Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - DEALS IMMINENT | Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins set to stay with Cincinnati Bengals

Episode Date: March 16, 2025

The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to finalize extensions with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins any time now, solidifying their offensive identity that is built around Joe Burrow and his star receivers. Jake Liscow and James Rapien break down the latest on Higgins and Chase, what's going on with Trey Hendrickson's lingering unresolved trade request, and the work the Bengals have left to do in free agency to find important upgrades.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!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBAfor $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 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.

Jamar Chase and T. Higgins's future is right here in Cincinnati. We'll break that down in much, much more right now on Locked on Bengals. 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. I'm your host, Jake Liscoe. He's your host, James Rupin, and we are Lockdown Bengals on the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day on YouTube and everywhere you get your podcast.

And if you're new to the show, you're not in every day or well. Last week was a little bit slow for the Bengals and Free Agency, but we had you covered every step of the way. We analyzed the deals the Bengals made. We talked about the players that are still out there for the Bengals, and a lot of that is still true. And a lot of the frustration is still true, to be totally honest with you. But that is not where we're starting today,

as we have good news to talk about as the deals for T. Higgins and Jumar Chase should be coming any minute now, really, might be happening sometime in the middle of us recording this episode, James Rupin. But for those of you that aren't everydayers all ready, you can hit that subscribe button, hit the bell on YouTube, hit follow anywhere you get your podcast and you won't miss an episode of Lockdown Bengals. You can even check out the Lockdown Bengals insider group at join subtext.com slash lockdown Bengals where lots of folks are getting a lot of updates as soon as we have that

information available and aligned directly to us to ask. those questions. James, let's start with the news that you had over the weekend since we last talked anyway on Jemar Chase and T. Higgins. Huge. It's huge news because the last time we talked, we didn't know where things were. And then you had the national media basically. And it started with NFL network, but ESPN did it and a bunch of other national outlets as well had it. The Bengals have made significant progress with both guys. And that's because on Friday, there were a lot of people that thought that that was just going to get done and that these contracts were going to get done. They didn't fully get there. And by the way, as we're recording this technically,

they're still not all the way there because you haven't seen those national reports come out yet. But done. Done is in agreed to all of the big things, going through the small things. I expect both of these deals to be finalized in the near future. It could be today, like you said, but both sides know where this is headed, know that it's in the process of being finalized is how I would word it. And now you're just going through some of the fine print to make sure that both sides are on the same page. These are complex deals because we're talking about millions and millions and millions of dollars. Of course, they take a little time to iron out. I'll give you an example. Remember when Joe Burrow, they announced his deal on that Thursday night,

he did not sign it on Friday. He signed it Saturday. So it took time even after it was announced nationally. And so that's a good example here of where the Bengals are at with both of these guys. But relax, take a breath and celebrate. If you want to crack one, crack one. Because the Bengals are getting these deals done. Jamar Chase and T. Higgins are going to be in Cincinnati for a long time.

Totally understandable if you want to wait for those national reports as well. But like Jane said, there's some point on Friday, Group texts went out to a bunch of national reporters for ESPN and for NFL Network. NFL Network, I think, got it up first. But everyone had it at the same time. Within seconds of one another, these deals are really close. They're talking about financial terms, Jamar Chase, somewhere between $40.1 and $41 million per year, just getting right above that Miles Garrett deal.

And T. Higgins discussed anywhere from like the 27 and a half, 28 to $30 million range. And we'll see where those numbers land. And when those numbers are out, we'll analyze the way they've done those contracts. and the guarantees they've done and what all of that means for the Bengals in terms of have they broken their structure, have they done more with guarantees. But we don't have that yet. We do have those national reports that happened on Friday,

which were accompanied by, at the same time that happened, I got a message that was like, yeah, this is trending toward the conclusion that we've been expecting, like right before those messages went out from national media sources. And then I got a call right after that from, a source that would know that was related to, yet this thing is as good as done. What are they still working on?

