It looks like the Bengals are getting ready to play tag this offseason, franchise tag that is. With so many key players slated to become free agents in a few weeks, the front office is preparing to roll out the tag for one player to guarantee a one year tender for that player. The front runner for it looks to be Justin Smith, edging out starting guard Eric Steinbach.
Should the Bengals decide to slap the tag on Smith, it will greatly effect the way the offseason plays out for the team for many reasons. The tag would cost the Bengals 8.6 million for one year, the average for the top five defensive ends in the league. This means that the team would have less than ten million in cap room and with the necessity for signing draft picks, it leaves them without the space for a big name free agent like Asante Samuel or Adalius Thomas.
Should Smith not be tagged, the team will be forced to look for a replacement in the first round of the draft. However, with Smith tagged for '07, the draft board changes dramatically. It would give the Bengals the ability to draft the best defensive player available instead of being limited to picking an end that might not be worth the pick. Picking the best player available is very important this year because the Bengals are without a third round pick due to the Ahmad Brooks supplemental draft selection.
Tagging Smith makes a lot of sense to me because even though he has never been the home run hitter on defense, he has always been solid in pass rush and run defense. Even though a big free agent would help, it would not help as much in the long run as building through the draft. A guy like Paul Posluszny could be the staple of the linebacker corps in Cincinnati for a decade and he might be available at 18. Without Smith tagged, the proclaimed "best linebacker ever to play at Penn State" would have to slide right by the Bengals because of the need for an end.
Should the Bengals decide to slap the tag on Smith, it will greatly effect the way the offseason plays out for the team for many reasons. The tag would cost the Bengals 8.6 million for one year, the average for the top five defensive ends in the league. This means that the team would have less than ten million in cap room and with the necessity for signing draft picks, it leaves them without the space for a big name free agent like Asante Samuel or Adalius Thomas.
Should Smith not be tagged, the team will be forced to look for a replacement in the first round of the draft. However, with Smith tagged for '07, the draft board changes dramatically. It would give the Bengals the ability to draft the best defensive player available instead of being limited to picking an end that might not be worth the pick. Picking the best player available is very important this year because the Bengals are without a third round pick due to the Ahmad Brooks supplemental draft selection.
Tagging Smith makes a lot of sense to me because even though he has never been the home run hitter on defense, he has always been solid in pass rush and run defense. Even though a big free agent would help, it would not help as much in the long run as building through the draft. A guy like Paul Posluszny could be the staple of the linebacker corps in Cincinnati for a decade and he might be available at 18. Without Smith tagged, the proclaimed "best linebacker ever to play at Penn State" would have to slide right by the Bengals because of the need for an end.
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