WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Welcome To The Future 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:06.359 Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Hoard and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.400 --> 0:00:13.040 The Bengals Booth Podcast. The Welcome to the Future addition, 0:00:13.440 --> 0:00:16.440 as I discussed some of the Bengals' biggest offseason questions 0:00:16.480 --> 0:00:21.119 with Sam Monson, lead NFL analyst for Pro Football Focus. 0:00:21.400 --> 0:00:24.279 But first I'll talk to a player who says he 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:27.240 did not play up to his own expectations this season, 0:00:27.680 --> 0:00:31.280 linebacker Jermaine Pratt. And we'll wrap things up with a 0:00:31.400 --> 0:00:36.559 crazy NFL Weather edition of story Time with Dan. The 0:00:36.560 --> 0:00:39.000 Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Core, 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:42.839 proud to be the Bengals official hr software provider, by 0:00:42.920 --> 0:00:46.720 Alta Fiber, future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:50.240 business and community to a new level, and by Kettering 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:53.160 Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health 0:00:53.320 --> 0:00:57.440 is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now here's 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:00.160 a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:03.360 of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or 0:01:03.400 --> 0:01:07.800 computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:13.080 greatest thing since the Bengals Bar and Kitchen at the Airport. 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:16.679 There are seven new dining and beverage options coming to 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:21.520 the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport, including the Bengals Bar 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:24.399 and Kitchen, which is being described as a sports bar 0:01:24.800 --> 0:01:29.160 which pays tribute to the city's NFL franchise. What a 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:32.960 great idea. According to the CBG website, the airport welcome 0:01:33.040 --> 0:01:36.880 more than seven point six million passengers in twenty twenty two, 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:40.200 and now many of them will be reminded that Cincinnati 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:43.039 is one of only thirty cities in the country that 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:46.680 has an NFL team. According to an airport press release, 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:51.080 it's expected to open in the coming months. Now, let's 0:01:51.080 --> 0:01:54.280 get to my first guest. According to Pro Football Focus, 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:57.000 Jermaine Pratt was one of the best linebackers in the 0:01:57.120 --> 0:02:01.480 NFL two years ago. PFF grated your main eighth overall 0:02:01.520 --> 0:02:05.400 among linebackers and number one in pass coverage. That was 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:08.800 the final year of Pratt's rookie contract, and he earned 0:02:08.800 --> 0:02:12.880 a three year extension for twenty point twenty five million dollars. 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:16.520 Here was defensive coordinator lou Anarumo after the Bengals re 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:20.880 signed Jermaine. I mean Jermaine's you know, since his rookie year, 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:23.280 he's always taken a step forward every year. 0:02:24.600 --> 0:02:26.200 You know, if he doesn't come away with a turnover 0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:26.799 each game. 0:02:26.720 --> 0:02:31.600 He's he's you know, upset, so mind, but he's he's 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:32.560 on everything. 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:37.040 He's a strong tackler, always around the ball. You know, 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:40.800 so love him. Jermaine certainly had stellar moments this year. 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:44.840 His red zone interception at San Francisco thwarted a potential 0:02:44.880 --> 0:02:47.400 game tying drive, and he forced to fumble in the 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:50.119 fourth quarter of the Buffalo game that helped seal that win. 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:54.760 But by his own admission, Pratt wasn't as consistent as 0:02:54.800 --> 0:02:58.200 the year before, and his Pro Football Focus grade reflected that, 0:02:58.639 --> 0:03:02.239 dropping to number fifty seven among linebackers. I talked to 0:03:02.320 --> 0:03:04.320 Jermaine about it at the end of the season. 0:03:06.120 --> 0:03:08.760 I can't look back and see what I did and 0:03:09.160 --> 0:03:12.520 like looked up and say I did well. I play okay, 0:03:12.680 --> 0:03:15.040 it's a par you know, I gotta play elite for 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:16.560 us to be great on defense. 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:18.880 You don't sound like you were happy with your own 0:03:19.000 --> 0:03:19.720 play this year. 0:03:20.480 --> 0:03:23.799 Nah, I say sometimes I made good plays, but I didn't. 