Big question. Why hasn't it been announced by the Nationals yet, given what you reported, James, in addition to what I heard on Friday, what the Nationals reported on Friday, is probably non-financial terms that they're working through language on. And that Joe Burrow example might be a perfect example, where they had all of those important details that the player cares about from a cash flow perspective, from a guaranteed perspective, from an overall money perspective, from a cap hit perspective that the team cares about, all that stuff is figured out.

But then they're just working on language for little bits of the contract that are not financial that we literally never talk about as media covering the team that fans almost never talk about, that only come up in very fringe cases, but is very important from a legal percentage. perspective for the team and for the player to have agreed upon in the contract because it is a contract. It's a legal document, obviously. A lot of very specific legal jargon goes into these deals, right? And that's why you need a specialist that is doing the contracts and somebody that has that legal expertise. So I would assume that that is what they're still hammering out and still refining are just getting those little bits of non-financial language hammered down agreed upon.

In that Joe Burrow example, James, like you mentioned. could be a perfect reflection when we think about this one where, yes, it's done, but they're just working on those final details. And those could be examples. I think a lot of people are wondering about it could just be as simple as that. Yeah. And there might be some people that are watching or listening to us that didn't read the report that I had Saturday at bengalstalk.com. Two, two things that will stick out. One, one source said the deals are done. So like, to Jake's point, all of the significant hurdles, that you go through to get to a point where you're comfortable saying that, they're past that.

I talk to people on both sides of this, right? Where you're talking player side or the other side of the coin. And then one more, and I kind of referenced this earlier, like, there was real belief that it was just going to get done Friday. And then I think that they were like, okay, let's take a breath. The reason it went public the way it did, because very rarely do you see that, where it's like, significant progress has been made, these deals are really close and are going to happen in the normally it's just like, oh, well, it's done. And I think it's because they want to get through

all these little language things that come with it. And I would expect the next step will be the agent giving the national reporters that go ahead, the thumbs up, hey, report this. And then after that, you'll get Jamar and T signing on the dotted line. And I would expect that this week. I mean, I think that that's very reasonable. It could be in the next 24 hours, right? These things happen very, very quickly. And I will say that there's no reason, even if it gets into Monday, and you're at the office and you're thinking you're eating lunch on Monday afternoon, unless something changes, which there's no reason to think that it will change, this will get done. And this isn't about time. This is about making sure that all of

these things are ironed out. And then they can go ahead and announce it. So that's something that I think is a when, not if, and done is done. Because let's be honest here, these deals are very much about the financial element of it. And the wording and the language and all of that stuff, that just takes time to work through. That's all. So while we're waiting for those deals to be finalized, let's talk a little bit about what it means for these guys to be back with the Bengals. Something that we've now been operating under the assumption would happen for at least a little bit of time, the franchise tag and the week that followed a little bit of doubt cast on to those negotiations.

But I think it was in the last week, I said I was still 90% sure that T was going to happen just based on what we thought before. So let's talk a little bit about the football aspect and make sure we don't forget about Trey, Trey Hendrickson, and what's going on with his potential situation with the Cincinnati Bengals is his trade request is still out there in the wind and waiting to be resolved. We'll continue with those topics. and the Bengals continued in activity and free agency, and what they still need to do,

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It's easy and fast. It's simple to use and you can get paid instantly. So check it all out at fandul.com to get started and get in on the college hoop action all tournament luck. Y'all forgot about Trey. We're going to talk about Trey Hendricks and coming up in just a few minutes here. But just a little bit, Jake, on the football impact of keeping number one and number five in Cincinnati. Right. I didn't realize you were, I thought you were going to weigh in before.

But, yeah, no, happy to talk to you right away, baby. Toss to you right away. I was just trying to check a text. that's okay. Oh, you got news to break? Not breaking news. It's fine. I was able to see enough of the text so we can continue the show. But keeping T. Higginson, Jemar, Chase, in Cincinnati, along with re-signing Mike Kaseki earlier in the offseason, keeps intact the Bengals' primary passing engine, right? Between those three guys, Andre Yosevash and Chase Brown, the top weapons for this team are still in place. Now, could the Bengals still go out and draft on day three, a wide receiver in this class to fill a particular role?

