Do not bet on the Cincinnati Bengals having a compensatory draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft… At least, that is what one website is predicting.
That does not mean that it will not happen, however. It all depends on a very complicated formula that comes down to one ex Bengal, John Ros, who the team spent the No. 9 overall pick on in the 2017 NFL Draft.
According to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, the key free agents lost were A.J. Green, Carl Lawson, William Jackson, Cethan Carter, and John Ross. The players added to the roster who cancel out those losses are Chidobe Awuzie, Trey Hendrickson, Mike Hilton, and Larry Ogunjobi.
Zierlein is confident that the Bengals will receive a fourth-round compensatory pick. At least he was back in May.
However, in a recent article from Nick Korte at Over The Cap, the Bengals won’t acquire any added picks.
Korte agrees with Zierlein in that if the Bengals do get an extra pick, it will be a fourth-rounder. Korte, however, does not project it will happen as of today.
This is because Korte does not believe that Ross qualifies under the extremely complicated and convoluted formula that determines which teams get compensation for losing free agents the previous year.
Korte writes, “without Ross’s contract qualifying in their favor, they would have an equal number of CFAs lost and signed, and get no comp picks at all. They need Ross in their cancellation chart in order to open up a potential 4th round comp pick.”
He later writes, “If John Ross qualifies, Cincinnati will get a 4th for Carl Lawson.”
As Bengals fans, let’s hope that Ross qualifies. It is always better to have more draft picks, especially one as high as the fourth round.
If Ross can give the Bengals an extra pick, the team can continue to look at positions of need and get a key contributor to help this team remain a contender down the road.