Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Bengals pick up Dax Hill's 5th-year option | How CB and other roster battle stories are taking shape after the draft

Episode Date: April 29, 2025

The Cincinnati Bengals are picking up Dax Hill's fifth-year option for the 2026 season. The guys breakdown what this means for Hill, the Bengals and the cornerback room! Plus, we break down Cincinnati's post-draft depth chart and take an in-depth look at the offensive line, defensive line and secondary roster battles that look like they'll definite the offseason.Join the Locked On Bengals Insider Community! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonbengalsFind and follow Locked On Bengals on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-bengals-daily-podcast-on-the-cincinnati-bengals/id1159723162Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7AObc0lh0WmQl5fJVgtajsGoogle Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vbG9ja2Vkb25iZW5nYWxz?sa=X&ved=0CAYQrrcFahcKEwio_sXtj8nuAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAgStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-bengalsSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Amazon Fire TV Stick 4kDid you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The draft is over, but the Bengals have made a surprising decision. They're picking up Dax Hills fifth year option. Let's get into it. You are locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What up Bengals fans and welcome to another episode of the Locked on Bengals podcast. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm Jake Liskgo.

He's James repeated. and we've been covering the Cincinnati Bengals here on Lockdown Bengals since 2016, and you can find James Work as well over at bengels talk.com for some written content about your Cincinnati Bengals. Of course, the everydayers know that. Welcome back to all the everydayers out there. And if you're not in every day or yet, you can hit that subscribe button on YouTube or anywhere you get your podcast. It makes it very easy to not miss an episode of Lockdown Bengals and want to shout out all of those of you out there who make us your first listen as well. Well, today we're going to dive into what it means that the Cincinnati Bengals picked up Dax Hill's fifth year option, a bit of a surprise coming off that ACL injury for Dax Hill.

There was certainly a good argument that they could have waited to see how his 2025 played out and then trying to make a decision on his future later. We'll start there and then take a step back and look at the depth chart overall after the draft and see what stories will be watching as the offseason and then preseason arrive. as the calendar ticks on. But James, we start with Dax Hill, the Bengals, picking up that fifth year option, which guarantees Dax $12.7-ish million for 2025 and a spot on the Bengals, sorry, 2026, and guarantees him a spot on the roster next year.

It's one of those decisions, like there's been a lot of things that have ran through my head. I was talking about this with some of our colleagues that covered the team during the draft. And I'm as big of a Dack. Hill fans the wrong word, but I'm as bullish on Dax Hill as anyone, right? Like, I just think he can play. I think he can do a bunch for you. And clearly, the Bengals front office feels that way too. And yet, and maybe it's coming down where they end up signing him long term. But I was just like,

man, if you're going to commit to $13 million, there are a few more million in and get him locked up for a few years. And maybe that's the next thing. That's the next thing that's coming down the pike and they want to see how he recovers and all of those things. But when it comes to Dax Hill, clearly this front office from the get-go, when they had him and they had a really, really high grade, nearly top 10 grade on him on their draft board in 2022, they drafted him 31st overall. They felt great about his versatility and athleticism and how he could impact the game right away. So much so that I think mid-season, people went up to Lou. Powers that be and were like, hey, Lou Aniromo, can you get Dax on the field?

And we know what happened. He didn't really get on the field much as a rookie. And then year two, he's asked to replace Jesse Bates. And Nick Scott certainly didn't work out. Daxil has 105 plus tackles and all of those things. But had mistackles, had some issues on the back end. And I think that's when people soured on Daxel from a fan standpoint. A lot of people did.

This says that the front office never did, that they never wavered, that they've always believed in him even at that time, because they saw him play five games at corner last year, Jake. It wasn't 15 games. It wasn't a huge sample size. It was five games that included a preseason where up until that first preseason game, when he was just awesome and had multiple pass breakups, he was a backup at corner.

He was behind DJ Turner. And that quickly flipped. And he won the starting job. And I think he was their best corner through five games last year. So I get it. I understand it. But I think that's the overall takeaway. is the front office has not blinked, has not wavered in their assessment of Daxil,

and they still believe that he's going to be a really high-end player in not just for 2025, but a building block, I would say a building block of their defense. We talk about who's part of the future of this defense. I think Daxil certainly is based on this move. I think even beyond the front office, there's a takeaway here that is this requires a level of organizational alignment, and it requires feeling pretty good about his recovery. I think from that ACL that says he's going to be on track to contribute and play a big role this year. I don't think you're giving him guaranteed money next year if you're not expecting him to be a starter this year.

