What should the Bengals do with these pending free agents?
Samaje Perine
Perine, like Apple, is someone who is a difficult decision less due to money and more based upon what they want to do with other, younger players on the roster -- In this case, Chris Evans. Personally, I've been a big advocate for seeing Evans get more snaps and have a bigger role alongside Joe Mixon.
That's not to say I don't like Perine, though. He's a solid running back who, much like Hurst, fights hard for every yard he gets. He's a good option to have come off the bench for when Mixon inevitably needs a break or (hopefully not) gets injured.
He can also help out in the passing game, as Perine already is over 100+ yards receiving on 12 receptions along with a touchdown.
Again, the decision for Perine boils down to whether or not they want to get Chris Evans more involved in the offense. If they do, then they might want to let the Oklahoma product go this off-season.
Germaine Pratt
Last but not least, Germaine Pratt, who is the most underrated player on this great Bengals defense and forms a nice linebacker core alongside standout Logan Wilson.
The North Carolina State product doesn't always have the flashy plays or stats, but he's someone you can count on to make the tackle and stop a play before it gets going. Just this past week against the Saints, Pratt had 14 tackles, his second most in a single game in his entire career.
Furthermore, this season Pratt has a 4.3% missed tackle percentage, and last year it was 8.1%. The league average for linebackers is 10.7%, so he is one of the better tacklers in the league. Being good at bringing the guy with the ball down is a criminally underrated skill in a league where everyone is much more focused on stats like sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, etc.
In conclusion, Pratt is a very easy decision to make. I don't believe he's going to take up a large amount of cap space, so I feel like the front office should definitely re-sign him when the off-season rolls around.
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What do you think, Bengals fans? What will the fates be of these pending Bengals free agents?