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:24.360 I didn't. 0:03:24.560 --> 0:03:27.560 I wasn't consistent enough to help us win games. You know, 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:30.119 I I win some. I help us win games late 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:32.480 with like a big turnover and stuff. But I need 0:03:32.560 --> 0:03:35.400 to be consistent within you know, helping younger guys be 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:38.320 more impactful. You know it was this probably was harder, 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:41.120 I say, because I didn't have the guys around me 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:43.040 that make my job more easier. 0:03:43.160 --> 0:03:43.400 You know. 0:03:43.520 --> 0:03:46.040 Then you got young guys they're trying to feel you know, 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:48.280 sometimes you be out there thinking you're still playing with 0:03:48.320 --> 0:03:50.680 better than guys, but you're playing with rookie. So it's 0:03:50.720 --> 0:03:52.440 just getting better each and every year. 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:56.600 It's hard for me to analyze why the run defense 0:03:56.640 --> 0:03:58.480 hasn't been as good. You got most of the same 0:03:58.520 --> 0:04:01.240 guys back. What do you think have been the biggest 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:04.080 issues for why that that portion of the defense just 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:05.000 hasn't been quite as good. 0:04:05.960 --> 0:04:08.200 It's a eleven man. You know, everybody gotta do they 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:11.920 one eleven? You know, it's like we have a supposed 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:14.560 to run every game, one or two a game, and 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:17.520 then they be like did so you know that that's 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:19.840 a hit, But we gotta figure out ways to stop it. 0:04:19.960 --> 0:04:23.080 You might have to get beef up front, or or 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:24.920 I just got to play better. 0:04:25.400 --> 0:04:28.360 Big plays in general, right, Passing and running have been 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:29.840 a major issue this year. 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:32.240 Yes, you know that's that's we I think the lead 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:35.440 the NFL. It's mostly supposed to plays. You know, that's 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:39.240 something I ain't customed to say. You know, that's that's everybody. 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:41.159 You know, everybody gotta do their job better. You know, 0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:43.920 everybody gotta look at itself in the mirror and get better. 0:04:44.839 --> 0:04:47.080 You had a I guess about a five game stretch 0:04:47.160 --> 0:04:50.680 where Joe is fully healthy, beat the forty nine ers, 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:54.320 beat the Bills. Looked like the team that you guys 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:57.880 probably expected to be. Do you feel like that's the 0:04:57.920 --> 0:05:00.760 team you're going to be next year when he healthy again. 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:02.520 I don't know. 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:05.160 You know, every year they'll be a new team, new 0:05:05.240 --> 0:05:08.279 challenges we may face. But I know next year we 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:11.320 gotta start faster. I mean we said that each and 0:05:11.360 --> 0:05:13.960 every week. It's the start faster we get if we 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:16.560 win some games early in the in the season, get 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:19.040 rolling fast. We gotta figure out where to start faster. 0:05:19.040 --> 0:05:20.800 And said, I don't know, maybe like we be having 0:05:20.800 --> 0:05:23.200 a long playoff run and we're trying to itch our 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:25.600 way back into the season, So I think it shall 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:27.680 be this. Obviously it will be huged for a lot 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:30.040 of guys. You know, guys are coming off injury. So 0:05:30.120 --> 0:05:32.839 you know when you got a guy that's off injury, 0:05:32.880 --> 0:05:36.000 he get the focus more on himself and become more dangerous. 0:05:36.200 --> 0:05:38.600 As we've seen Joe did become more dangerous and led 0:05:38.680 --> 0:05:41.359 us to the super Bowl. You know, guys get back, 0:05:41.720 --> 0:05:44.800 get back right, and then guys look at itself as individuals. 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:46.800 How can you get better? How can you pat the team? 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:50.000 How can you grow from this year the less next 0:05:50.040 --> 0:05:50.800 year to be better. 