And it tells you that I think the defensive staff is on board. I don't think you get this move unless there's organizational alignment here. And so it tells you that, yeah, the front office hasn't wavered in their belief, but this new defensive coaching staff, which includes the same cornerbacks coach, same safety's coach, so some continuity there. But led by Al Golden still believes in Daxil and has a plan for Daxil. I think that that plan to me is a little bit unclear. It would seem that he should be in line to continue to play outside corner.

That would be my default assumption. but with Camp Taylor Britt, DJ Turner, and potentially even Josh Newton in the mix for other roles in that cornerback room, that's where it gets really murky to me is to what exactly shakes out here for starting roles. Because if you give Dax this fifth year option, which I have, it certainly suggests that the starting role should be his. And so what does that say for Camp Taylor Britt, for DJ Turner, and even potentially, essentially for Josh Newton as they try to get their best corners on the field. That's the next step that I'll be very interested to see how that works out. As you can't really take away much in OTAs as far as who's out there, quote unquote, with the starters, especially as Dax is recovering. But as we see Dax get back into practices, hopefully in training camp, hopefully that's the trajectory for his recovery.

What do those rotations look like? What does that competition look like? Who's getting reps where? Those are the questions for me that this evokes, even though I think it tells us that there is a very clear plan from the defensive staff. Because otherwise, I don't think you see this move happen. This is a big commitment. Yeah, I get that. I do.

And I think he is going to be starting. And I think he's going to be starting outside. And I struggle with the idea that, oh, well, they're going to commit to paying him $13 million to kick him inside. And I know that Nicolmoy is going up. Yeah, you know, I know the nickel money's going up and all that. I just, that doesn't sound right. That doesn't line up. Now, what's interesting in this, you want to talk about alignment,

if the trust is there now Golden to maximize what they have, could they do some of both, depending on the matchup? Say, all right, Daxville, you're going to go inside here and you're going to deal with this guy. And I've talked about the idea of the Leon Hall role for Dax Hill before. where he's outside in base but kicks into nickel when they put three corners on the field and maybe that's it which leon hall is as valuable as any corner let me think about this the past 20 years how much do you value pacman's punt return ability yeah leon hall is a better corner than adam jones though you know like and so yeah

prime cheeto for that year was really really good but like leon was just awesome Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure. And so, like, if he can be 85% of that, and that's probably what the Bengals are saying. We drafted it, we developed him, and you do make a really good point about this. Al Golden watched him.

And I also think it's worth noting that Al Golden, after meeting with Chuck Birx, the Bengals cornerbacks coach said, I want Chuck Berks. I want to keep him in the building, even though he has other jobs, job offers. I want to keep him here. And so, and I know that Chuck is bullish on that.

So I do think, by the way, it's not just front office, to your point. I agree. I agree with that. I was really front office heavy in that first part. But I just think this is like, hey, Lou, you were completely wrong. Like, you are so wrong. You couldn't be more wrong. That's what I mean by that, not the current coaches.

Like, Lou, you can't, because I remember last, what was it? It was at the end of the 2023 season. And Lou just straight up, like on record was like, that play is Dax Hill's fault. And then the next week he took the wrong angle on George Pickens. And it was like back-to-back weeks of just like, oh, my gosh, he just can't. And I get it because he didn't make mistakes. There's no doubt.

But I think you can obviously see the talent as well. So we'll see what happens here. But I would be stunned if Daxel isn't not just a starting corner. But I think he's your outside guy. And playing, I'll put it like this, playing the most snaps. out of any of the corners. I think as long as he's healthy, he's going to be doing that. The Bengals did not make an addition at Corner in the NFL draft,

despite some speculation that they might be interested at various points from various national folks in particular. But the fifth year after, while it doesn't impact the roster for this year, it does impact how we perceive those cornerback battles, right, as we're discussing here. And that's just one of the many interesting parts of this depth chart. As I thought after the draft would be a good time, just take a step back, James, and look at the depth chart on the whole, see where they've had additions,

see what rooms are the same, what that means for the veterans already on the roster, what that means in terms of where they have the ability to still add veterans and where that could make a difference. Let's take a step back, James, and look at this entire depth chart post draft coming up next. Today's show is brought to you by Fandul. Fandul is America's number one sports book in the NBA playoffs role on the Lakers, well, their backs are against the wall. LeBron James and Luca Donchich find a way to rally against Anthony Edwards and company,

or is it all about the T. Wolves? And by the way, as much drama as there is in the Western Conference, well, is it just going to be the Thunder? Are the Thunder just going to roll? Regardless of who you think, you got to get in on all the phone with America's number one sports book right now because Fandall is going to give you $250 in bonus bets when you place and win your first $5 bet. Again, that's it.

