Best and Worst Moves the Cincinnati Bengals Have Made in Free Agency

Believe it or not, the 2015 edition of NFL free agency is already two weeks old. This means, of course, that the most significant free agents have already been signed to new contracts and the flurry of early action has dwindled down to a trickle.

For a perennial playoff team like the Cincinnati Bengals, the main focus of the early offseason was on re-signing key contributors from the past few seasons. The Bengals did target a few new faces, but overall, the team's free-agent focus had a familiar feel.

Is it too early to determine if Cincinnati was a winner or a loser in free agency? Absolutely. However, this isn't going to stop us from speculating on which Cincinnati free-agent moves were the best and the worst.

This is exactly what we will do over the next few pages. 

Honorable Mention: Re-Signing OT Eric Winston

AJ Mast/Associated Press

Veteran offensive tackle Eric Winston performed at a respectable level for the Bengals down the stretch last season, which is why his return is at least noteworthy.

Winston originally broke the news, via Twitter.

"

Excited to say I'm headed back to the Bengals! #whodey

— Eric Winston (@ericwinston) March 10, 2015"

Cincinnati signed Winston last December after injuries took their toll on the offensive line. He appeared in four games, with two starts. He is a nine-year veteran with 121 games of starting experience under his belt.

Winston's deal is for one year and $950,000, according to Spotrac.com.

Best: Re-Signing G Clint Boling

Tony Tribble/Associated Press

Cincinnati made perhaps its best move of the offseason when it retain starting guard Clint Boling, though it had to beat out the Minnesota Vikings to do so. The Vikings, of course, are now coached by former Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

"The Vikings are making a push to sign guard Clint Boling in free agency, and he is said to be strongly considering them," Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press wrote before the onset of free agency.

It now appears, however, that the Vikings will have to look elsewhere for guard help, as the Bengals and Boling agreed on a new deal the first night of free agency.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the deal is for five years and worth $26 million. This is really quite a bargain for one of the league's better interior offensive linemen.

Boling was ranked 19th overall among guards in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus. Due to his ability, experience with the team and relatively moderate price tag, this looks like a smart signing.

Worst: Giving LB Rey Maualuga $7.1 Million for 2015

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Not allowing linebacker Rey Maualuga to reach the open market was actually a fairly smart move by the Bengals. The questionable part of the signing is the $7.137 million cap hit he will carry for the upcoming season.

Maualuga ranked 27th overall among inside linebackers last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He excels as a run-stopper and would have easily been one of the more desirable free-agent linebackers had he reached the open market.

Despite missing four games, Maualuga finished the 2014 season with 59 combined tackles, four passes defended and an interception. These are solid numbers, but the fact remains that he missed four games in 2014 and seven games over the past two seasons.

With a roster bonus of $4.687 million due in 2015, Maualuga has the potential to be an expensive injury risk.

Best: Bringing Back DE Michael Johnson

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Defensive end Michael Johnson became a free-agent target for Cincinnati immediately after his release from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Johnson spent his first five years in Cincinnati before signing a five-year, $43.75 million deal with the Buccaneers as a free agent last offseason. Another $7 million of his contract would have become fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2015 league year.

This is a lot of guaranteed money for a guy who amassed just 27 tackles and four sacks in 14 appearances a season ago. This is why cutting or trading Johnson before Day 3 of free agency made sense for Tampa.

Johnson's best season came in 2012, when he racked up 11.5 sacks for the Bengals. If he can replicate this type of production, then his new four-year, $20 million deal is a bargain for Cincinnati.

The icing on the cake here is the fact that losing Johnson in free agency a year ago helped earn the Bengals two compensatory picks in this year's draft, even though the pass-rusher is now back on the team.

Worst: Missing out on DT Nick Fairley

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

The Bengals did an excellent job of re-signing all of their own free agents that they couldn't afford to lose. However, Cincinnati did miss out on a potential addition that could have paid huge dividends.

The Bengals had a meeting early in free agency with former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.

"

Nick Fairley is on his way to visit the #Rams after spending yesterday with the #Bengals. Imagine that St. Louis D-Line…

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2015"

Fairley would have potentially paired with defensive tackle Geno Atkins to anchor quite the fearsome defensive front in Cincinnati.

However, Fairley left his meeting with the Bengals without a contract and later signed with the St. Louis Rams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"

St. Louis Rams have agreed to terms with Nick Fairley, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2015"

Fairley was rated 13th overall among defensive tackles against the run by Pro Football Focus last season. He could have helped a defense that ranked 20th in the NFL (116.3 yards per game allowed) a year ago.

Best: Adding Linebacker A.J. Hawk

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Adding aging linebacker A.J. Hawk may not seem like the flashiest move the Bengals could have made, but it is one of the smarter ones. Hawk should provide excellent injury insurance for linebackers Maualuga and Vontaze Burfict (15 missed games combined in 2014).

Hawk's agent, Mike McCartney, announced that the linebacker had agreed to a two-year deal with Cincinnati on the very first day of free agency.

"

Excited for @OfficialAJHawk agreeing to terms with his hometown team, the @Bengals on a 2 year deal

— Mike McCartney (@MikeMcCartney7) March 10, 2015"

Though the 31-year-old linebacker may no longer be a legitimate NFL starter, he brings both experience and depth to the Bengals linebacker corps. Hawk has nine years worth of pro experience and finished his Packers career as the franchise's all-time tackles leader with 1,118 career stops.