0:05:51.320 --> 0:05:53.520 So as one of the veteran leaders on this team, 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:55.240 that's going to be your massage. It could be in 0:05:55.360 --> 0:05:57.200 the next year. We've got to start fast. 0:05:56.920 --> 0:05:59.279 Because yeah, that's what be everybody mind say. You know, 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:02.720 we can't keep on dropping early games. You know that's costness, 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:05.799 I say, because we're trying to fight and call letter 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:08.240 in season. You know later in the season. Last year 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:11.200 was winning games, so it was unefeated roll into the playoffs. 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:13.120 This game, we were trying to play kitsch up. You know, 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:16.120 everybody are playing MEFL games and end of the year. 0:06:16.200 --> 0:06:18.240 But we gotta jump out. I feel like we gotta 0:06:18.240 --> 0:06:18.760 start faster. 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:22.880 Jermaine is twenty seven years old and has been mister 0:06:22.960 --> 0:06:26.719 reliable in Cincinnati, only missing one game due to injury 0:06:27.160 --> 0:06:30.760 in five NFL seasons. He helped force the fumble in 0:06:30.800 --> 0:06:34.320 the jungle in the twenty twenty two playoffs and picked 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:37.039 off Derek Carr the two yard line with twelve seconds 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:39.960 to go in the twenty twenty one wild Card round 0:06:40.240 --> 0:06:44.200 to clinch Cincinnati's first playoff win in thirty one years. 0:06:44.880 --> 0:06:48.320 Nine yards of real estate will determine this playoff game 0:06:48.880 --> 0:06:53.039 fourth down end goal from the nine seventeen seconds to 0:06:53.120 --> 0:06:57.120 go to play clock at three shotgun snap car throws 0:06:57.120 --> 0:07:01.120 in the traffics prep. 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:07.000 A the football coffin now fam bam bam. How about 0:07:07.040 --> 0:07:15.120 that it ends on a turnover? Unbelievable? Huh? The Cardiac 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:18.040 kids take it to the last snap. 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:23.440 Want to play by Jermaine Proud extending the arms to 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:28.120 intercept that throw by Derek Carr and win the game 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:31.960 for Cincinnati and twelve seconds left, the Bengals have to 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:34.960 snap it one time and the drought is over. 0:07:35.240 --> 0:07:38.760 He's earned the nickname Playoff p and I think he's 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:41.800 a strong bet to bounce back with a better season 0:07:42.080 --> 0:07:45.400 in twenty twenty four. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:47.440 to you by pay Corps. Proud to be the Bengals 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:52.400 Official HR software provider by Alta Fiber future proof Fiber 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:55.320 Internet design to elevate your home, business and community to 0:07:55.360 --> 0:07:58.720 a new level, and by Cattering Health the best care 0:07:59.160 --> 0:08:03.000 for the best fan. Kettering Health is the official healthcare 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:07.040 provider of the Bengals. Now time for an in depth 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:10.160 look at some of the key issues facing the Bengals 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:14.960 this offseason. My guest is Sam Monson, lead analyst for 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:19.920 Pro Football Focus. Sam, one of your PFF colleagues, wrote 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:22.920 this week that the Bengals will undoubtedly be back in 0:08:23.080 --> 0:08:26.800 contention with a healthy Joe Burrow. Do you agree? 0:08:27.400 --> 0:08:29.480 Yeah, I think that's true. I mean, Joe Burrow I 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:31.680 think has already shown himself to be one of those 0:08:31.800 --> 0:08:35.640 quarterbacks that's good enough that, assuming he's healthy, he's going 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:38.040 to put you in contention every single year. You know, 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:42.320 Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, those teams are always 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:44.560 going to be in contention as long as they have 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:48.120 quarterbacks that good. Another teams will come and go. But 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:50.360 I think that's an incredible starting point. So yeah, I 0:08:50.360 --> 0:08:53.760 think a lot of the season's problems were sourced with 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:57.720 Joe Burrow's injuries. Even though Jake Browning played very well 0:08:57.720 --> 0:08:59.120 in Instead, let me. 0:08:59.160 --> 0:09:01.960 Follow up on Jake Browning because I suppose that's one 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:04.360 of the positives from this season. The Bengals learned that 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:07.559 they have a competent backup quarterback in Jake and they 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:11.200 control his rights for two more years. How good was 0:09:11.240 --> 0:09:14.680 he in your opinion and should the Bengals consider trying 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:18.080 to get something in exchange or do you need to 0:09:18.120 --> 0:09:20.360 have a guy like that, especially when Joe's had some 0:09:20.400 --> 0:09:21.439 injury problems. 