Author: Dallas Robinson

2) Sort out the offensive line: In 2015, with starting offensive tackles Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith set to become unrestricted free agents the following offseason, the Bengals used their first- and second-round picks on collegiate tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher, respectively. Though Cincinnati had other — and perhaps more pressing — needs at the time, the club stuck to its normally forward-thinking approach and should have set itself up along the offensive line for years to come.

That hasn’t happened. Whitworth eventually agreed to a one-year extension and has continued to play at an exceptionally high level, but is now headed for free agency once again, while Smith did leave when he hit the open market, agreeing to a deal with the Vikings. Ogbuehi, recovering from an ACL injury suffered during his final season at Texas A&M, barely played during his rookie season and face-planted after being handed the starting right tackle job in 2016, eventually being relegated to backup duty behind journeyman Eric Winston. Fisher, meanwhile, has mostly been deployed as an extra offensive lineman in jumbo packages.

While the Bengals have issues at tackle, changes could be coming on the interior, too, as right guard Kevin Zeitler will become an unrestricted free agent in March. As of mid-January, Cincinnati had not begun talking extension with Zeitler, but the two sides will surely speak about a long-term deal in advance of free agency. Zeitler, who earned the eighth spot on PFR’s most recent Free Agent Power Rankings, isn’t going to come cheap, though, especially given that fellow right guards Kyle Long and David DeCastro recently inked pacts that pay $10MM annually. And given that the NFL frustratingly still assigns one franchise tender amount to all offensive lineman instead of separating interior players from tackles, the tag isn’t an option given that it’s expected to be worth north of $14MM.

So what would an ideal outcome look like for Cincinnati? Re-signing both Whitworth and Zeitler would be a home run, but given that both offensive linemen are the best available free agents at their respective position, there will be plenty of other suitors around the league. As such, if pressed to choose between the two, the Bengals need to prioritize Zeitler, not only because he’s more than eight years younger than Whitworth, but because retaining Zeitler would give the club more options going forward.

Re-signing Zeitler — and letting Whitworth walk — would allow the Bengals to move Ogbuehi to left tackle while placing Fisher on the right side. Given that Ogbuehi has struggled at right tackle, moving him Andy Dalton‘s blindside may seem like a odd solution, but Ogbuehi has been adamant that left tackle is his “natural position,” and indicated that he simply doesn’t feel comfortable on the right side. Of course, handing left tackle to a player who has thus far given no indication that he’s a starting-caliber NFL lineman is a risky strategy, but it might be the best chance the Bengals have to begin a youth movement up front.

Keeping Whitworth for another few years (likely at a cost of more than $10MM per season) is another potential avenue, and Cincinnati does have options to replace Zeitler at right guard in such a scenario. 2016 fifth-round pick Christian Westerman would be involved in the competition, as would both Ogbuehi and Fisher. A free agent could be in consideration as well, either at tackle or guard. Reuniting with Smith, who barely played with Minnesota before landing on injured reserve, would allow the Bengals to stage an all-out battle at right guard while Smith locks down right tackle. Adding an interior lineman such as Jonathan Cooper or Chance Warmack would likely mean full-fledged competition at multiple positions along the line.

Clearly, there are number of multi-forked roads the Bengals can travel down this offseason in regards to the construction of the offensive line, and we haven’t even discussed the play of center Russell Bodine, who has steadily improved but still ranks as one of the league’s worst starting pivots. But one way or another, Cincinnati needs to stabilize its front five, which ranked 26th in adjusted sack rate after perennially placing as a top-10 unit during the club’s recent run of success.

3) Go young at cornerback: Given that they’ve used three of their last five first-round picks on defensive backs, the Bengals have accrued a stockpile of youthful cornerback talent on their roster. However, thanks to the club’s developmental schedule (which moves at a glacial pace), those corners receive scant amounts of playing time until they’ve put in a few years as backups. By that time, their rookie contracts have nearly expired, and Cincinnati has wasted the advantages of having first-round talents on cheap deals.

Take Darqueze Dennard, for example: Drafted 24th overall in 2014, Dennard was oozing with pedigree. In his final season at Michigan State, Dennard was a unanimous All-American and received the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate defensive back. But he still couldn’t get on the field with the Bengals. In three seasons with Cincinnati, he’s averaged less than 20% playtime, spending most of his snaps on special teams. Injuries have certainly played a factor in his limited action, but Dennard has admitted that his time with the Bengals has been frustrating.

The Bengals have until this May to decide on Dennard’s 2018 fifth-year option, but they have essentially no basis on which to make their decision. And this isn’t the first time Cincinnati has taken this approach. Fellow first-round corner Dre Kirkpatrick didn’t become a full-time starter until his fourth season in the NFL, and it’s still unclear if he’s capable of being a reliable No. 1 cornerback. (2016 first-rounder William Jackson III can be thrown in here, but his rookie year absence was neither the fault of the Bengals nor Jackson, as a torn pectoral cost him all of last season).

Kirkpatrick, Dennard, and Jackson need to be Cincinnati’s starting corners next season, and given that Kirkpatrick is an unrestricted free agent, that obviously means he needs to be re-signed. Though Kirkpatrick should be one of the top corners on the market, behind the top-tier group comprised of A.J. Bouye, Trumaine Johnson, and Stephon Gilmore, the Bengals should be able to retain Kirkpatrick at a decent price. The rest of the league simply hasn’t seen enough from Kirkpatrick that would entice competing teams to outbid Cincinnati, which intimately knows Kirkpatrick and would presumably feel comfortable retaining him. Even if the price tag approaches $10MM/year, the Bengals should take the plunge.

Cincinnati could make a dent in Kirkpatrick’s cost by releasing veteran Adam Jones, as cutting him loose this offseason would create nearly $7MM in 2017 cap space. We won’t delve into Jones’ entire history of off-field incidents here, and it’s only fair to note that — until recently — Jones had stayed out of trouble for a good amount of time. But his most recent incident, which included an alleged assault, disorderly conduct, and an extremely unbecoming encounter while in police custody, was especially disturbing, and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Jones will likely face a suspension in 2017, but the Bengals reportedly haven’t decided whether they’ll release him this spring. The club doesn’t need the headache, could use the cap room, and needs to find out what they have in their younger cornerbacks, all of which points to Cincinnati cutting ties within the next few months.