it's possible. Or if they acquire additional picks somehow, you could even see it on day two of the NFL draft. And I don't think that would be absolutely crazy if they had enough picks. But given the amount of picks they have, what this means is that there's no more pressure for at least a couple of years

to go attack the high-end receiving position on this team that needs or wants a high-end receiver to do what it does at a high level, which is Joe Burroughs going to see what you're doing on defense. And as soon as you show a sliver of weakness, he has two receivers that are capable of making you pay. And if you try to double both of those guys, well, that's why those tertiary weapons that I mentioned,

Mike Keseki, Andrei Yosevash, and Chase Brown, are important to have on this team and where draft fake is still possible. But if you're not taking away both the Higgins and Jemar Chase effectively, both of those guys are able to make you pay. They're able to win quickly, which is one of the reasons that they've been able to overcome the offensive line issues they've had,

the pass protection issues they've had, where they've regressed on the offensive line in the last couple of years and somehow managed to give up more pressure where Joe Burrow has been better under pressure, a lot of that is because he has those guys that can win quickly. And that is the opposite problem of what we saw with the chiefs in the playoffs, right? Where when you're giving up pressure and you're the chiefs and you have all of this investment in your offensive line

and those investments aren't paying out in your offensive line and you don't have the guys that can win quickly for you outside, you end up having issues on offense. So Bengals, a bit of a different situation, and they still need to address the offensive line. Don't get me wrong. But having those guys back, and we'll get into this in more depth, I think, in the future from a team-building perspective, because a lot of people have been very critical of keeping both of these receivers from a team-building perspective, James. It's the engine for the offense.

And running that back gives you that foundation on offense that means, okay, we have a very clear identity there that we can build around. Yeah, for sure. I think I was having this conversation with someone the other day. a coach, not on the Bengals, but an NFL coach, about how important stars are and keeping your stars. And that's what the Bengals are. Part of what makes them so scary as a team is Jamar and T in having to deal with those guys and prepare for them week in and week out. And opponents don't want to deal with that. They would much rather only have to deal with one of those guys. And that's the same thing as we transition to Trey. And it feels like Trey Hendrickson that there's a better

chance today of him returning for the 2025 season and beyond in Bengal Stripes, then there was, say, the day that they gave him permission to seek a trade. It does not for my money feel like a trade is imminent. These things can change quickly. It can go a certain way. If a team says, you know what, we are Trey Hendricks in a way, we're willing to up our offer to get Trey Hendricks in here now. But as of now, Jake, I feel like it's turned back the other way, where the Bengals have always had the leverage, but now I think they're in position to retain Trey, assuming they want to, and I think deep down they know,

given what's left reagent-wise and pass rush-wise, having Trey Hendrickson on their team is gonna make them, not that this is a crazy revelation, obviously we should know this, but is gonna make them much better than the alternative to not having Trey Hendrickson in 2025. Yeah, if we put it pessimistically, it keeps them from getting significantly worse

in one particular way, which is in the pass rush from the right side of that defensive line. And that would be a massive chasm for them to fill. We've talked about this over and over. At this point, it does make sense for them to get back to the table with Trey Hendrickson and see what can work out. Because if they're not getting the trade offers they want, this is a Bengals. This is a team that didn't trade A.J. McCarran because they wanted an extra pick. This is a team that held on to Carson Palmer in retirement and the rights to his deal

until they got a two first round pick offer, even though one of them was conditional. This is a very stubborn team that would rather have a literal star quarterback on the team retire than trade him for less than they're asking for. And then they got that desperate offer. And so that's their history with trading players and they're asking price for players. It doesn't always make sense because, like you said, or I think we've talked about on the show, if they really value trade like that, well, why wouldn't they just, pay him like they're valuing him on the trade market, but there's a little bit of a gap there

in terms of the logic for the Bengals front office in terms of the trade value versus the financial value that they're willing to put on the player. But if they can get back to the table, and your options if you're trade Hendrickson are, well, we didn't get the trade compensation you wanted. So I guess you're not trading me. Am I going to play out for $16 million cash this year? Am I going to sit out? Or am I going to hold out as long as as I can, show up as late as I can for that $60 million. Or do I take an extension? Can we get to a point where I don't feel like a total jerk, a total clown for accepting

whatever the offer is, say it is below market. We don't know where it is, but if it was good enough, Trey would have taken it. We do know that he wants to be in Cincinnati. His teammates have reiterated that, and that's been his public stance all along. And so clearly whatever the offer is from the Bengals isn't reasonable enough. or I think we would be done. So can they get to a point where everyone feels okay about it? That's a real question here.

