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Free Agency Update: Bengals Sign Minter, and More

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The Cincinnati Bengals made a big free agency move yesterday with the signing of LB Kevin Minter from Arizona.

Minter signed a 1-year deal worth $4.5 million. His arrival to the Bengals will take some of the sting out of losing Karlos Dansby to the Cardinals on his own 1-year deal and should help upgrade the LB position.

The 26-year-old Minter was taken in the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has played in Arizona for the past four years and started every game over the past two seasons. He played over 93% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2016, so he’s durable. During the past two seasons he has logged 175 tackles and four sacks (a career-high 3.5 last season).

Other Bengal free agency news last week

  • The Cincinnati Bengals inked offensive tackle Andre Smith to a 1-year contract on Tuesday. Does the name sound familiar? It should. Smith was drafted by the Bengals out of Alabama in the first round in 2009 and will be heading into his 9th season. He spent last year with the Minnesota Vikings but only started four games before injuring a tricep. Soon after that, he was placed on injured reserve and didn’t play for the rest of the season.
  • Guard/center TJ Johnson agreed to a 2-year deal on Friday. Johnson is a third-year man out of South Carolina and was chosen in the 7th round of the 2015 draft.
  • Finally, two players who are no longer on the Bengals’ roster include wide receiver James Wright (released) and running back Rex Burkhead (signed with the New England Patriots). Since losing Burkhead leaves the team thin at that position look for them to take advantage of a talent-rich draft that includes names like Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, LSU’s Leonard Fournette, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, and Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars – 5 Things to Watch

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Cincinnati put up a solid effort in last Thursday’s 30-14 win over Detroit. With a trip to Jacksonville to take on the 0-2 Jaguars looming, here are 5 things to watch in the third game of the Bengals’ preseason.

1. Wide receiver battle, part I. News flash: 5-time Pro Bowler A.J. Green commands the top WR position. But there are question marks for the second spot. Brandon LaFell, fresh off a stint with the Patriots, is experienced but has yet to crack the 1,000-yard mark in a season and is battling a hand injury. Rookie Tyler Boyd is versatile … and just now cutting his teeth in the pros.

2. WR battle, part II. There are several candidates trying to fill out the back end of the receiver rotation before the roster is cut to 53 men on September 3rd. Brandon Tate, Alex Erickson, James Wright, Mario Alford, and Jake Kumerow are all battling for spots. You may be wondering “Who Dey?”, but it’s more a question of “Who Make It?” and “Who Don’t?”

3. A banged-up secondary. Darqueze Dennard won’t play because of a sprained ankle, First-round pick William Jackson III has a torn pectoral muscle and will spend most of the season (if not all of it) on Injured Reserve. That’s less-than-good news when facing a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, as well as tight ends Julius Thomas (5 catches of 20+ yards last year) and Mercedes Lewis (14.1 yards per reception).

4. How long will the starters stay in? Getting reps for the No. 1 guys is crucial so they can hit the ground running (or passing) when the regular season kicks off September 11 against the Jets, who won 10 games in 2015. Andy Dalton looked smooth against Detroit, going 7 of 9 and posting a 102.8 QB rating. Does he stay in until the third quarter before coach Marvin Lewis slaps third-year man A.J. McCarron on the shoulder and says ‘Go get ’em.”? And with tight end Tyler Eifert most likely out 4-6 weeks to start the season it will be interesting to see how much playing time other key weapons like Green, Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard get.

5. Can the Bengals avoid the bug? The injury bug, that is. We already mentioned the losses of Dennard and WJIII, which can be enough to put the passing defense behind the proverbial 8-ball. A big goal for the team is to get through the game with the starting lineup intact and keep the team doctors from having a busy night.