Geoff Hobson on Bengals Pending Free Agents, “This Team Is Going to Look Different”

The Cincinnati Bengals find themselves in a tricky free-agent situation, much like the rest of the 31 NFL teams do. Every offseason there is a general purging of rosters, especially for those who are in a worse off cap room situation. 

According to Sportrac.com, the Bengals have the 6th best cap situation with a projected $61 million. Despite having some good cap space room, they have a ton of free agents that they may not have the capacity to give big contracts to, or if they even want to. 

Geoff Hobson discussed the free-agent situation the Bengals are dealing with on Bleav in Bengals.

"A guy like Browning, they already have. They got exclusive rights. They're not going to lose him. So we know he's coming back as the backup. After that, I think, you just got to see this team. This team is going to look different. That's why I say they're going to try to keep as much intact as they can. But they're also there's only so much you can do, you know?"

via Geoff Hobson, Bleav in Bengals

Geoff Hobson alludes to the Bengals attempting to keep certain players, like tagging Tee Higgins, but they will not be able to keep everyone. 

That is the case for all NFL teams. Despite wanting to keep a core roster together, star players often chase bigger contracts with teams willing to pay them.

"So now can you resign a Jonah Williams know while you're paying the left tackle? Probably what Joel is going to get on the open market....somebody is going to offer DJ Reader a huge deal."

via Geoff Hobson, Bleav in Bengals

While it may be paramount to keep the offensive line together to protect Burrow, defensive players like Reader might not be able to be retained. This is just the nature of football. Teams will lose players and try and bring others in on FA contracts and rookies through the draft. 

The Bengals were hindered by Burrow getting hurt, but Browning stepped up. Now, the team will need to figure out a way to put the right people in place for the team to return to the playoffs.