The Bengals currently own the No. 18 pick in the first round of this year’s draft. But that may not be high enough to land a necessary addition to their offensive line.
Offensive tackle Jonah Williams is likely headed elsewhere in free agency after being forced to the right side following the signing of left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. last offseason. He even requested a trade from the team but later rescinded it.
That means Cincinnati must address the right tackle position early in the draft. And with several of the top offensive tackles expected to be taken early, the Bengals may need to trade up to ensure they’ll land one. It will probably take too much draft capital to move up for Notre Dame’s Joe Alt or Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu.
But Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, who ranks as Pro Football Focus’ third-best offensive tackle and No. 11 overall prospect on its big board, could be in the perfect spot for a small trade up.
CUT: Safety Nick Scott
Scott signed a three-year, $12 million contract with Cincinnati last offseason as the team scrambled to find replacements for veteran safeties Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell, both of whom left in free agency.
But thanks to the emergence of Cincinnati’s 2023 third-round pick, safety Jordan Battle, Scott is now expendable.
If the team were to move on from Scott this offseason, it would save $2.3M in cap space while taking a $2M dead cap hit, per Spotrac.
It may not be enough savings for Cincinnati to let the reliable veteran backup go. But any extra space the Bengals can free up will help as they prepare to sign the next player below.
SIGNING: Wide receiver Tee Higgins
Higgins, the No. 33 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, is expected to receive the franchise tag if he and the Bengals can’t agree on a new contract.
But the team should do its best to make sure that doesn’t happen. Higgins would be the No. 1 wide receiver on some teams in the NFL after posting 257 catches for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first four seasons. And Cincinnati is lucky enough to have him as its No. 2 WR to Ja’Marr Chase.
Higgins, Chase and Burrow are arguably the biggest reasons for Cincinnati’s recent success. So why would they decide to let any of them go?
Higgins is expected to be paid handsomely with a projected four-year, $74.4M contract, according to Spotrac.
But Cincinnati can afford it with $59.4M in cap space heading into 2024 and with a salary cap that continues to rise every year.
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