Or does it get ugly? Or do they figure out a trade? Because the trade does. You're right. Feel less likely. And so it feels like the remaining paths, assuming that doesn't change, are potentially getting really ugly or then figuring out and coming to a place where both sides feel like they have a fair deal. Yeah.

Really, the path to a trade is a team waking up and adding to their offer. I don't think the Bengals are just going to budge. on how they view the offers they've received. So one of the offers would have to change. And I'm not saying that someone just antees up a first round pick. I'm not saying that at all, but let's say their best offers a two and a five right now, or two and a six.

Well, can they get better than that? Is there enough to go there? Maybe their best offer isn't that. I don't know. But that seems like the only realistic path to a trade. The other parts of this and elements of this were predictable, something that we talked about a month ago. From a leverage standpoint, if you're the Bengals, he's under contract.

You want him on your team. You're better with him. Offer him a significant pay raise in a multi-year deal. And they have the leverage and they can wait it out. And he knows that. And I think that's what was so big about him getting the permission for the trade is just to see if they could go get a first round pick for the Bengals in a deal. Like I get trying to explore it if you're, you're trying to explore it.

because you don't really have a ton of angles. At the same time, if you were the Bengals, you want to get to a point where, one, I would want Trey in 2026, period. I just, it's not like you, like I've heard the, oh, well, you just beef up his offer for 2020, his contract for 2025. That is the dumbest thing ever.

Because what if he plays really, really well again? It's not like they're going to have a ton of, pass rushes suddenly on this defense and they're just going to have so many that they don't want Trey Hendrickson in 2026. I think he's going to play well this year. There's no reason not to think that. So I think an extension makes way more sense instead of just giving him more money this year. So I would throw that idea out. I think an extension is ideal for both sides. A two-year extension, I think, is going to be where the Bengals are. And we've talked about that a ton. Now, can they get to a number? That makes sense. I mean,

I, if I'm the Bengals, I'd be willing to go two for 64, if that's what got it done. Maybe they're not there. Maybe they're at two for 50 or two for 55. I do think that maybe a two for 56 to 58, something in that range, you're talking $28, $29 million per year. Like that's, it's pretty tough to turn down if you're Trey and in the position he's in. So I do think if the Bengals get in that realm, that's more than likely that'll get it done. And how willing are they to get creative with the structure if they need to, if they're worried about it from that perspective? Because I feel like increasingly, it seems like they need to have a very clear understanding of their financial picture before they're willing to move ahead.

And they need to move ahead. There are other things that they need to get done in free agency in addition to their stars. We're talking about that topic again here today after another two days of inactivity, which is, despite the good news, still a little bit frustrating for me, James. We'll talk about what the Bengals can do to finish up free agency. Once again, coming up next. It's guard time, Jake. I think guard is where this starts. What can the Bengals do in free agency?

Add a starting guard. That's clearly their biggest weakness right now. And the guards are coming off the board. Since we last talked, Mackay Beckton off the board, Tevin Jenkins visiting Seattle on Monday, doesn't really feel like the Bengals are going to try to keep him from getting on that flight to Seattle. potentially get a deal done there with the Seahawks for Tevin Jenkins. And if that happens, the options at right guard, I mean,

Brandon Shurf is probably the best option anyway, I would say including Tevin Jenkins for the Bengals, given what he is as a pass blocker. But it's starting to get thinner there. And they need to make a move. And if you're in my camp where you want two, you don't want one, you want two, then it's getting real thin out here. And I'm still there. I'm still trying to hold the line, but I do think in reality the Bengals are going to try to sign one starting guard and roll with their roster and maybe out of draft pick.

