Bengals Open to Spending Big on Star Offensive Lineman in Free Agency: 'Make Sure He is Worth it'
CINCINNATI — Will the Bengals spend big money on a top offensive lineman in free agency?
It's a question plenty of fans and analysts are asking following Cincinnati's run to Super Bowl LVI.
Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin was asked about the idea of spending top dollar on a free agent offensive linemen this week at the NFL Combine.
“If you do spend the big money it better be worth it. It better be worth it," Tobin said. "That better be reflective of what he is going to give you. Trey Hendrickson. If you are going to pay him that much, make sure he is worth it or at least he has the ability to be worth it. He was.”
The Bengals signed Hendrickson to a four-year, $60 million contract last offseason. He rewarded them by racking up 14 sacks in 16 regular season games. He tallied another 3.5 sacks in four postseason contests.
Related: Frank Pollack on What He's Looking For in Free Agent O- Linemen
He's only 27-years-old and is in the middle of his prime. There aren't many top free agent linemen that fit that description.
That doesn't mean Cincinnati won't go after a Ryan Jensen or even consider trading for Laremy Tunsil, but let's use left Terron Armstead as an example. The star left tackle is 30-years-old, only appeared in eight games last season and has missed at least one game in all nine seasons of his career.
Brandon Scherff is another example. He's also 30-years-old and has missed at least three games due to injury in each of the past four seasons.
The Bengals may go after one of those guys in free agency, but they don't match Tobin's description and they're certainly going to command big money on the open market.
Cincinnati needs to fix the offensive line and they'll add proven players in free agency, but it might not be the names that some expect.
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