Open Thread: Franchise Tags Start Today

by Jason Garrison on Feb 20, 2012 2:00 PM EST

The Bengals may not use their franchise tag, in fact, I would say that they probably won't, but there are a lot of teams who will need to use them. The teams that do use their franchise tags could affect the Bengals' plan in free agency. If guys like Carl Nicks or Ben Grubbs get tagged, the Bengals will have to look elsewhere for a guard -- probably the draft.

There are cornerbacks and running backs that could become available in free agency that the Bengals would probably like to get in stripes, but if they're tagged it's not going to happen.

So, who do you think will definitely get the franchise tag in the next couple days and how do you think it will affect the Bengals' offseason plans?

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who guaranteed to get tagged?

by pray4gm11 on Feb 20, 2012 2:09 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Most likely Matt Forte (Bears), Ray Rice (Ravens), Drew Brees (Saints), and Cliff Avril (Lions)

Assuming these players don’t come to terms on contract extensions with their teams before March 5 (the deadline in which to apply either the Franchise or Transition tag).

by The_Black_Stripes on Feb 20, 2012 2:23 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Absolutely....

With Ricky Williams retiring, I can not see the Ravens not tagging Ray Rice (sorry for the double negative).
With Matt Forte, we saw how much he was missed when he went down. Granted, the loss of Cutler was also huge, but Forte was the driving force behind that offense.
With Drew Brees, we saw what missing Peyton Manning as like for the Colts, and the same would happen to the Saints.

I would also add to that list:
Arian Foster (Texans). I know this is not no-brainer, with Mario Williams, it can be one or the other. However, we saw how the Defense overcame the loss of Williams and hardly seemed to have missed a beat, I am not sure if Tate is at that level should Foster go down.

Dwayne Bowe (Chiefs). The signing of Routt (sp?) I think tips their hand as to where they are going, with Routt, they can of see parting with Carr.

D’Qwell Jackson (Browns). Brent Grimes (Falcons). Cortland Finnegan (Titans). Just a few others…

by pemci on Feb 20, 2012 3:33 PM EST up reply actions

We need to sign a dominant FA OG before we sign any other FA.

1st RD-Kendall Wright-WR
1st RD-Cordy Glenn-OG
2nd RD-Brandon Thompson-DT
3rd RD-LaMicheal James-RB
4th RD-Keenan Robinson-OLB
5th RD-Devon Wylie-WR
6th RD-Julian Miller-DE
7th RD-Bob Hebert-C

FA:
OG
RB
SS
CB

by Bengal4ever on Feb 20, 2012 2:28 PM EST reply actions

Agree

by The_Black_Stripes on Feb 20, 2012 2:34 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

i would have to argue, keeping Nelson should be our top priority

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Feb 20, 2012 3:48 PM EST up reply actions

I think he would be the top priority of our own UFA, no doubt. I want Reggie back with the team.

by The_Black_Stripes on Feb 20, 2012 3:59 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

I wouldn't be surprised if various players scheduled for UFA actually re-sign with their teams starting later this week.

The scouting combine brings together front office personnel with player agents, and this often results in some contract extensions for some players who would otherwise hit the open market on March 13th.

What I do NOT want to see/hear/read about before March 5th (again, the deadline to apply the tags) is Drew Brees re-signing with the Saints or Rice re-signing with Baltimore. The reason being is that if these players are re-signed before March 5th, then the Saints can quickly tag Nicks, thus effectively removing him from the market, and the Ravens can tag Grubbs, and effectively remové him from the market, too. I want the Saints and Ravens to have to tag Brees and Rice, respectively, so that they cannot tag two players I’m sure the Bengals are interested in.

Should be an interesting week. Some re-signings are bound to happen this week at the combine.

by The_Black_Stripes on Feb 20, 2012 2:31 PM EST via mobile reply actions

I can say who I don't think gets tagged

Nicks. They still haven’t gotten Brees a new contract with them having cap issues I see him hitting the market. I hope the steelers tag Wallace so they’ll have to free up more money.

by Bigcatdaddy on Feb 20, 2012 2:33 PM EST via Android app reply actions

I hope the tag Reggie if they can't sign him longer term.