But I would sign two. And if that dream is going to be realized, they better get started on one. That's the most important thing. I think we can all agree that if we had to prioritize the things for the Bengals to do this off season, it's get a guard that is better than the guards you have last year, at least one. Like much. Yeah. Obviously, there's more than that. But you want to get somebody who can be at the bare men.

minimum, Alex Kappa the first year of the Bengals had Alex Kappa, where he was a solid player. He was, as you said, in your opinion, James, you've called him that he was the best offensive lineman on the Bengals at the time. Yeah, I don't think that version of Alex Kappa would necessarily be the best offensive lineman on this version of the Bengals offensive line. You're hoping for a big leap from a Mario Smith. You're hoping that Orlando Brown being healthy means a return to what was a really stellar

season for him before he got hurt. Ted Carris continuing to be steady. And heck, maybe they draft a guard to go along with whoever they sign who's just as good. Maybe, who knows? Who knows what direction they go there? But bare minimum, get a big upgrade for one of your guard spots from what you had last year, where the interior was a huge problem for you. You had the two guards in the NFL that led the league and pressures and sacks allowed

and all those terrible stats that we've talked about. So whether it is Kevin Jenkins and they end up, back there where he's going to Seattle for a visit and potentially all of all of the people that were thinking well maybe he's not signing right now because teams want to get their doctor's hands on him want to talk to him and find out man what went on in Chicago where they tried to trade him at one point and he missed all this time for all these minor injuries in addition to the major back issue and this some of these issues go all the way back to college with him so maybe teams want to find out how he's matured in the last few years who last talked to him at the NFL combine or in zooms leading

up to the NFL draft when he fell into the second round, which was a little bit unexpected. He certainly had a chance to go in the first round at the time. Maybe it is Brandon Shurf, like you talked about James, and the past protecting fit there, the rental aspect there where they would probably still need to draft a guard or two if it's Brandon Shurf, but maybe they could kick the can down the road a little bit there with a solid veteran who played a thousand snaps last year, but it's going to be 34 years old pretty soon. Or is it Dalton Reisner? Is it Will Hernandez coming off an ACL?

is it Jedrick Will's trying to change positions? Is it Lucas Patrick trying to step into a full-time role at 32 years old? He played 562 snaps last year. And going down the list, you get into more and more warts on the profiles. But every single one of these guys at this point has questions. I mean, pretty much everybody in free agency at Guard had questions. With Kevin Jenkins, there's the injury stuff and the weird tenure he had in Chicago where they tried to trade him where things just weren't Sunshine and Roses.

is Brandon Shurf, the age, Dalton Reisner, can never seem to find a team until late in the process. And it seems to be one-year deals all the time. Will Hernandez coming off the ACL, Jedrick Will's, a position change, Lucas Patrick, a limited snap count last year. Jack Mason, who you've talked about a couple of times, coming off a dreadful year in past protection in Houston. So there's questions for all those guys, but finding the guy that will be an upgrade is still possible. Now, how long will that remain possible? we'll see. A lot of guards have signed. The Bengals have missed on guys. So this doesn't mean that they've done free agency right, but there is still time to get an important upgrade to your team.

If they can find one of these guards that will fit them and get the deal done. Two years for Brandon Shurf. That's what I would do. I'd go a two-year deal for Brandon Shurf. And then I like the Jedrick Wills, like one-year-prove-it type. Reunion, like if you want to go that route and they're worried about money, then fine. Then go that route. Shaq Mason, you mentioned him. I like him as a nice by-low. I think that Houston's culture, you've heard a lot of things about the culture part of it there.

Will Hernandez is interesting, even though he's coming off the injury. Like the second guy, if you did two, wouldn't have to be crazy. Sure, I would do the two-year deal. I don't think you need to go one with him. I think you've seen over the past three years that Jacksonville deal. Everyone talked about his health. Then he goes to Jacksonville. And look, Northern Florida still gets cold.

It's not like he went there and just found the fountain of youth. And suddenly he plays in 51 games in three seasons, which do the math there. You know, it's what you want. And so hopefully they could get something done with Sheriff. That would be my top target. If they're out on Jenkins or they're willing to let Jenkins get on that flight to Seattle, then I would prioritize Sheriff. And you're right.

