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The Cincinnati Bengals just made one of the biggest offseason splashes in the Marvin Lewis - Mike Brown era.
Rarely have we seen Cincinnati do anything of note under Brown’s ownership, but that changed in a big way this year with the acquisition of left tackle Cordy Glenn. Sure, the Bengals gave up a hefty price by moving down from No. 12 to No. 21 in Round 1, but this was still a deal Cincinnati badly needed to make.
While this is great news for the city of Cincinnati, several Bengals players saw their stock take a big hit because of this. Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from this trade:
WINNERS
Bengals Fans
Finally, we all have something to celebrate in the offseason. This was without a doubt one of the biggest acquisitions the Bengals have ever made in free agency or a trade under Brown’s watch. Almost all of their best players have come as draft picks or even cheap undrafted free agents.
Seeing the Bengals finally go out of their way to land a big-time player like this that they had to give up draft capital for, not to mention the cap hits of over $11 million for the next three years, really shows this team is finally ready to move into the modern age of running an NFL team.
And don’t let Glenn’s subpar 2017 season get you down. Foot and ankle issues led to Glenn playing in just six games and eventually being placed on injured reserve in mid-December. He was easily one of the NFL’s best offensive tackles from 2013-16, and he’ll be a massive upgrade for this struggling offensive line.
Marvin Lewis
Look, Mike Brown may have signed off on this, but there’s really no doubt that Marvin Lewis led the charge. When the Bengals made the shocking decision to bring him back, Lewis stressed that they going to be different and more aggressive in free agency.
This proves that he wasn’t just feeding us BS, for once. This time, Lewis actually followed through and gave the fans what they wanted, so kudos to him for finally sparking a change this team desperately needed.
Bengals’ draft flexibility
It really felt like the Bengals were going to reach for an offensive tackle in this draft. Whether it was Notre Dame’s Mike Mcglinchey, Texas’ Connor Williams or another unknown tackle, it felt like Cincinnati was just going to take the best tackle available at No. 12, even if it was someone projected to be selected in the 21-32 range.
Now, they have their tackle, and they have a pick at No. 21 where they can be more flexible. Guys like Ohio State center Billy Price, UTEP guard Will Hernandez, Iowa center James Daniel, or Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch are now in play and could fill other major positions of need.
And dare we think the Bengals could actually consider Lamar Jackson at No. 21?
LOSERS
Russell Bodine
The Bengals have a major need at center, but their current one is now a free agent. If you recall, there was a report that the Bengals were only planning to spend $15 million in free agency this year.
Well, about $12 million of that just got eaten up with Glenn now in Cincinnati. That could mean the Bengals have just about $3-4 million left to spend on Bodine. While he’s been terrible, you figure a guy who’s played every snap since 2014 is going to get a deal that pays him around $4-5 million annually.
We’ve seen worse players get more, so perhaps the Bengals getting Glenn means Bodine is heading elsewhere, which is even more reason to consider Bengals fans winners from this.
Andre Smith
While it remains to be seen what the Glenn trade means for Bodine, there’s really no question this affects Andre Smith the most. Prior to the Glenn trade, the Bengals were very interested in re-signing Smith, and it would have probably been similar to the one-year, $3.1 million deal he signed last year.
Now, Smith is either heading elsewhere, or he’s going to re-sign with Cincinnati for less money, and possibly even a deal that doesn’t guarantee his roster spot for 2018. It’s more likely that he’s played his last down in Cincinnati unless the two sides want to revisit him experimenting as an offensive guard.
Cedric Ogbuehi
In terms of the Bengals still under contract, Cedric Ogbuehi was hands down the biggest loser from the Glenn trade. We’ve already seen Ogbuehi fail at both right and left tackle. With this move, the Bengals appear ready to move on from Ogbuehi, or at least try him at guard.
Regardless, Ogbuehi won’t have his fifth-year option picked up for 2019, costing him millions of dollars. It’s hard to see him having a career in Cincinnati beyond 2018. He’s just not cut out for offensive tackle in this league.