Throw five bucks. Maybe you throw it on the Cincinnati Reds. Maybe you do throw it on the Los Angeles Lakers to handle business in game five and keep their season alive. And boom, if that bet wins, you'll get $250 in bonus bets. And after the game tips off, you can even live bet all things, NBA, major league baseball, and so much more. Don't miss out. Head to fendool. com and claim your $250 in bonus bets today.

James, let's start with the offense because I think there's less depth in the depth chart on offense. that requires detailed conversation. The quarterback room is a quarterback room. Joe Burrow, Jake Browning, that's probably it. The running back room, a little bit interesting. Do they keep three, do they keep four? Chase Brown, Zach Moss, Samage, P. Ryan, Taj Brooks. Does Zach Moss make the roster?

Big question there. I think that, you know, Kendall Milton, a guy that some people thought should have had some run last year and at the very end of the year was up for a few games. I think probably uphill battle. Wide receiver, your first four, pretty locked in. Jamar Chasey Higgins, Andre Yosevash, and then Charlie Jones, I think. Jermaine Burton, almost certainly, unless he blows it in the preseason.

I think they give him a second year. And then who's number six? That's a question. Isaiah Williams, probably the favorite for that role right now, but they brought Kendrick Pryor back again. and there is probably one of the more interesting reported college free agents. We haven't really talked about those guys too much yet, but Jordan Moore from Duke, is he going to get in the mix there?

But where it really gets interesting is the offensive line battles that we're going to see. Those are the big questions at this point, where they've added some players in the draft. And I think tight end could be a little bit interesting at the back of that room as well. but offensive line is where it's really interesting on offense, right? Well, yeah. That's why we've spent so much time talking about guard being their biggest weakness. Now you have two guys that should, could, and very well, better be, in my eyes, battling for starting jobs.

I don't know why Dylan Fairchild would be, oh, yeah, it's potentially his job to lose from a left guard standpoint, which I'm not arguing with. but you should also give Jalen Rivers every chance to start for this team. I think both guys are are ready to go from a pass blocking standpoint, at least as ready as you can be coming out of college and not being a surefire top five pick type of prospect. And so can those guys be better than Cody Ford and Cordell Voulson and Lucas Patrick? Wouldn't shock me if they are?

Is Matt Lee in that conversation? I don't think so. I don't think so. honestly maybe I'm wrong maybe I'm wrong and I know everyone wants him to be in that conversation it just doesn't feel that way like when I asked and you ask in public it's or private but I've only asked in public I'm not going to burn one of my my private conversations on that but at least not at this stage of the off season but I was like all right well is Matt Lee in the running it's like oh well yeah we like our guys to be versatile and it's like all right well that's you could just

say that you can say that about any player ever but if it was like yeah, we think that he does have some positional flexibility. He's added some weight. We're going to try him there. We certainly think he's athletic enough. So really excited to see what he'll do there. I just, there's a difference in answer there. And usually you can read between the lines.

Maybe I'm wrong. But I don't think he's in the mix. I think he's more of a center only, which makes it interesting when you do get into those depth conversations. Well, it makes it interesting because Lucas Patrick is apparently center first in their minds as well. And if that's the case, who's competing for right guard? Is it Cody Ford and Jackson Kirkland?

Are those your competitors for right guard? Lucas is a center only? Not a center first. I thought that was a comment from the coaching staff in the last couple of weeks. Did I miss hear that? I don't know. That's news. You're breaking news.

And I may be wrong. Maybe I was sleeping. Clearly, I didn't ask about Matt Lee privately. Okay. Okay, well, let's put a pin in that before we say something that isn't true and double check. So we'll go, we'll go confirm. I'll go try to find the thing that I heard. He can play center, though, to your point.

And he could certainly be your backup center. So, so, okay. So then we were saying the right guard conversation is Cody Ford, Lucas Patrick, primarily, right? If the left guard conversation is, we're not going to flip sides on Dylan Fairchild. And he's going to compete for left guard. Cornel Bolson has never, to my knowledge, worked anywhere but left guard. I don't remember him ever working anywhere but left guard.

