On Monday, the Bengals added one significant free agent, and it was undoubtedly a puzzler.
Aside from the fact that their third-string tight end and running back received contract extensions, the club played until into the evening before making much of an impression, even though many had expected the franchise to seize opportunities.
At last, the squad made the decision to take a step that would allow its supporters to breathe a sigh of relief.
Cincinnati Bengals Sign a Division Rival Role Player
Cincinnati ultimately signed free safety Geno Stone of the Baltimore Ravens after allowing their supporters to agitate in a concerning manner for hours. Stone, who was chosen by Baltimore in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, has primarily played a supporting role in the closing moments of games. Due to starting safety Marcus Williams’ injuries from the previous season, Stone had a career year with 68 tackles, seven interceptions, and nine passes defensed.
Stone will join on a two-year deal worth up to $14 million, which is extremely advantageous for the squad. In actuality, the $6 million guaranteed contract is actually for one season, with a two-season option. The fact that the organization has only awarded one outside contract thus far—a boom-or-bust deal to a low-profile safety—raises concerns considering the other glaring deficiencies that remain on the roster.
In a nutshell, Cincinnati’s newest recruit is a safety who was chosen on the third day of the draft and didn’t play all that well, save for one season in which he was able to fit the system well enough to produce some statistical production.
Does that sound like you? It ought to, given that’s precisely how the team signed safety Nick Scott from the Los Angeles Rams during the previous campaign.
Almost everyone believes that Scott was an absolutely terrible signing after he put up a terrible season, and now, a year later, Cincinnati signs a player with almost exactly the same resume.
Initially, we must examine the qualities that Stone brings to the table. His ability to defend at the line of scrimmage is almost nonexistent, as he is a genuine center fielder. His terrible rush defense grade of 33.1 is offset by his Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 73. Stone’s coverage grade of 84.9, which is strong enough to rank seventh in the NFL, is the sole bright spot.
The primary issue with PFF is that they severely overvalue turnovers, which is a serious weakness. Although interceptions are crucial, it is occasionally true that a player gets lucky. Check out the highlights of Stone’s YouTube channel:
Almost all of his interceptions came against unsuccessful Hail Mary tries when the Ravens were ahead by a significant margin.
The majority of them were also wildly off target, nearly landing squarely on Stone. Stone is by no means a horrible player, but when you are essentially fielding punts most of the time, seven interceptions aren’t nearly as spectacular.
In all honesty, I don’t think Stone is making or breaking a game like that, but I do hope Cincinnati finds itself in a similar situation where they are up 35-0 against a playoff team like Detroit.
The truth is that Cincinnati still lacks a reliable starter nose tackle or right tackle. For salaries that would be in line with Cincinnati’s expectations, there were several good choices available in each of those posts. But what does Cincinnati actually do? With Jordan Battle, a player ranked in the top 10, and Dax Hill, a first-round choice, the team effectively signed a backup safety.
Rookie Security In his brief time on the field last season, Jordan Battle proved to be an excellent safety after challenging veteran safety Nick Scott for the position. The Cincinnati Enquirer provided the photo.
As a fan, I am quite concerned with the front office’s degree of inaction and lack of justifiable priorities on the first official day of the free agency market.
