Prioritizing Cincinnati’s UFA’s
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) catches a pass as San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward (7) defends in the first quarter of the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Francisco 49ers at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Oct 29, 2023.
While the NFL’s elite teams are focused on their playoff runs, the Bengals are focused on how they’re going to prepare for the 2024 season, where they are expected to return to form as one of the most talented teams in the league. Cincinnati won’t be able to retain everyone, but considering they have the sixth most cap space in the NFL heading into the 2024 offseason, they have plenty of money to play with so they can retain their current players.
With the NFL’s free agency period beginning on March 15th, we’ll take a look at five players the Bengals should retain heading into the 2024 season.
DJ Reader
Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo can’t get enough of his massive defensive lineman. If it were up to Lou Anarumo, Reader would be back in stripes in 2024.
“We’d love to have DJ Reader back,” Anarumo said. “He’s such a big influence here.”
At his absolute best, he excels at stopping the run and is an anchor on the defensive line. Unfortunately for Reader, he is coming off of a brutal quad tear that he suffered in Week 15 against the Vikings which, perhaps fortunately for the Bengals, will likely decrease his market value.
The defensive tackle market in 2024 is an aging and expensive market, and the Bengals may not feel willing to dip their toes in that market this offseason. Even with Reader advancing in age, he was still the anchor of the front four, and he said that he hoped to be back with Cincinnati next season.
Q: You hope to be back?
A: “Yeah. I hope so.”#Bengals defensive tackle DJ Reader talks about his future in Cincinnati. pic.twitter.com/Y6pPBylShb— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) January 8, 2024
Tee Higgins
Much like Lou Anarumo wants DJ Reader back, both Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor are heavily intent on ensuring that Tee Higgins stays in Cincinnati.
“I expect Tee to be back,” Burrow said. “That’s the sentiment in the locker room. He’s what being a Bengal is all about.
“It’s hard to imagine life without Tee Higgins,” Zac Taylor said in a press conference. “Those are all conversations we’ll expect to have upstairs. Tee and I talked and I have no information on that. Those are things that evolve. That’s what the next two months are for.”
Taylor went on to say that Tee is “a big part of what we’re doing” and it’s “hard to imagine him not being here”. Higgins is also a potential candidate for the Bengals’ franchise tag.
While Tee experienced a down year in 2023 due to injuries and a productivity decrease, he still had his games where he was his old self. He topped 110 yards against both Buffalo and Pittsburgh, and was the go-to pass catcher during the Bengals’ monumental comeback victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
Tee Higgins just made one of the catches of the season to tie it late between the Bengals and Vikings. pic.twitter.com/FeQJObiy5I
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) December 16, 2023
Chidobe Awuzie
Cincinnati’s secondary was heavily hampered by inexperience in 2023. It resulted in occasionally flashy play that at times was overshadowed by other teams making big plays on the Bengals.
Awuzie was an incredibly reliable corner when he was fully healthy. In 14 games in 2021, he was the Bengals’ best corner, having 12 defended passes to go along with two interceptions. Since then, he’s been bogged down by injuries and has gone without an interception entirely during that span, but he did force one fumble in each of the last two seasons.
His recent play has left a lot to be desired. However, having an experienced, veteran cornerback in a secondary that is young and loaded with potential will help the entire defense grow as a unit.
Drew Sample
Familiarity with the Bengals’ system is always a plus for Zac Taylor. Drew Sample, who was the second player Zac Taylor drafted, hasn’t nearly lived up to expectations placed on him when the Bengals selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft. However, he has not only made the occasional massive catch, but he’s been a particularly solid blocker in Brian Callahan’s system.
Through 9 weeks, Drew Sample is PFF's #1 Pass Blocking Tight End (82.3). Sample has allowed just 1 pressure so far this season. pic.twitter.com/im31QDreoE
— Willie Lutz (@willie_lutz) November 10, 2023
Jonah Williams may very well be on his way out of Cincinnati. With the offensive line still having its fair share of struggles, keeping a solid blocker like Drew Sample would be a wise move as Cincinnati potentially brings in a new right tackle.
Max Scharping
Offensive line depth is always a critical thing, especially with the aforementioned Jonah Williams potentially on his way out the door. Scharping is a relatively inexpensive interior offensive lineman who has filled in nicely at times for Alex Cappa (particularly last year in the divisional round against the Bills), and even has a bit of experience playing center.
Scharping is not the bona fide starter Houston expected him to become when they selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft. However, since the Bengals signed him back in 2022, he has been an adequate depth piece for Cincinnati when he’s been needed
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