Jaylon Rivers played on the left side when he was at Miami. So those were primary competitors, the left guard, and then at right guard is at Cody Fordham and Lucas Patrick. I don't know why you wouldn't throw Matley into that conversation at that point. If those are your competitors. Like, what's the doubt? I don't know why Dillon or why Rivers wouldn't be in. Just because he only played on the left side.

That's the only thing that I'm thinking. But he's going to take reps. at right tackle. I know that. So, because I think he doesn't start, you're hoping he's your swing tackle. And if he's your swing tackle, how many reps are you giving him a guard generally? Is from a, from a practice perspective, there's only so many reps to go a rep. He will, I will say he did say on the conference call. They told him he would start at guard, like start his training at guard, not start at guard,

to be clear. But then they said, oh, well, we're going to try him. So I think they're going to try them everywhere early. and then see what he can handle see if they feel like he can handle both they did this with Jermaine last year they tried to just throw everything at him and then it was just kind of like

all right let's dial the back so just to see where he's at and I think he's going to be able to handle it so hopefully he does because I think Lucas Patrick is fine when he's like Guard 3 and Center 2 and all that I would be intrigued with Matt Lee

and trying him at guard but you got to figure this out. And as you were going through those guys and talking about right guard options, I'm like, hey man, Brandon Shirf, how about you wake up? And you just come to Cincinnati and you solve this problem. You solve this problem because then the offensive line has depth. It feels complete. It would feel so much different if they just had that dude plugged in at right guard on week one or in week one.

Shrf, Hernandez, Reisner, the same guys we've been. been talking about a guard since they missed the first three waves of free agency at the position. They're all still out there. They all have different questions. But I mean, even Jack Mason, who you brought up more than me, even Jeddrick Will's who we've talked about as a potential Scott Peters project, any of those guys would be welcome competition. Do we expect them to do it after they didn't do it before the draft and then they added two

guys in the draft? I don't. Not really. But they certainly could use that quality veteran to throw into the mix of competition, especially at right guard. It lets you maintain the position versatility on Cody Ford as well. If you have a starting right guard, so Cody Ford isn't having to start a right guard,

let's Jalen Rivers have a perhaps more focused preseason as a rookie in the NFL. So he's not trying to learn four positions at once, which is his own challenge. And then there's a whole conversation around Cordell Volson, who at his current salary with the escalators he's gotten from his playtime, is either win the job or you're not on the team, most likely. And they're not paying that money to him to be a backup. There's no way. And if I'm him, I really do wonder if he would just dial it, if they ask him to dial it down and lower those. For money?

Yeah. Yeah. Because that's happened. And I think he likes Cincinnati. I think he likes the locker room. I think in, do you want to just be out there in the middle of August at the end of August and early September? Like, that sucks. That is not a fun thing for a player to go through waivers and go through that whole process and that shuffle.

So wouldn't shock me if they approach him about that. It really wouldn't, even if they are more bullish on him long term than maybe we are. going to be interesting on the offensive line and certainly a place where they could use a veteran shot in the arm the draft has not changed that in my mind if they go with the hypothetical tape ratledge then dylan fairchild route that we discussed yesterday maybe i feel a little bit differently about that and maybe i feel like you have enough enough like premium rookie picks in the room but i don't think unless jaylon rivers exceeds expectations there's a uh and there's an expectation that he's competing seriously. Like, he should be at the competition, but I don't think anyone's expecting him to win a job right now, right? You could, you could sign Scherf and then cut Voson and it be like a $2 million difference cap. Like the Zach Moss contract restructure could be the difference in cap numbers. Like it'll be a little more than that, but like not much, man. Like just get Scherf here. Well, and cash.

Sure. Depending on depending on what the contract works out to. Let's get to the defensive side of the ball here, James, but there's certainly the potential for a couple of veteran additions, I would say, as well. More additions for the Bengals on that side of the ball, but a few spots where we thought they might add, and they chose not to, we'll go to the defensive side of the ball coming up next. Have you ever checked your bank account and wondered, where did all my money go? Between dining out, online shopping and entertainment, it's easy to lose track. That's where Monarch money comes in. It's your personal CFO. It gives you full visibility and control over your finances and maybe you're sitting there and you're like, how in the world are we going to pay

a starting right guard? Well, Monarch money isn't just a budgeting app. It's a complete financial command center and it's going to allow you to track all of your accounts, investments, spending, cap space in one place. So you stop just managing your money and you start building wealth. And they have awesome insights. When you use Monarch, you realize how much you're spending on different things. Maybe you're spending too much on food delivery. Maybe you're spending too much here and you want to allocate it to the right guard fund. You can do that with Monarch Money. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money.

