Free Agency 2023 Thread.

[MeatHeadbengal]

Appears to be accurate....

Report: Bengals Signing Cornerback Sidney Jones to 1-Year Deal
Cincinnati is adding a veteran defensive back.
JAMES RAPIENMAR 27, 2023

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are signing veteran cornerback Sidney Jones to a one-year contract according to Jordan Schultz.

Jones, 26, gives Cincinnati a proven commodity in the secondary to go with Mike Hilton and Cam Taylor-Britt.

Top cornerback Chidobe Awuzie is still recovering from a torn ACL. Jones gives the Bengals another option, just in case Awuzie isn't ready for the start of the season.

Jones had 66 tackles and 10 passes defensed for the Seahawks in 2021. He only appeared in 10 games last season, splitting time in Seattle and Las Vegas.

The Eagles took Jones in the second-round (43rd overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft. He has 154 career tackles, 30 passes defensed and four interceptions in 57 career games.

Frees up a lot at the top of the draft

I would still bring Apple back on a 1 year deal for depth.

[orange_black]

https://twitter.com/PSchrags/status/164 ... t-aIA&s=19Looks we got a TE. Irv smith signs one year deal.

[skycruiser]

Wow awesome to see. A lot of good stuff out there on his upside if he can stay healthy. 2 sneaky good signings today!

[Bengals1]

https://twitter.com/PSchrags/status/164 ... t-aIA&s=19Looks we got a TE. Irv smith signs one year deal.

A 2nd round pick in 2019, Smith Jr. had an injury riddled tenure in Minnesota.

In 4 seasons, and 37 games, Smith caught 91 passes for 858 yards and 9 TDs

He only played 8 games since 2020 due to a Torn Meniscus (21) and Ankle Sprain (22)

[Jmble]

I like Irv Smith. He was my prediction on here a few days ago.

Like Sky said, he's going to need to stay healthy. He didn't play at all in 2021 and only played in 8 games in 2022. He's going to be playing on a prove yourself contract. He's only 24 and if he stays healthy and plays well he should be able to make himself some money next year.

I feel like his upside is about on the level of what Hayden Hurst gave us last year. Certainly not a superstar, but a guy who can give us what we need when he's surrounded by talent all around him.

I don't see this stopping us from drafting a Tight End, but it might keep us from drafting one in the first round.

[MeatHeadbengal]

https://twitter.com/PSchrags/status/164 ... t-aIA&s=19Looks we got a TE. Irv smith signs one year deal.

This is a good signing as long as the following things happen, he improves his hands and he stays healthy.

He's very athletic a good route runner and has good speed, but he's injury prone and drops balls.

[Bengals1]

Jonah Williams’ trade market not developing; Zac Taylor hopes he will ‘come in and compete at right tackle

It isn’t looking like Jonah Williams will be fetching a king’s ransom, and the team is still holding out hope he will change his mind.

The Cincinnati Bengals made a stellar move when they were able to land Orlando Brown Jr. to play left tackle this offseason. The move was meant to improve two positions of issue, as Jonah Williams could theoretically move to the right side of the offensive line.

That was until Williams requested a trade to avoid such a move and stay at left tackle.

We got a bit of an update as to how that is going with some insiders getting some information from the owners’ meeting. Armando Salguero from Out Kick had this to report:

But a funny thing has happened to Williams en route to being traded: No one has so far been interested in giving up a high draft pick for the 25-year-old player.

“He’s not a big man with long arms and he plays like it,” one NFL general manager told OutKick. “He might not even be a tackle.”

So who trades for a player perhaps best suited to play an interior position when he’s insisting on playing left tackle? So far, nobody

That isn’t exactly promising for the Bengals or Williams. It sounds like Williams may have a tough time getting to continue his career at left tackle no matter what. Cincinnati is also less inclined to grant his request without a serious return involved.

This leads to a few difficult scenarios that will require one side to concede, though Zac Taylor is hoping Williams will return and compete to be the right tackle.

“I like everything about Jonah. I’m excited to see him come in and compete at right tackle,” Taylor told Geoff Hobson from Bengals.com. “He’s always been everything we wanted him to be about. We’ve never had issues with him. Hopefully, we can work through this, and he can come in and compete at right tackle for us. That’s what we’re counting on him to do … He’s never been an issue, and I don’t anticipate that being an issue.”

That seems like the most likely thing to happen at this point, though it looks like we shouldn’t plan on seeing any action anytime soon in this standoff.

[Bengals1]

Kelsey Conway @KelseyLConway
New on the Jonah Williams trade request:
The #Bengals didn’t communicate with Jonah before they were planning to sign Orlando Brown. He was blindsided. The team didn’t tell him ahead of time they were thinking of moving him to RT, a source close to the situation tells me.
__________________

I understand the team has no obligation to explain anything to Williams but at least this explains why he's so butthurt...

[Jmble]

Kelsey Conway @KelseyLConway
New on the Jonah Williams trade request:
The #Bengals didn’t communicate with Jonah before they were planning to sign Orlando Brown. He was blindsided. The team didn’t tell him ahead of time they were thinking of moving him to RT, a source close to the situation tells me.
__________________

I understand the team has no obligation to explain anything to Williams but at least this explains why he's so butthurt...

Well I'm sure the team was butthurt about all the times Burrow was "blindsided" last year.

[MeatHeadbengal]

Kelsey Conway @KelseyLConway
New on the Jonah Williams trade request:
The #Bengals didn’t communicate with Jonah before they were planning to sign Orlando Brown. He was blindsided. The team didn’t tell him ahead of time they were thinking of moving him to RT, a source close to the situation tells me.
__________________

I understand the team has no obligation to explain anything to Williams but at least this explains why he's so butthurt...

I do not think the team should have spoke with Williams before hand, the problem with doing so he could have just refused. As someone in upper management in a business myself I do not tell people what's happening until it happens for this exact reason.