Cincinnati Bengals Free Agency: Bengals Following "New England Patriots Way"

2012 NFL free agency is here, and the Cincinnati Bengals are in a position to vastly upgrade their young roster.

Joe Reedy of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Bengals currently have about $34 million to spend as they please. This number is after taking into account the free-agent tenders already offered and Chris Pressley’s new contract, and also leaves room to pay drafted rookies.

$34 million is a large number, and there are some attractive options on the open market that Bengals fans are praying for, such as guard Carl Nicks, defensive end Mario Williams and cornerback Cortland Finnegan.

While Head Coach Marvin Lewis is aware of the elite players available, he and owner Mike Brown appear to be taking a page out of New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick’s book. According to Lewis:

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You win by developing your own players and not overpaying for a guy you’re not sure how he’s going to work out until six, eight, 10 games down the road and maybe not then. That’s what’s been proven.

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The strategy has worked for the Patriots—in the past 10 seasons New England has appeared in four Super Bowls, winning two. The Bengals, on the other hand, haven’t made the Super Bowl since 1989.

As Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com points out, the Patriots made the Super Bowl last season without any massive free-agency pickups. Their biggest move? Signing veteran guard Brian Waters to a two-year deal.

This new strategy Lewis is utilizing makes sense for Cincinnati. The Bengals have had very successful drafts for the past three years, which means they have young, talented players that they have to extend.

They have begun this process already by re-signing fullback Chris Pressley and tendering running back Cedric Peerman, linebacker Vincent Rey and linebacker Dan Skuta.

However, their work is far from done. The Bengals have some important free agents hitting the market that they hope to extend, including defensive linemen Frostee Rucker and Jonathan Fanene and safety Reggie Nelson. Bringing back offensive lineman Anthony Collins and linebacker Manny Lawson are also high on the priority list.

After that, the Bengals have to look to the future. Defensive end Michael Johnson, linebacker Rey Maualuga, running back Bernard Scott and tackle Andre Smith are all free agents after next season.

Defensive tackle Geno Atkins, end Carlos Dunlap and tight end Jermaine Gresham only have two years left on their respective deals.

It’s also a safe bet that quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green are going to be looking for raises in the near future.

So while there are some big names on the free-agent market, it wouldn’t make sense for the Bengals to give a massive contract to a player and risk losing one of their own. That’s what happens when a team has great draft selections.

Speaking of the draft, the Bengals are set to land at least three starters because they have two first-round picks and a mid-second-round pick. These picks can potentially plug the holes at guard, cornerback and running back—and come at a much cheaper cost, allowing the Bengals to retain their own players.

It’s not fun to watch a team do nothing but bring back their own in the offseason, but ask a fan of the Washington Redskins how far big free-agent spending has gotten them in recent years. Overpaying for a free agent isn’t the answer—the safe bet is to plug small holes with quality free agents, as Lewis said:

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I believe we have to continue to draft. Do we need to supplement that with players? Yeah, and we’re going to try to do that. But what does aggressive mean? Aggressive doesn’t mean overpay and get stuck with both a bad contract and an average player. It doesn’t fit what we want to do.

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So Bengals fans, don’t be disappointed when Cincinnati makes no major moves today, or even within the next week. The Bengals are taking a new approach to free agency, and just ask a Patriots fan how successful it has been.

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