. They’ll need to prove worth every penny.
(Top photo: Brian Spurlock / Getty Images)