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:24.800 I think he was really good. Outside of playing Pittsburgh, 0:09:25.480 --> 0:09:28.040 Jake Browny was fantastic this year. It was weird, like 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:31.200 his two worst games by a distance, came against the Steelers, 0:09:31.200 --> 0:09:33.480 and pretty much every other game I think he played 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:37.440 really well. Some of his performances felt a little bit 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.200 sort of unsustainable. I don't want to say lucky, but 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:42.880 they were more you know, let's put the ball up 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:44.839 and see if a receiver makes a play, and they 0:09:44.840 --> 0:09:47.560 did quite a lot of the time, because you know, 0:09:47.600 --> 0:09:50.480 the Bengals have really good wide receivers. But that's always 0:09:50.840 --> 0:09:53.920 a little bit of a precarious style of play to 0:09:53.960 --> 0:09:57.280 replicate week after week after week. Sometimes those balls are 0:09:57.320 --> 0:09:58.840 not going to go your way, and you're not going 0:09:58.880 --> 0:10:01.520 to get the payoff from them. But overall, I mean, 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:03.280 he showed he could run the offense, he showed he 0:10:03.280 --> 0:10:05.560 could make good decisions, he showed he could be accurate 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:07.959 with the ball, and maybe wrote his look a little 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:10.640 bit at times during the season. But I agree he 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:13.880 showed that he is immediately one of the better backups 0:10:13.920 --> 0:10:16.440 in the NFL. I think this year, of all the years, 0:10:16.480 --> 0:10:18.760 showed not just from the Bengals point of view, but 0:10:18.880 --> 0:10:22.560 league wide, the value in having a good backup quarterback. 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:24.480 You know, so many teams had to turn to their 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:27.000 backups this year, and if you need a guy to 0:10:27.040 --> 0:10:29.280 win you you know, three or four games in the season, 0:10:29.720 --> 0:10:31.880 Jake Brown just showed that he's capable of doing that. 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:34.360 So I would be inclined to say the value of 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:36.679 that exceeds the value of anything you could get for 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:39.240 him in a trade, So keep him around. 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:42.200 So Pro Football Focus has come out with a ranking 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:45.360 of the top one hundred free agents, and t Higgins 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:49.080 is high on the list at number four. Most of us, 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.680 or many of us, myself included, think that the Bengals 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:55.439 are likely to franchise tag him for roughly twenty one 0:10:55.480 --> 0:10:57.800 million bucks to keep the band together, so to speak, 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:00.400 for at least another year. Is that what they should do. 0:11:01.160 --> 0:11:04.160 I think the decision should be between that and getting 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:06.400 a long term deal with him sorted out, you know, 0:11:06.480 --> 0:11:08.480 trying to keep him around long term as part of 0:11:08.480 --> 0:11:11.560 the whole thing. But it's felt like for a while 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:14.240 they were going to go the sort of Jesse Bates 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:18.120 rut with T Higgins and play him throughout that rookie deal, franchise, 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:21.840 tag him and for you know, a step up in costs, 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:24.080 and then move on when it's time to really commit 0:11:24.120 --> 0:11:26.400 big money to him and instead go in a different direction. 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:30.640 I don't think it's necessarily a bad decision, a bad approach. 0:11:30.679 --> 0:11:32.360 You know, you get one more year of T Higgins 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:36.080 and then theoretically you've had a chance to come up 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:39.520 with the backup solution, and Cincinnati is good generally, I 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:42.840 think at four planning these things and having already made 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:46.120 back up there to step into the bigger role. But 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:48.320 it's always a risk. You know that the Bengals had 0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:50.640 Tax Hill this year to step into the role left 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:53.120 by Jesse Bates, and it didn't quite go that way. 0:11:53.160 --> 0:11:54.760 