Use code locked on NFL at Monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. That's monarchmoney.com code locked on NFL for half off your first year. James, as we look at this defense, and there's probably more to talk about the tight end position at the back of the roster. Just to be fair. We didn't get to it. We have time. We have time to talk about that on another show.

The offseason is long, my friend. Plenty of time. Oh, yeah. I'm just acknowledging it. for anyone who wants us to talk about Cam Grandy and Tanner McLaughlin and the tight end three conversation. Enjoy

Chicago, sweet prince. Go ahead. But the defense has an addition at Edge, obviously. Joseph O'Sye returns. And so the Edge Room actually pretty full. Six deep for guys that I would expect to have a

pretty good chance to make the roster and that doesn't even mention well, I guess that mentions everybody. Cedric Johnson is part of the sixth. Where it potentially gets interesting is this idea that since they didn't add to the interior of the defensive line, which is, I think, a bigger talking point, they're going to ask these guys to play inside much more and get the interior pass rush that they did not add in the draft. They did not get the Walter Nolan pick to last one pick later instead of 16, getting to 17 where they might have made that pick. They did not decide that Derek Harmon was worth the first round swing. And so now we're talking about Cam Sample kicking inside and Joseph Osai kicking inside.

And Samar Stewart, oh, he's got that versatility. He played inside a little bit down to four I at least at A&M. Maybe he can play a little bit inside on passing downs. But how many guys do they keep here? And so there is an interesting competition where you got four guys on the defensive interior that you expect them to keep. Does that mean they keep six edge guys this year? Or is Howard Cross really threatening to make the? team, Notre Dame, Al Golden, Reconnection in Cincinnati there, undrafted free agent.

The defensive line in general, because of where they added and where they're deep and where they didn't add and where they're shallow, I think is going to be one of the more fascinating positions to watch as they're trying to find the productivity they so badly need from the defensive front. Yeah, they need to take that germane Pratt money, which at any moment could go away, could go by buy over five million dollars they need to take that and invest it in the defensive front find one more defensive tackle that you feel pretty good about and and it's tough at this stage it really is and and that would be i think ideal because you look at this defensive front and i i you're

right i like the edges i think there's depth there i don't want to put shamar stewart in a situation where he has to play inside more than he should and in that it goes for any of these guys, whether it's Joseph Osai, maybe you think Miles Murphy can do that. And so is there someone out there right now that you think can help the interior pass brush? If the answer is yes, then that should be where that Pratt money goes. That's how you should allocate it. You're getting cheaper at linebacker by getting in a rookie that's going to come in and start right away. It's going to come in.

Demetrius Knight is going to replace Jermaine Pratt. We all know it. All right. You have Barrett Carter replacing Akeem Davis-Gather, essentially. to an extent. And so get a little less there as well from a money standpoint. Maybe it's Warren Berks too, but still a little less than a keem cost. Use that money, reallocate that to your defensive front.

And honestly, Jake, it's why the plan in why they, when they re-signed BJ Hill, it was like, like I get the nose tackle with T.J. Slayton, you needed that. And this isn't against BJ Hill, but it just kind of, it's not like you're cutting a second or third round pick that you feel like has upside and Chris Jenkins or McKinley Jackson. And so it just kind of gave them a lot of numbers there and not a lot of wiggle room. And I do think that there were moments of the draft where they looked at the defensive linemen that were available and they were like, maybe that guy adds juice, but we have Chris Jenkins and we have McKinley Jackson. And so it kind of limits you, not in the first round, but it limits you in round five. I think it was probably, they were

probably done. And they knew that, there's probably not a guy there that we can add that going to really push to make this roster. Or a guy that's going to play significant snaps where the tradeoff between picking another player there is worth drafting a guy that you don't have a very clear path to playing a lot for or you don't want to have to ask to play a lot. But as a result, your fifth guy right now is Howard Cross, which nothing as Howard Cross or the big signing bonus they reportedly gave to Eric Gregory. But you're talking about undrafted free agents there that I think are still

fringe cases to make the roster when you're talking about Cedric Johnson who flashed when you're talking about Cam Sample who coming off injury sure maybe he's not ready but if he is a solid player in the NFL with the demonstrated track record when you can be healthy so I don't think you're cutting any of those guys for a fifth defensive tackle but at the same time going into the season with only four defensive tackles I mean you're asking a lot of your edge guys to kick inside that often I do this. I do this.

think that that is going to be a very interesting roster construction puzzle for them to work out as they get through the preseason and try to figure out, you know, where do these guys fit into the schemes and the play, you know, what are the packages rolling out there? And of course, last off season, we saw the depth tests that come and their depth on the interior of the defensive line right now is worse than it was at this point last year. and last year they got battered on that defensive interior in the offseason. And that's why, you know, you saw the Zach Carter-Lorence guy packages early in the season before both guys were no longer part of the team. And so that's certainly an area of concern, an area where, like you said, they should be looking, I think, pretty aggressively to see if they can add a piece that can give them quality snaps.

