It all happened so quickly, and then nothing happened at all. That was the legal negotiating window in a nutshell for the Cincinnati Bengals.
After getting a couple extensions done before the madness ensued, the Bengals took a rather surprising approach to start free agency. A few holes were filled, but many more remain and time pressing on does not make matters easier.
While Cincinnati is in an elongated holding pattern to make its next move, let’s overview how the club spent its cash in the 52-hour window leading up to the new league year.
DT B.J. Hill stays for three years, $33 million
Grade: C
It’s difficult for me to grade two of these signings in a vacuum, and this is one of them. Hill is worth this price for the next couple of years even as he enters his age 30 season. The Bengals needed starting defensive tackles if he were to have left. For that, this deal can’t be worse than a C. Going higher would have me ignore the confusing composition of this defensive tackle grouping that doesn’t have a reliable pass-rusher. Hill is pretty much all they have right now, and it’s not enough unless Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson take unexpected leaps next season.
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RB Samaje Perine returns for two years, $3.6 million
Grade: C+
This was two years in the making, and the Bengals were able to bring back Joe Mixon’s former backfield partner on a cheaper deal than what it would’ve cost to retain him back in 2023. Cincinnati finished last season with no depth behind Chase Brown and it cascaded to Brown getting injured at the end of a marathon game in Week 17. Perine solves that with familiarity in the offense as either an RB2 or RB3 pending the draft. Doesn’t move the needle very much, but crosses the above average threshold.
DT TJ Slaton pairs with Hill for two years, $14.1 million
Grade: B-
This was the other signing that’s tough to grade. Slaton makes a lot of sense for what the Bengals lacked last year; a true nose tackle who could hold up to double-teams in the run game. He did this extremely well for the Green Bay Packers under current Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, so the fit is ideal. But again, pairing him with Hill doesn’t give any juice against the pass. I think if the Bengals went in another direction than Hill, we’d look at this signing with more optimism about the state of the d-line.
LB Oren Burks may start for two years, $5 million
Grade: B
Good value for a good player equates to a good grade. Burks was always more of a special-teams savant in the first years of his career but really shined for the Philadelphia Eagles’ stacked defense in the postseason. Burks replaced Nakobe Dean seamlessly and saved his best performance for last in Philly’s convincing Super Bowl victory. Cincinnati will likely ask him to do everything Akeem Davis-Gaither did for the past five years and potentially play more on defense in comparison. This is a good investment for that.
DE Joseph Ossai bets on himself for one year, $7 million
Grade: B
Another quality move here, especially since no one seems to know what’s happening with Trey Hendrickson right now. Ossai has more to offer as a pass rusher with more snaps and that’s what he should expect with or without Hendrickson on the team next year. He’ll be very motivated to earn a larger deal next year. Quality move to bring him back.
Overall Grade: C
The needle wasn’t moved like it should’ve. The pass rush hasn’t improved hardly at all, there’s no new starting guard in the mix, and the situations with Hendrickson, Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase haven’t been resolved. It’s a long offseason, but the Bengals could’ve started way better than this.