It didn't quite work the way he wanted it to. 0:11:55.400 --> 0:11:57.319 You might have the best laid plan, but it doesn't 0:11:57.360 --> 0:11:58.760 mean that guy is going to be able to step 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:01.960 into that role. You know, this year, I imagine maybe they'll 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:05.800 draft somebody as well. But you know, the Andre Yoshivas 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:08.559 looks like a receiver that could potentially become, you know, 0:12:08.640 --> 0:12:10.920 step into that number two role in a year's time, 0:12:11.320 --> 0:12:14.440 But it's projection at this point. That might be the plan, 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:16.880 that might be what you want to happen, but you're 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:18.439 really not going to know whether it's going to work 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:21.600 or not until at the end, you know, twenty twenty five, 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:25.040 when you actually make that switch and then hope fingers 0:12:25.040 --> 0:12:27.600 crossed that it's going to have the results you expected 0:12:27.600 --> 0:12:31.120 it to. So I definitely think it's a sensible plan. 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:33.560 It's one that makes sense, but it is a risk 0:12:33.679 --> 0:12:37.360 anytime you're going to an unknown quantity versus someone that 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:38.760 you know is good in this offense. 0:12:39.520 --> 0:12:43.200 Sam Monson is our guest lead analyst for Pro Football Focus. 0:12:43.240 --> 0:12:47.120 For other Bengals free agents made that PFF Top one hundred, 0:12:47.320 --> 0:12:51.480 DJ Reader nineteenth, Chinna Beao Wuji twenty sixth, Joana Williams 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:55.760 fifty fourth, and Tyler Boyd seventy fourth. Who should they keep. 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:59.520 I think they should try and keep DJ Reader. He 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:01.760 would be the the first name on that list that 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:03.920 I would try and bring back. He's so important to 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:06.680 what they do. He's the most difficult skill set I 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:09.840 think to replace as well, Like you can't find DJ 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:13.160 Readers just out there on the open market. He's incredibly 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:15.400 good against the run. He brings enough as a pass 0:13:15.480 --> 0:13:18.360 rusher he can impact that side of the game as well, 0:13:18.640 --> 0:13:20.080 and they really miss him when he's not in that 0:13:20.160 --> 0:13:22.719 defensive lineup. So I think he's the first guy I 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:26.480 would try and bring back. Ouzie I think is a 0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:28.320 player that they would like to have back, but it 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:30.079 kind of depends on the costs, and I think that's 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:35.040 one that maybe you can replace easier. I think Jonah 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:37.960 Williams the move to right tackle didn't really work out 0:13:38.000 --> 0:13:40.760 for him. He didn't bounce back to the level that 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:43.280 he'd been at before last year, which was the worst 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:45.280 year of his career. Was more in line with that 0:13:45.400 --> 0:13:47.280 just on the other side of the line. So I 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:49.160 think they'll be looking to move on from him anyway, 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:52.199 regardless of the costs, regardless of whether they need to 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:54.800 give him a big extra deal and then Tyler Boyd 0:13:55.600 --> 0:13:57.280 kind of depends on the cost. You know, I think 0:13:57.280 --> 0:13:59.160 they would like to have him back, but it also 0:13:59.200 --> 0:14:01.840 feels like a player that would be the easiest to 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:04.560 try and replace and have somebody step into that role 0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:06.679 and do what Tyler er Boyd did fur them, or 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:09.280 at least an approximation of it. Again, they might already 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:11.320 have that guy on the roster. You know, maybe it's 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:14.120 not Yosebast this time. Maybe it's Charlie Jones that can 0:14:14.400 --> 0:14:17.560 become their primary slot receiver and take those targets. So 0:14:18.080 --> 0:14:20.920 you know, if Tyler Boyd, if the market isn't strong, 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:22.840 or if he's willing to come back on a cheap deal, 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:25.920 maybe they'd be interested. But otherwise I think they would 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:27.280 be looking to move in a different direction. 