I know I’m in the minority, but they can’t let this guy walk away this offseason. He might not be a top 5 safety, but signing him stabilizes the secondary. If he walks away there are zero playmakers back there.

by Animal_Like_Football on Feb 20, 2012 2:36 PM EST reply actions

*I hope they tag Reggie…

by Animal_Like_Football on Feb 20, 2012 2:40 PM EST up reply actions

I don't think you are in the minority, or if you are (count me as well).

Reggie played well for us this year, and seems to have developed well under Zim. However, as the case with you can’t please everybody, someone will be sure to come along and claim that Nelson sucks and we should let him leave… Oh well, for me, I am glad that we have had him, and hope we will be able to re-sign him or tag him for next year.

by pemci on Feb 20, 2012 3:20 PM EST up reply actions

Lol

by pray4gm11 on Feb 20, 2012 3:41 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

I think the concern with tagging him is that he'd get a bigger salary than he deserves

But IMHO, we’ve been looking for safeties for as long as I can remember, so now that we have a good one, let’s make sure to keep him, even if we have to pay him too much for one year.

by emeybee on Feb 20, 2012 7:48 PM EST up reply actions

+1

Plus good Safety aren’t a dime a dozen. Kids in college just don’t want to play the position as much as CB or LB and the good ones usually never hit FA.

by Bigcatdaddy on Feb 20, 2012 7:57 PM EST via Android app up reply actions

FA Plan

1. Regie Wayne – 2 years deal – he’s old so if we only offer him two years but at really good money it should be a competitive offer where we could land him.
2. Terrel Thomas 1-2 year deal – he’s coming off a torn ACL, which is not uncommon to come back from anymore, however it’s still a major injury and if we offer him a 1-2 year deal of really good money for him prove himself it’s a good possibility we could land him as well.
3. Carl Nicks/Ben Grubss – offer a long-term deal to either one. At this point we have virtually no money tied up on this position group, especially if we do not resign Bobbie, therfore even having to pay them big money should be doable in the grand scheme.

Best part of this plan is Reggie Wayne and Terrel Thomas are only on 1-2 year deals so it gives us the opportunity to draft and develop there replacements and then when there deals are up we can take that money and put it towards resigning and extending AJ and Andy in two years

by biggie22 on Feb 20, 2012 3:24 PM EST reply actions

Then Reality Strikes

Some of the UFA plans sound great, but we often forget about the competition for teams to go after these same guys. NE has been talking about Reggie Wayne as has a few other contenders with cap space (e.g., SF). Wayne will want a longer deal with more up front money. I don’t think he’ll sign a short 2-year deal even though that’s about what he’s got left in the tank. While we’d all like him here, I think Mike Brown is unlikely to drop $7.5 – 8 mil per year over 2-3 years on a 30-something WR. The three recent models for this all gave him incentive not to repeat his mistakes.

I wouldn’t advocate paying big money to another CB recovering from a bad injury because we already have one of those. These guys might not be ready at the beginning of the season which puts us in a lot of deep water for the first several games until they get up to speed. Mike Brown won’t pay big money for injured players. Not going to happen. And again, Thomas isn’t going to take some 2-yr chump change deal to play here just after he got a Super Bowl ring.

As for Nicks, something tells me that team player Drew Brees will find a way to get signed before the Franchise Tag opportunity has to be made. He isn’t a dumb guy — he doesn’t want to get big dollars later but lose his best OL. And everyone knows that Brees isn’t going anywhere else. As for Grubbs, I do think he’ll get to market since Ray Rice will probably have to be tagged. But with Nicks probably not coming out, Grubbs moves to the #1 UFA OG spot and, therefore, will draw overpriced offers. And again, Mike Brown don’t play that, homey!

