Free Agent chat time!
Bengals:
Pay the men:
Kevin Huber- P - Huber doesn't have the longest or most consistent punts, but he does excel at placing the ball down inside the 10. That's a punter worth keeping.
Andre Smith- OT - Andre Smith is one of the best right tackles in the league and is probably the future at left tackle for the Bengals. Ideally we'll see him switch sides with Whitworth next year. Beyond that Smith is probably the best player on offense for the Bengals - yeah even better than A.J. Green.
Pacman Jones- CB - Adam Jones has found his niche as a nickel corner and has really improved dramatically. He's more important to the defense than a lot of fans realize, and he shouldn't be bringing home a huge contract. Add some pretty good return skills and you have one of the best value guys for the Bengals.
Wallace Gilberry- DE - Gilberry has been steadily improving under Zimmer and he's another excellent value for an end that plays well against both the run and pass.
Josh Brown or Mike Nugent- K - 2 decent kickers. Pay one of them.
Clark Harris- LS - He's a long snapper. He doesn't fuck up. Pay him.
Want to keep, but probably can't:
Michael Johnson- DE - Excellent pass rusher with a freakish frame. He was pretty raw coming out of college and I don't think we've seen his full potential yet. The Bengals would love to keep him, but he is going to get paid by someone and it's probably in the Bengals best interest not to overpay for someone when they have quality starters waiting in the wings.
Terence Newman- CB - Guy had an excellent year after a bit of a rocky start. Presumably someone is going to want to reward that year with some money, and it's unclear what Newman's role in the defense will be next year. It's looking like he'll be the 4th CB, but he'll probably get a bigger contract than a back-up CB is worth.
Pat Sims- DT - Excellent interior tackle that has a knack for causing problems for the O-line. He's relegated to the bench because Peko is such a nice compliment to Atkins. He'll be a starter for another team next year.
Role Players - depends on how the draft and free agency shakes out:
Cedric Peerman- RB - Special Teams All Star. A passable running back.
Chris Crocker- S - He's not a good safety, but he does a ton for the defense in setting coverage. He's one of the reasons the Bengals defense improved this year. Bengals don't have a ton of depth at safety, so he may stick around for another year. Maybe.
Bernard Scott- RB - He's a mediocre compliment to the law firm, but the Bengals are going to be looking to upgrade here. Not much in the way of free agency this year, so it'll depend on how the draft shakes out.
Dennis Roland- OT - As a back up tackle he's pretty decent. Not great. Not horrible. He's just sort of there. Bengals will probably hold on to him.
Nate Clements- CB/S - He's fucking old and slow and he's a mediocre safety and a worse corner. That said if the Bengals can keep him as a back-up it won't be the worst thing in the world.
Bruce Gradkowski- QB - A thoroughly mediocre back up. Meh. I wouldn't be surprised to see him stay or leave. He won't be looking to start anywhere in the league though.
Dan Skuta- LB - He's not a good interior linebacker, but the Bengals are so thin at linebacker that he has a role to play in adding depth. Ideally he won't be with the team next year though.
Brian Leonard- RB - See also, Bernard Scott.
Questions?:
Thomas Howard- LB - Howard has been very good for the Bengals, but he's coming off an ACL tear and his replacement, Burfict, had a really good year. If they believe they can move one of them to the other side then he's definitely worth signing. If they don't like the fit then it's pretty unlikely he comes back.
Get the fuck out:
Brandon Tate- WR - He's a bad receiver and a bad returner and he should go away.
Richard Quinn- TE - Has made no impact on this team ever.
Jeromy Miles- S - He's somehow a worse safety than an 800 year old Nate Clements.
Manny Lawson- LB - Isn't great in coverage. Isn't great against the run. Kind of useless for a linebacker.
Robert Geathers- DE - Holy shit why did this guy start every game this year when his back-ups constantly out performed him. Get the fuck out.
Rey Maualuga- LB - The worst MLB in the league - not an exaggeration. Slow as fuck in coverage. Struggles mightily to read and diagnose plays. Is good at tackling people beyond the line to gain.