0:14:28.360 --> 0:14:31.880 Sam, is there a pending free agent on another NFL 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:35.200 roster that you think makes sense for Cincinnati. 0:14:35.760 --> 0:14:38.560 It's a weird year for a free agency this year. 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:40.960 It's not the strongest class in the world. There's some 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:44.160 guys that at the top end I think that make 0:14:44.240 --> 0:14:47.040 a lot of sense, but you're gonna have to bring 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:48.840 big money to the table. I mean, if a guy 0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:50.840 like DJ Reader does make it out of the door, 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:53.680 and you're looking to try and replace that. Christian Wilkins 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:56.960 from the Miami Dolphins is potentially available if he hits 0:14:56.960 --> 0:14:59.400 the open market. That is one of the few guys 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:02.760 I think that kind of replicate what DJ Reader brings 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:04.920 to the table. Really good against the run, enough about 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:07.200 him as a pastrusher to be a factor there as well. 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:10.160 You know, Justinmoutabuike. I imagine it's going to make a 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:12.160 ton of money given the season he just had for 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:14.320 the Ravens, but if they were able to steal him 0:15:14.320 --> 0:15:17.320 away from a division rival, that would be absolutely spectacular. 0:15:17.760 --> 0:15:20.000 And then I think there will be a few cornerbacks 0:15:20.120 --> 0:15:23.480 available in free agency as well. Whether it's lugurious need, 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:25.640 I imagine the Chiefs will lock him up and not 0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:29.520 let him hit the market. The Bears Jalen Johnson, similar 0:15:29.600 --> 0:15:31.880 kind of thing. I imagine they'll franchise tag him. I 0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:34.600 can't see him hitting the market either, but there will 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:38.160 be I think some intriguing players available that they could 0:15:38.200 --> 0:15:38.720 dip into. 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:42.800 If Jonah Williams leaves as a free agent, there's going 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:46.040 to be an obvious needed right tackle. How's that pool 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:48.640 in free agency? And or the draft. 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:52.680 It's not good in free agency, not taking that it's 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:54.960 a better year in the draft, and absolutely I think 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:58.280 that would be a live situation for them. One name 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.000 I think that is interesting though, in a free agent 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:03.160 he is Michael Owenu from the New England Patriots. He's 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:06.120 had a weird career where they've bounced him around the 0:16:06.160 --> 0:16:08.440 line an awful lot, whether it's left guard or whether 0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:10.840 it's the either guard position or right tackle. I think 0:16:10.880 --> 0:16:14.160 his best position has been right tackle. And basically anytime 0:16:14.200 --> 0:16:17.880 he's played, he's he's played extremely well, really good PFF grades, 0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:21.240 really good performance. They've never seemed to quite buy into 0:16:21.320 --> 0:16:23.560 him one hundred percent. And he's now scheduled to hit 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:25.800 free agency, so you know, it's not like they've been 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:28.960 proactive and bringing him back and keeping him as part 0:16:29.040 --> 0:16:32.280 of the future there. And I wonder what his sort 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:36.760 of league wide standing is, whether he's underrated by everybody 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:38.560 and he's a guy that could be had for relatively 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:41.280 low money, or if for some reason the Patriots just 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.000 didn't value him as much as maybe the play suggests 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:46.160 they should have. And actually he'll have a strong market 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:49.440 in free agency given the relative lack of players at 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:52.840 that position. But if Michael Owenu, you know, was available 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:54.400 for not a huge amount of money, I think that 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:56.080 would be a huge upgrade at that spot. 0:16:56.800 --> 0:16:59.280 We're chatting with Sam Monson from Pro Football Focus. You 0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:03.400 can follow him up on Twitter at PFF Underscore. Sam. 0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:06.400 Let's talk Bengals running backs. When you look at Joe 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:09.000 Mixon's numbers for the year, he had more than fourteen 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:13.040 hundred dollar purpose yards, he scored twelve touchdowns. Chase Brown 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:16.679 added explosive this once he started to play for the 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:19.320 latter end of the season. Are they good with that 0:17:19.440 --> 0:17:21.879 duo going forward or do they need to add something 0:17:21.920 --> 0:17:22.640 at that position. 