At 34 years old, Norman is in the twilight of his career and no longer great in coverage, however he still can serve as a solid backup FS. He has 87 spd, 88 acc, 80 pursuit, 68 str. Would be a zone archetype with the position change which fits the Bengals scheme.
Bengals send:
RT Martez Ivey (76 OVR, 25 yrs old, Star)
RT Fred Johnson (72 OVR, 24 yrs old, Star)
Bucs send:
RT David Edwards (77 OVR, 24 yrs old, Quick)
In lieu of recent moves, Bengals were looking to acquire an OL to play guard. Edwards ratings are more slanted toward run blocking than pass blocking making him a good candidate to move inside.
The Bucs get a Star dev pass blocking RT of similar age in return as well as an additional Star dev RT for depth and development.
Bengals send:
2022 1st Rd pick
2022 4th Rd pick
Bears send:
LT Ronnie Stanley (85 OVR, 28 years old, Quick)
2022 2nd Rd Pick
Bengals will be taking Stanley's full salary + bonus
Bengals send:
LOLB Mychal Kendricks (73 OVR, 32 years old, Quick)
3rd round pick
Titans send:
MLB Dakota Allen (73 OVR, 24 years old, Star)
Bengals send:
Joe Mixon (89 OVR, Star Dev, 26 years old)
Salary + Bonus (5.88M)
Jaguars send:
Leonard Fournette (92 OVR, Quick Dev, 27 years old)
Salary + Bonus (12.49M)
This swap gives each team a back that better fits their respective schemes. Bengals prefer a pure power back while the Jags want a more shifty/elusive back. Bengals take on a heftier contract in the swap
After a tumultuous 5-11 season, the Cincinnati Bengals are primed to turn their fortunes around with new owner HotRod and his handpicked Head Coach Chad Johnson. At the introductory press conference in week 14, the message was clear, the Bengals needed a drastic change in culture. Among the complaints from the fan base for the past few years were an offense that lacked excitement let alone any semblance of consistency. The defensive side of the ball was plagued by a lack of playmakers and poor scheme fits. Knowing that there was a lot of work to do to turn the roster around, the Bengals’ brass was busy almost immediately planning out their moves and working the phones to negotiate trades in the offseason. This hard work resulted in a roster that is drastically different on both sides of the ball and now the Cincinnati fanbase has a little more vigor going into the 2021 season. The hope in Cincinnati is that the new schemes in combination with the upgraded personnel will lead to better results on both sides of the ball as well the win column. It all looks good on paper, but the players need to perform to their abilities and get the job done.
Offseason Moves
Key Offensive Additions
FA/Trades: TE O.J. Howard (87 OVR), LG Kyle Long (83 OVR), HB Tyler Montgomery (81 OVR), WR Donte Moncrief (80 OVR), RT Terron Armstead (78 OVR), WR Jermaine Kearse (77 OVR)
Draft: WR Artez Hodge (74 OVR)
Head Coach Chad Johnson wants his offense to put stress on the defense both through the air and on the ground. This offseason saw the Bengals aggressively pursuing different avenues to bring in players that fit the vision for the new offense. Second year QB Jarrett Stidham showed promise but struggled at times as he lacked dynamic targets outside of John Ross. The Bengals traded down from their #9 spot in the draft to pick #20. They subsequently send that #20 pick to Atlanta for TE O.J. Howard, one of the most dynamic TEs in the league. As one of most athletically gifted TEs in the league, he has the ability to overwhelm linebackers as well as stretch the field vertically. As John Ross will be garnering a lot of attention from opposing defenses, Howard will have plenty of opportunities to contribute.
On the offensive line, a couple vets were added to sure up the starting lineup. Last season the Bengals struggled mightily with both run and pass blocking, particularly at tackle. As there was significant youth returning, there was a need for a veteran presence to hopefully add a bit more consistency to this group. T Terron Armstead was acquired from New Orleans for a 3rd round pick, while Kyle Long was brought in from Tennessee for a 4th and 5th round pick. Both are heading into the twilight of their careers but still have enough left in the tank to be solid additions.
There was also a need for depth at the skill positions and Cincinnati came out very well in this area during the offseason. WR Donte Moncrief was acquired from Jacksonville and will be inserted as the #3 WR. The Bengals run primarily 11 personnel, so Moncrief will be seeing a lot of snaps after struggling to see the field for the Jaguars. Joining Moncrief in the WR depth chart is Jermaine Kearse who played for the Jets last season. In the 2nd round of the 2021 draft the Bengals selected Artez Hodge out of Kentucky. Hodge is a bit raw as he was known more as a deep ball threat in college, however the Bengals front office envisioned Hodge becoming a very well-rounded receiver under the guidance of Chad Johnson who was known as one of the elite route runners during his playing days.
