Archive for February, 2009

With the decision to let wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh seek his fortune in free agency, the Cincinnati Bengals are finally delivering on the promise of change they made following the team’s 4-11-1 finish last season. Whether it’s change for the better, or for the worse, remains to be seen. The Bengals offense was a joke in 2008, finishing last in the league, but Houshmandzadeh and fellow tag candidate RB Cedric Benson weren’t the reason why. In fact, those two players combined for about half of the team’s total yardage last season. Now, both are counting down the days until the [...]

The Cincinnati Bengals have franchised kicker Shayne Graham. The move guarantees Graham a $2.48 million salary in 2009, absent a long-term deal. It also eliminates any possiblity that the team will tag T.J. Houshmandzadeh or Cedric Benson. Tagging Graham was pretty much the default option this offseason. Update: Reax from around Bengalsdom… Kirk sees the tag as a signal that long-term talks between Graham and the team had stalled. Probably true, given that they’ve reportedly been having discussions since last fall with no deal emerging, but you have to wonder what the holdup is. Clearly, they are willing to pay [...]

It looks like Bengals DT John Thornton is out the door. Thornton has put his Web site, bengalscentral, up for sale and begun blogging at allproblogger.com. Check out his welcome video. Signed in Marvin Lewis’ first season as head coach in Cincinnati as an unrestricted free agent from the Tennessee Titans, Thornton was a durable workhorse on the defensive line, missing just four games in six years. A locker-room leader, he logged 151 tackles, 17 sacks and an interception as a Bengal. Fans often criticized him as overpaid, but the team never provided him with much help on the line. [...]

The Cincinnati Bengals have grabbed punter Ryan Plackemeier off waivers from the Redskins. The four-year veteran has spent time with both Washington and Seattle. He has a career 42.2 yard average on 236 punts. The acquisition isn’t unexpected, as the Bengals had previously expressed their displeasure with the 2008 performance of incumbent punter Kyle Larson.

Okay, full disclosure: I was big fan of the John Thornton signing back in Marvin Lewis’ first year. And I always thought he got more crap from the fans than he deserved (you think maybe they might have given him some help on the line?). But anyhow, for those Cincinnati fans who can’t seen anything but offensive tackle in the first in April, John lays down the law: My reasons for not drafting a OT with the sixth pick is because that position can be filled in free agency with a guy that will be much cheaper than a 50 [...]

Earlier today, I linked to (probably soon to be former) Bengals DT John Thornton’s post that, were he Cincinnati’s GM, he’d franchise Shayne Graham. That got me thinking: OK, if the Bengals don’t tag T.J. Houshmandzadeh — and the growing consensus is that they won’t — should they use the tag on anyone else? There are really only two players other than T.J. who merit consideration, Graham and RB Cedric Benson. Franchising Shayne would cost $2.48 million, while tagging Benson would run the Bengals $6.62 million — in both instances much less than the $9.88 million price tag for T.J. [...]

The Cincinnati Bengals have re-signed TE/FB Daniel Coats. Coats, an undrafted free agent originally signed in 2007, played that season at his college position, tight end, and performed reasonably well. However, after FB Jeremi Johnson ate his way off the team last summer, Coats was pressed into service as a fullback, where he didn’t impress. As a solid special teams player and potential successor to Reggie Kelly in the blocking TE role, Coats is worth keeping around, but this signing does nothing to change the Bengals’ need for a true FB in free agency or the draft.

The Bengals are talking with backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s agent. Fitz, who went 4-7-1 as Cincinnati’s starting quarterback after Carson Palmer was lost for the season, appears to be looking for a deal in the $2 million a year range, which is historically far more than the Bengals are willing to pay for the No. 2 QB slot. While he would like a starting gig (memo to Fitz: fuggedaboutit) he sounds happy to return. “Sure, I’d love a chance to play, but I’ve loved backing up Carson,” he says. “He’s a great guy to be around and I like Cincinnati. [...]

Offensive tackle Eugene Monroe stays atop the Cincinnati Bengals Mock Draft Big Board for the second straight update, but Baylor OT Jason Smith remains hot on his heels. Getting some love this time around is DT B.J. Raji, who makes the leap into double-digit territory, his best showing yet this year. Offensive tackle is still seen as the most likely way the Bengals will jump at 6, with 74 of 112 tracked mocks choosing an OT. As always, the Big Board was assembled by combing through Fansided’s Mock Draft Database. It uses only mocks that have been updated in the [...]

All is quiet on the Cincinnati Bengals free agency front. Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh remains unsigned and untagged, while two players the Bengals have said they want back, Cedric Benson and Chris Crocker, look like they will be on the market when free agency opens February 27. Crocker says he plans to sign somewhere in the first 24 hours, before the big money dries up, while Benson appears to set to let the market come to him. Though this is frustrating to Bengals fans, Cincinnati may for once be taking the right approach. Compared to past years, there’s been a [...]