Tee got tagged. Who’s next?
Tee got tagged. Now that Tee Higgins was franchise tagged, who else will the Bengals prioritize?
With the new 2024 salary cap set for $255.4 million (up $30 million), Tee’s $21 million franchise tag and rollover from last year, the Bengals now have about $52.5 million in free cap space. That means they probably have at least 3 or maybe 4 higher dollar (7-10 million dollar) roster spaces still available.
The Bengals have a lot of needs this year. For instance, TE, DT, RT, Nose Tackle….the list goes on.
Being at 18 in the draft this year they’ll be able to address some of those needs. But only so many. Therefore, a lot will need to be addressed in free agency.
There are a few different scenarios being talked about right now.
Some speculation is that they will try going after one of the higher end TE’s. For instance, Noah Fant. I’m not really a fan of that. I think they really have other needs that have to be addressed first. Even with all of their TE’s set for free agency. I think they’ll go for a few of the lower priced TE’s. Maybe Hunter Henry or Jonnu Smith.
After that, the other talk is of them going after a high value target like Justin Madubuike. Which could now be a little more of a thing with the increased salary cap. Or maybe for instance, going after Michael Onwenu, Christian Wilkins, or even, although highly unlikely, Chris Jones. Wouldn’t that be fun! Considering their history of not always spending big money it might not happen. But with the increased cap, you can always hope.
More than likely they’ll prioritize getting a few mid-range targets and hope they overachieve.
The most likely scenario is that they’ll go for Jermaine Eluemunor. He’s been a huge supporter of Joe Burrow on social media. And would fill in nicely if Jonah Williams walks. Or maybe try for Mekhi Becton.
Next, they need to get DJ Reader back. Then they need to prioritize restructuring Sam Hubbard’s contract so they can keep BJ Hill. They can’t really replace him for $7 million.
After all that, maybe after the draft, they can go after a veteran Corner and Safety. In addition to addressing RB if Joe Mixon walks. There’s a lot of them out there this year.
Above all, we know they need to build around Burrow & Chase. So many possibilities to consider.
Only a few more weeks until we know. Then we’ll be eyeing the draft & all the new talent open to us. Can’t wait to see how it plays out!!
Keep following me and all the other women @OnTheFieldFF (onthefield.com) for the latest updates.
