Larry Warford is a no-brainer and other thoughts about the Bengals
Sometimes in life, the obvious decision is the best decision. Joe Burrow is a prime example.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was the best option for the Bengals in the the NFL Draft.
This coaching staff has continued to defend its' offensive line this offseason. They believe Michael Jordan will take significant steps forward in year two. They think Jonah Williams will be an upgrade at left tackle.
The coaching staff is also high on guard Xavier Su'a Filo, who signed a 3-year, $10 million deal with the Bengals this offseason. Su'a Filo didn't start last season in Dallas. He's been underwhelming since he was selected by the Texans with the 33rd overall pick in 2014.
Sometimes the obvious decision is the best decision. It was the case with Burrow and it's true with the offensive line.
Cincinnati should be in hot pursuit of free agent guard of Larry Warford. It's an obvious move. It's also the best way to ensure the offense doesn't struggle this season because of a below average offensive line.
The 3-time Pro Bowler was cut by the Saints last week, mostly due to their salary cap issues.
Warford will be 29 next month, but he's still playing at a high level. He was the 11th highest rated guard in the NFL last season, finishing with a 73.1 grade according to Pro Football Focus.
The Bengals have around $16.5 million in cap space remaining after they sign their seven draft picks. That gives them enough room to offer Warford a $5-7 million contract and still have the flexibility to agree to extensions with Joe Mixon and A.J. Green.
If the Bengals want to create cap space, they could do so by moving on from guard Alex Redmond, who's set to make $2.1 million this season. Cutting safety Shawn Williams would free up $4 million in cap room.
The Bengals have options and could make it work money wise. Warford is going to have plenty of options too. The Bengals should be in the mix.
The coaching staff can like the current personnel all they want, but everyone should agree that Warford is an upgrade from what they have.
The Bengals have addressed most of their weaknesses over the past few months. Adding a Pro Bowl guard would be the perfect way to cap off a successful offseason.
Signing Warford is a no-brainer.
Other Notes
The Bengals don't plan on signing a veteran quarterback to be Burrow's backup, which makes sense if they're saving cap space for a guy like Warford. If not, what's the harm in adding Joe Flacco, Blake Bortles or Matt Moore?
Former Steelers star James Harrison made headlines this week. No one knows if Mike Tomlin gave him money for his hit on Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi in 2010.
Maybe the envelope Tomlin handed Harrison was full of gift cards.
It's nice to see Harrison make more of an impact in retirement than he did in 2013 with the Bengals. His lone highlight came during training camp, when he beat Jordan Campbell in arm wrestling.
Make sure you subscribe to the Locked on Bengals podcast! Jake Liscow and I team up to bring you the best Bengals coverage in podcast form. Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Podbean or wherever you get your podcasts.