So they're not looking for Lawrence Guy in week one again or week two. Yeah. But as you also said, it's tough at this point. Kalaise Gamble ain't out there anymore. They missed that. Oh, yeah. We don't have to talk about him anymore. He's the most popular non-Bengel in locked-on Bengals history.

I, uh, yeah, and it's not the only thing. Like the defensive line room is obviously a big one. You're hoping the edge guys get after it. I think you feel really good about the linebacker depth now and where it's at even without Pratt. And that'll happen at some point. but Wilson, Knight, Berks, Carter, and then you got John Meta and Hayward and all those guys on the back end fighting. Overall, really the only other spot we talked about Corner to start the show a little bit with Back.

So I'm just going to go to safety because I think safety is the one where, yeah, you have Stone and Battle and I think they're entrenched as the starters. And I think we probably have concerns about both of those guys, but certainly Stone. But then after that, it's like, all right, well, how do they feel about it? Tyson Anderson. Well, Lou never put him on the field on defense. So we know how Lou felt. I wonder how this new staff feels about Anderson, about Anthony, and maybe there's something there that were missing because they didn't get one. And they were really close to getting one a couple of times in the draft, but they clearly prioritized. And I think this matters because they prioritize the linebacker and Demetrius Knight. And then obviously the guard, no one blames them for that. But they thought

they needed to address linebacker over safety. And that was their bigger concern. And so do they go sign a safety? I don't know. I think it would be semi-surprising, maybe a defensive tackle, but I'm just not sure they go the safety route. There's still guys out there. I know.

A lot of the same guys we've been talking. Yeah. I mean, I've been talking about Julian Blackman before free agency started as a potential targeted guy I liked. Maybe there's something there that we don't know about is a reason he's still out there. I don't know. But at this stage. Bengals fans also talking about Justin Simmons, I think, this week.

Yeah, yeah, it's a big name. I would be surprised by Simmons. I think Blackman's more in the mix. I just, if you're Blackman, you could see the past the starting really quickly. Yeah. I would. Sign me up. Let me roll in there to go win a roster spot.

It's possible. It's definitely possible. It's possible to win a starting job, like you said. But that I think is very interesting. Do they just stick with the guys they have at safety? We know they were looking in that group hard in the draft. We know they were fans of Kevin Winston. We are fairly certain they really liked Malachi Stark as well.

And they didn't end up drafting either of those guys. Much like we knew that they really liked some tight ends a few years ago. They didn't draft those guys. And then they kind of just rolled with what they had. Adam Mike Kosicki. Mike Kosicki stuck. the one year the one year safety Julian Blackman one year two million maybe that's what they do is they use the Prat money towards safety and defensive because you could sign a defensive tackle now like one year three million and then you take that other two million and give it to Blackman I don't know if Blackman will take a deal quite that small but maybe he doesn't have choices maybe the reason he's out there he doesn't have a market it's hard to say like some of these guys will sign decent deals even now and some of them will see like oh man why

the heck, did the Bengals do that deal with that number? And I'm sure we will think that at some point between now and training camp. But I do think that the draft has certainly bolstered their depth at linebacker. Trey Hendrickson is still on the team. So they're real deep at edge now. And Trey Hendrickson at this point, I can't imagine he's going anywhere. They have a lot of guys to compete on the interior offensive line. You feel way better about their depth at running back just because they added a guy there that you can see a clear role for.

and Taj Brooks. And then there's still questions of safety, a defensive tackle. And even still, despite the additions they have on the interior offensive line, I think still questions there. And that's the primary focus, I would say, to me, when you reevaluate

the overall texture of the roster after the draft. We'll have more conversation about this draft class, about this roster. We'll be joined by Mike Potts, the Bengals Director of College Scouting tomorrow to get his take from inside about how the Bengals draft went down and what they were thinking with their process for some of these picks. And we'll, of course, be talking more with various experts about various

draft picks of Bengals' overall draft class over the next few days here on Lockdown Bengals as well. Until then, thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. Ho-Day and have a good one.