Last week, the Bengal Boys gave their first thoughts on which Cincinnati players would still be on the roster next fall and which ones would become free agents. Now we examine the next two on our list. Do they have enough – or have they done enough – to suit up for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017?
Will the Cincinnati Bengals Keep These Free Agents?
4. Dre Kirkpatrick (defensive back) – Dre K had arguably his best season as a pro in 2016. He notched 46 tackles and 3 interceptions. The Cincinnati Bengals gave him the fifth-year extension before last season and Dre showed enough improvement that, we think, he should receive a long-term deal. Furthering our case is the fact that, with Adam Jones staring at a possible suspension because of his January 3 arrest and William Jackson III being an unknown commodity, the Bengals will want all the secondary stability they can get. Re-sign (yep or nope): Yep
5. Kevin Zeitler (offensive guard) – Zeitler, like Kirkpatrick, was a first-round pick in 2012 and is probably the best guard to enter free agency this season. Also like Dre, we think the Bengals will want to keep him around for the sake of unit continuity. The Bengals averaged 110.6 rushing yards per game this season – not bad, but it won’t wow anybody. Zeitler is only in his sixth year as a pro and is worth the $9 million or $10 million it may take to keep him. Our guess is that the Bengal bigwigs will. Re-sign (yep or nope): Yep
[…] the past couple of weeks evaluating Cincinnati Bengals players with names like Whitworth, LaFell, Kirkpatrick, and Zeitler, among others. The purpose? To make the call on whether these free agents will suit up […]