My UFA guess for the Bengals is that they’ll bring in several guys to interview and have workouts, will not sign any expensive deals until the major movers are all done, and then will jump in there about March 15th – 20th to make a move on guys who couldn’t generate offers in the primary markets and have begun to free fall. That worked well last year with Lawson, Howard and Clements. This year will be different, however, as teams continue to clean up their personnel messes early to prepare for the draft and mini-camps.

by West TX Bengal Fan on Feb 20, 2012 8:23 PM EST up reply actions

ReSign Reggie

I agree on maybe tagging Reggie. He is that important as he represents a potential star at a position the Bengals have never had a solid safety, let alone a pro bowl safety, at least since I’ve been breathing. And this is despite playing 4 games a year against hall of fame safeties. There absolutely has to be some sort of emphasis on the position and risking a departure of the most promising looking safety we’ve had is not a good idea. But I saw the JJoe situation unfold last year, so it’s obviously a possibility. Just imagine our defense if we didn’t have to play in spite of our safties. Nelson still has plenty of room to improve, and anyone else is an improvement over Crocker

by Eric Bieniemy on Feb 20, 2012 3:31 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs

I hope you are the real Eric Bieniemy! I always liked him (or you) as a player

by The_Black_Stripes on Feb 20, 2012 3:35 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

New

First time poster btw.. Love the site. Was absolutley estatic to see that there are other ppl in the world who feel the same way about the Cincinnati Bengals as me. I always thought I was just some sort of headcase for being unable to stop rooting for a team that brought me so much anguish.. But it turns out there are plenty of headcases out there!

by Eric Bieniemy on Feb 20, 2012 3:37 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Welcome to the Jungle

And headcase is spot on :-)

by Bigcatdaddy on Feb 20, 2012 5:00 PM EST via Android app up reply actions

+1

You gotta be a touch insane to be a Bengals fan. lol

by Animal_Like_Football on Feb 20, 2012 5:11 PM EST up reply actions

props on the name

and welcome. who dey!

"the bengals are not a west of the 104 longitude team."

by palewook on Feb 20, 2012 7:12 PM EST up reply actions

He and Steve Tovar were my favorites as a youngin

Not really Bieniemy..

by Eric Bieniemy on Feb 20, 2012 3:38 PM EST via mobile reply actions

hahah - figured you weren't the real Eric (I actually think Bieniemy is thw Vikings running backs coach if i recall correctly)

And who could forget the days of Steve Tovar (or other classic mid-90s Bengals linebackers like Tom Tumulty and Canute Curtis).

Welcome aboard and Who Dey.

by The_Black_Stripes on Feb 20, 2012 3:46 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Thank you kindly

And as long as we are tossing out semi-comedic 90’s Bengals’ names, allow me to drop a ‘Brian Milne’ on ya

by Eric Bieniemy on Feb 20, 2012 3:59 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Hahaha - the former Penn Stater

Who formed one half of our brief all-Nittany Lion backfield in the mid-90s. Milne and Ki-Jana.

How about another mid-90s fullback from a Big Ten school – good ole’ Jeff Cothran.

by The_Black_Stripes on Feb 20, 2012 4:04 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

I like Tovar, I put him alongside James Francis,in the fact he was a talented guy on many a poor team,

Also remember getting a decent turn from Ricardo McDonald in the mid 90’s. Worse than Tumulty or Curtis was a guy like Reinard Wilson…we get him,the other LB from Florida State instead of that other guy…what was his name? oh yeah Boulware…D’OH!

by pilks1075 on Feb 20, 2012 6:31 PM EST up reply actions

My FA Plan

1. You give the Steelers that 21st pick for Wallace, no brainer. You get a playmaker to be opposite A.J Green to make this offense feared throughout the league

2. With the signs of Brees getting the franchise tag, Carl Nicks will not be a saint next year if he isnt franchised, sign Nicks to a long term deal and instantly upgrade that line.

3. Get a CB. I’m not a fan of getting Finnegan because he’s getting up there in age, a guy i’d love to see them get is Brent Grimes from the Falcons, only 4 years in the league, has been a very good shutdown corner for ATL would be an amzing tandem and would let me breath easier when the ball is in the air when we are on defense.

4.Get a RB. I like Micheal Bush alot, i’m not a fan of them taking a RB in the draft, i just think that since the average career of a RB in the NFL is about 5 years i think they can get a solid back in free agency. Also so candidates for RB are: Green-Ellis, or even Hillis

5. This one is just an"if" situation, If you dont do the wallace deal and the texans tag mario williams, how about using the 21st pick to go after Foster, talk about upgrading the RB spot

Draft wise assuming that we only have the 17th pick (because of Wallace deal)
I’m looking at 2 players here DeCastro- guard from Stanford
Kirkpatrick- corner from Alabama
i’d be happy with either, but might be leaning to DeCatro to get a future star at RG.