The Bengals were one of the early losers in free agency, taking their time and not spending much despite plenty of cap space. But Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says the team had a plan in free agency, and he’s thrilled with how they’ve executed it.
“I’m jacked about what we’ve done. We basically were able to go out and sign pretty much the guys we hoped to sign,” Lewis told Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “The guys we talked about when we met early on in March.”
Lewis is particularly jacked about running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, the former Patriots running back who Lewis said can do everything the Bengals want a running back to do.
“A month ago if you told me we were going to sign BenJarvus I would have taken it and said, ‘Great.’ I feel good about that. Really good. And after meeting him you feel even better,” Lewis said. “His versatility. His ability to catch. To protect. . . . He does it all. He makes people miss. He’s shown the versatility to do all the things you’re looking for in that guy and he can be a three-down player if he needs to be.”
Other than the Green-Ellis signing, the Bengals haven’t done a lot to make most league observers jacked about them. But after last year’s youth movement led to a surprise playoff appearance, Lewis has every right to feel confident about the direction his team is heading in.