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:26.479 I mean, I think it's a good duo going forward, 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:29.640 and I think they're a pair that compliment each other. Well, 0:17:30.280 --> 0:17:32.480 it's not like Joe Mixon is reaching the age where 0:17:32.480 --> 0:17:34.880 you're particularly concerned about running backs as well. He's still 0:17:34.880 --> 0:17:37.280 only twenty seven years old. Okay, there's quite a lot 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:40.520 of mileage on the clock for him. I think it's 0:17:40.560 --> 0:17:43.080 a position where you know, you should always have an 0:17:43.119 --> 0:17:45.119 eye on the draft, right and just bring in a 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:47.119 young player and see if that guy is going to 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:50.479 bring you something that may be unexpected or maybe simply 0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:53.280 just with the benefit of being a young player. When 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:55.679 generally speaking, I think running backs at this point the 0:17:55.720 --> 0:17:58.400 first contract is the best play you're going to get 0:17:58.440 --> 0:17:58.960 from them. 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:00.600 So I think I think they're. 0:18:00.440 --> 0:18:03.000 Fine if that's the two they end up rolling with 0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:06.280 primarily next season. But I would absolutely draft somebody and 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:09.159 see what you can find or on Earth and maybe 0:18:09.200 --> 0:18:12.040 you're in a position where you can move on from 0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:15.080 Joe Mixon and get cheaper and not suffer any kind 0:18:15.080 --> 0:18:17.399 of drop off at at that spot. 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:20.560 Sam, I think we'd all agree that the Bengals defense 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:24.720 was disappointing this year. The question is why. Was it 0:18:25.000 --> 0:18:28.040 largely the result of having youth in the secondary? Did 0:18:28.119 --> 0:18:31.560 veterans at other positions underperform? What do you think were 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:34.520 the biggest contributing factors to that disappointing performance. 0:18:35.440 --> 0:18:37.200 Yeah, I think it was a bit of everything. 0:18:37.960 --> 0:18:39.000 You know, we said before. 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:43.080 They had this contingency plan of moving on from Jesse Bates, 0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:46.800 going to a design success or an error a parent. 0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:50.240 I don't know that they planned on losing both safeties 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:51.760 at the same time. I think that was a bit 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:53.679 of a surprise to them and that sort of upset 0:18:53.720 --> 0:18:55.679 the Apple card A bit. Now we don't just have 0:18:55.720 --> 0:18:57.600 to rely on one new guy back there. We've got 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:00.919 to do it with two injuries. So obviously played in 0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:02.840 as well, and suddenly you just got the secondary that 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:04.960 is not used to playing with each other, that isn't 0:19:04.960 --> 0:19:07.520 on the same page consistently, and. 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:10.200 Really the front four as well. 0:19:10.280 --> 0:19:12.960 I mean, Trey Hendrickson had a great year, an incredible 0:19:12.960 --> 0:19:15.600 pass rusher, had a ton of pressure, a ton of sacks, 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:21.240 but they didn't have that consistent, complimentary piece to him. 0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:23.560 Particularly on the other side. They weren't able to get, 0:19:23.800 --> 0:19:27.280 you know, a ton of pressure outside of Hendrickson. I 0:19:27.280 --> 0:19:30.399 think that impacted everybody behind him. Anytime you can get 0:19:30.440 --> 0:19:33.520 a ton of pressure, it's going to negate some of 0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:35.880 the deficiencies on the back end, and the Bengals weren't 0:19:35.920 --> 0:19:36.880 really able to do that. 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:42.840 PFF's highest graded defensive player on the Bengals roster was 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:46.360 a rookie safety, Jordan Battle, who once he started playing, 0:19:46.800 --> 0:19:50.560