They got to get at least one of these guys. and even some of those names. Like I like Shaq Mason as an addition. He can't be the addition. Got to be one of them. Like if you signed Shaq Mason because you also had Tevin Jenkins, well then I'd feel pretty good about it. If you're signing Shaq Mason and only Shaq Mason and that's your guard,

well then that sucks. Like that's not what I want. So that's where I'd be at guard. But it's not just guard. I think there are guys that can help them, whether you're looking at the secondary or looking at the pass rush, the options are dwindling from my pastoral standpoint, but there are guys there, and I do wonder, do they look, do they go that route and really try to add to their roster? I want them to, but it's not like they've necessarily done it and been super proactive here in free agency when it comes to outside signings. Yeah, what do we think they're going to do? Because it doesn't seem like they're prioritizing safety. It doesn't seem like they're prioritizing corner. It doesn't seem like they're prioritizing any additional edge help.

They brought back some guys. Didn't expect Joseph Osai back. They ended up bringing Joseph Osai back. They bring Camp Sample back. That one is expected. But unless they really hammered out with Trey, even if they do, you would like to add a piece before you go to the draft. Yeah, like Zadaria Smith can't help you, you know?

And this is the area where we've been asking the Bengals to play for a couple of years. Zizzo Jollari can't help you? Well, I don't know about that one, honestly. But like Zadari Smith, I do. The point I'm trying to make with the Zerais, that's an example, though. The age thing, yeah. Well, is, yeah, like, go do the one-year deal for Calleus Campbell, for Zadariah Smith,

for whoever, like these guys that are right around 30, that still have something left in the tank. Like, why not? The D-line feels much different if they got something done with Trey, Zadarius Smith, and Callais Campbell. I'm just, doesn't it? I mean, it feels much more complete. It doesn't mean you can't draft a body at either spot.

But if you had to go play tomorrow and it's Trey and Zadaria Smith and then you have Miles Murphy and Joseph Osai. And on the inside you have Callais Campbell, BJ Hill, and T.J. Slayton. And then you have Chris Jenkins and McKinley, like it just feels much more whole. And you're talking about a guy in Zadaria Smith who's not going to command huge money because of his age. I don't wonder about that. Campbell has been getting big money. But yeah, I mean, the one year deals. That's where we'll have to see how they structure these deals for these receivers.

And that'll tell us, like, do they have any intent at all in doing one-year deals? Because if they're not pushing those capists out into the future the way they've been doing, that probably tells us all we need to know. We're not going to see any significant one-year deals beyond maybe a guard. Yeah. And that's scary if they go that route. Like Blackman from the Colts, Julian Blackman, I think he would be, I got his name right today, by the way.

Shocker. I think he could be an upgrade there at safety. I think you could go into the, oh, well, should we just essentially trade Gino Stone for Julian Blackman? You could sell, I bet you could sell the Bengals coaching staff on that. I don't know that, but it looks good to me. And that's it. Like if Cordell Volson's the reason why you're not signing a second guard, I think we know

the answer to how to fix it, you know? So, and if Gino Stone's the reason you're not signing a safety that's promising. and played a bunch of free safety snaps for the Colts and has done it, well, maybe you go that route, you know? We'll see what the Bengals do. If they sign a guard, maybe I believe they're going to continue to make some moves here. But until we see these contracts, until they start making moves again, it's hard for me to think that they're not ready to go to the draft with a lot of the deficiencies they have, which

is asking a lot of Al Golden on defense, asking a lot of Scott Peters potentially. on the offensive line and asking a lot of hitting on draft picks that can contribute for you right away, which they need either way, but they would still need if they signed a couple of extra guys. Now, getting Jason Higgins done does feel better. And if they can figure it out with Trey, this will all feel better because they will have at least retained those important pieces. But I just keep going back to that Duke Tobin quote about not wanting to pay more for the same team and how close they are to doing that right now unless there are a couple more additions made.

When they make those additions, we will have you covered here on Lockdown Bengals. Until then, thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. Ho-Day and have a good one.