The biggest offseason deal in Cincinnati this spring could be for a player that is already under contract through the 2010 season. That player is running back Cedric Benson.
After determining that the Bengals are pretty much stuck with Carson Palmer at quarterback in 2010, it is time to take a look at the running back position.
After leading the Cincinnati Bengals to three straight wins at the end of 2008 season by rushing for a combined 355 yards, Benson was awarded with a two-year deal that will pay him $2.65 million in 2010.
If Benson were to pile up numbers similar to this season in 2010 that $2.65 million would possibly be the biggest bargain in the NFL. That is why the Bengals will probably try to re-structure that contract in order to keep him in Cincinnati during the 2011 season and beyond.
Benson, who turned 27 Dec. 28, almost ended up with the Houston Texans this season, as the Bengals focused their attention to free agent Derrick Ward first last offseason. Imagine if that would have happened, the Texans didn’t have a running back rush for 500 yards in 2009 and could have surely used Benson.
On the other hand, the Bengals desperately need Benson. However with 2010 being an uncapped year it could limit what Cincinnati can do this offseason. At the same time, a salary cap is expected 2011. If a cap doesn’t exist, a strike could take place and then no one gets paid. And if anyone deserves to be, it is Benson.
Speaking of bargains, the Cincinnati Bengals got another one when it selected Abilene Christian’s Bernard Scott with its sixth-round compensatory pick in last April’s NFL Draft.
Scott, who was the 209th player selected, showed us his skills in the preseason and eventually in the regular season game at Oakland when he rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries and caught three passes for 32 yards. His biggest play of 2009 was undoubtedly the 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Pittsburgh. After that performance, he was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Fortunately for Cincinnati, Scott is signed through the 2012 season. He signed a four-year deal last summer that pays him roughly $457,000 a season.
At the very least Scott is a solid kick returner, but he appears to be much more. He really should be a back that continues to get better and better. If this labor agreement is ever settled, Scott could get a raise next offseason.
How clutch was Brian Leonard this season?
Statistically he didn’t blow anyone away, but he seemed to make play after play and even was named the team’s MVP by a few of its players.
Leonard is definitely a player that can give his team a boost when it needs it.
Again statistically 84 rushing yards and 217 receiving yards are not impressive, but he is a dream third-down back. He is a great blocker, a sure-handed receiver and will fight as hard as humanly possible to reach that first-down marker.
Like Benson, Leonard will be a free agent in 2011. However, I don’t expect a long-term deal to be in the cards this offseason. Fortunately, the Bengals will have the services for Leonard for at least one more year after they traded for him last offseason.
If Leonard puts forth another season in 2010 like he did in 2009, I expect the Bengals to at least pony up a two-year deal for the veteran next offseason.
Please forget about Larry Johnson. I would be extremely surprised if the Cincinnati Bengals would retain the services of the former troubled Kansas City Chief. Especially with Benson, Scott and Leonard already under contract for 2010.
And there is no reason to feel bad for Johnson, he came to Cincinnati and did what he had to do. He showed up, played when he was needed, sat when he wasn’t and didn’t cause any problems or at least none that were made public.
I expect Johnson to go on his free-agent tour with multiple copies of his 107-yard rushing performance against Cleveland. A team that needs a good backup running back should give him an opportunity. I doubt it would be a long-term deal, but Johnson is as good as gone.
Don’t completely forget about the guy, however, I am sure he could come up as a clever Bengals trivia question a couple of years down the road.
Johnson is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
To be honest, being a fan of Jeremi Johnson is extremely difficult. That is why if the Bengals choose not to re-sign the overweight fullback there will not be an uproar among the fanbase.
It was surprising that the man, who was huffing and puffing during drills on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” made it through the entire season (he was, however, banged up from time-to-time). Obviously, if one were paying attention, he didn’t play as many downs this season as he did with Cincinnati earlier in his career.
It will be somewhat surprising to see the Bengal pursue him this free-agent period.
Obviously, he was an upgrade over Daniel Coats this season. That being said, a dumpster with wheels would have been a tremendous upgrade over Coats.
Johnson is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and I find it extremely interesting that Cincinnati kept another fullback on its 53-man roster for the last 10 weeks (including playoffs) of the season.
Despite being on the 53-man roster for the last 10 weeks of the season, Vakapuna didn’t play a down. Another interesting thing about Vakapuna is that the Bengals signed him to a four-year deal in early November.
Last summer Vakapuna appeared to be the strongest and most athletically gifted of all the Cincinnati fullbacks, but he also didn’t have a grasp of the offense so the Bengals cut him. He then joined Arizona’s practice squad before the Bengals came back with a four-year deal. Then Cincinnati kept him on the roster so that no other team could pluck him off Cincy’s practice squad.
Were they grooming Vakapuna to be the future fullback?
In the NFL, who knows, a player can be cut at any time and given only the money that was guaranteed to them. And I doubt the Bengals guaranteed much to Vakapuna.
Personally, I want to believe that Vakapuna was being groomed to be Bengals’ starting fullback for 2010, 2011 and 2012 at the very least.
Decision for 2010:
It is clear that the Bengals should try to sign Cedric Benson long term. If they can’t, they may take a look at the running backs available in the NFL Draft. One back that reminds me of Benson is Georgia Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer. He is currently projected around the position of when the Bengals will be selecting in the first round. There will be plenty of quality backs chosen in the first four rounds, but if the Bengals do the right thing (sign Benson for a few more seasons) they shouldn’t have to worry about any running backs in the draft or in free agency. That doesn’t mean Cincinnati won’t pursue any, it just doesn’t make sense for it to be a top priority.
Benson, Scott, Leonard and Vakapuna should all be in training camp this summer.
Jeremi Johnson also could be because it could be unlikely that he finds another team that would show the slightest interest in him.
Larry Johnson? It was nice knowing ya, good luck in the future.
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