Rounding out the new faces on offense is running back Ty Montgomery who will step in as the 3rd down back. Montgomery still possesses great ability as a receiver out of the backfield and will have a clear role in the offense spelling Joe Mixon. The hope is that he will form a formidable backfield duo with Mixon as the Bengals look to get more production out of this position group this season.
Key Defensive Additions
FA/Trades: ROLB Telvin Smith (89 OVR), LE Everson Griffen (82 OVR), FS Rodney McLeod (81 OVR), ROLB Nigel Bradham (78 OVR), SS Xavier Woods (79 OVR), CB Kevon Seymour (77 OVR)
There is no sugar coating it, the Bengals defense was downright awful last season. Working as a base 3-4 team under the previous regime, the personnel didn’t quite seem to fit the scheme and it showed on the field as Cincinnati struggled to get opposing offenses off the field. This version of the defense will go back to 4-3 and HC Chad Johnson told the press that he wants his defense to be more physical and disciplined. The new scheme will stress great coverage ability from their linebackers and an aggressive front 4. As part of their trade down to the #20 pick, the Bengals acquired LB Telvin Smith. Smith is still one of the elite coverage linebackers in the league and will fill a huge need for the defense. Joining Telvin Smith in the linebacker corps is fellow Seminole Nigel Bradham who was traded to relieve cap in Philadelphia. Also, very adept in coverage, the nickel package now has a strong 2nd level of their defense.
While the Bengals are very happy with their two starting cornerbacks William Jackson and Chidobe Awuzie as well as 3rd year safety Jesse Bates III, there was a significant lack of depth among the defensive backs. This no long appears to be an issue as the Bengals added FS Rodney McLeod and SS Xavier Woods via free agency as well as CB Kevon Seymour in a trade with the Bears. These players add much needed athleticism and physicality to the DB group especially considering their division foes have all made significant acquisitions at WR.
Offense: LG Justin Falcinelli - 73 OVR - 24 years old
Upon taking over the Bengals late in the 2020 season, HC Chad Johnson wanted to change the identity of the offense to aid his QB Jarrett Stidham. Johnson vowed to make the offense more physical and explosive and wants to have a more power based run game. After being acquired in the offseason G Kyle Long have been spending a lot of time with 2nd year G Justin Falcinelli imparting his wisdom from his 8 year career. In camp, Falcinelli has been noticeably improved as a run blocker, proving to be more aggressive and finishing blocks through the whistle. He is primed to have a great 2021 season if he can be consistent with his technique.
+3 RBK
-3 PBK
+3 RBP
-3 RBF
+3 IBK
-3 PBP
Defense: RE Dre'Mont - 77 OVR - 23 years old
Under the previous regime, the Bengals were running a 3-4 defense. HC Chad Johnson wants to run an aggressive 4-3 scheme with DEs with good strength on the strong side. After playing on the interior last season, 2nd year RE Dre'Mont Jones have been working on his pass rush technique in the offseason with some veteran DEs. He is also noticeably leaner which has helped his first step.
Edit weight to 280 LBs
+3 FMV
-3 PMV
+3 PUR
-3 POW
Bengals are lacking a decent option at RT. After acquiring Kyle Long in the offseason, we are able to shift Ivey over to T. Ivey is a star dev OL with 82 PBK and and 78 agility. This move would balance our offensive line out for a power run scheme.
Bengals send:
4th round pick (123)
5th round pick (137)
Titans send:
LG Kyle Long (83 OVR, 32 years old, Quick Dev)
1 year left on contract
Bengals send:
DT Geno Atkins (82 OVR, 33 years old, Quick dev)
full contract+bonus ($18.99M salary, S4.45M bonus)
Colts send:
7th rd pick
Atkins was set to be released into FA for cap relief. Colts were interested in picking him up in another negotiation and were willing to pick up the salary due to having a lot of cap space.
Bengals send:
4th rd pick (126)
WR Travis Benjamin (74 OVR, 29 years old, Normal dev)
Jaguars send:
WR Donte Moncrief (80 OVR, 28 years old, Normal dev)
Bengals send:
3rd Rd Pick (82)
Saints send:
LT Terron Armstead - Quick Dev, 82 OVR, 29 years old
Bengals send:
2021 1st (9th pick)
LB Vic Beasley (full contract + bonus)
Jaguars send
2021 1st rd pick (20)
2021 3rd rd pick (82)
LB Telvin Smith (full contract + bonus)