The Ringer Names Bengals Among Six NFL Offseason Winners

Cincinnati and Miami were the only AFC squads to make the list.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Publish date:
Apr 6, 2023 6:52 AM EDT

In this story:

CINCINNATI — The NFL's free agency moves are largely wrapped up as we move closer to the 2023 NFL Draft. The Ringer's Steven Ruiz took a gauge of the league and has Cincinnati as one of the six teams winning the offseason so far.

Atlanta, Detroit, Carolina, Miami, and Chicago also made the list.

"So why are they on this list? Well, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo didn’t leave for a head-coaching gig, and Higgins is still on the roster," Ruiz wrote. "That’s enough for this to be considered a successful offseason for Cincinnati. But the Bengals did more than just keep their core together. The Brown signing was questionable at first glance, but the four-year, $64.1 million deal is really just a two-year, $42 million commitment. That’s not a bad price for a good offensive tackle.

"Brown has had his problems in pass protection—especially against athletic edge rushers—but he’s more than serviceable, and his run-blocking makes up for other deficiencies. Irv Smith Jr. was a cheap replacement for Hurst and should provide a higher ceiling given his age and athleticism."

Cincinnati's re-tooled the roster and kept decent flexibility all the same.

They currently rank ninth in remaining cap space ($16.9 million), with some of that going to the rookie class. Jonah Williams or Joe Mixon are the next big dominos that could fall.

"The Bengals own all of their draft picks and still have one big card left to play, with left tackle Jonah Williams stuck in roster limbo after the Brown signing," Ruiz wrote. "Don’t be surprised if Cincinnati flips him for draft capital later in the month. With its young stars in line for massive paydays, the draft will be the team’s primary source of talent over the next decade. Getting a head start on setting up that pipeline would cap off a smart offseason for the AFC North champs."

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