The Bengals have signed a grand total of one unrestricted free agent, a guy who will compete to be a backup quarterback.
And while there are more deals to do, Bengals owner Mike Brown said bringing in a bunch of players from outside the organization isn’t anything he’s interested in.
“I think what we’re trying to do is grow in the best way possible,” Brown said, via Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer. That isn’t necessarily going out and proving you can spend more money than you should. Most of these deals in all probability, at least that’s how it’s been in the past, prove out to have lot of misjudgments. But we are planning to spend our cap money and we’re hoping and we’re intending to spend it on our own people.
“There is no single silver bullet. We’re shooting a lot of small shots. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to cost the same amount of money. And it doesn’t mean we aren’t going to have the best team possible.
“Maybe there isn’t as much pizazz in what we’re doing as some wish. But I do think it’s the best course for our football team both in the short run and the long run.”
Translated, business as usual in Cincinnati.
While it’s easy to rip them for being cheap (they didn’t get that reputation by accident), the Bengals also have chosen a course and stuck to it.
Team officials referred to last year’s acquisition of BenJarvus Green-Ellis (as opposed to making a run at Reggie Bush this year), and they used the franchise tag to hang onto defensive end Michael Johnson, while continuing to work toward a long-term deal with right tackle Andre Smith.
“They know that we want to make a deal and we want them to engage and get it done,” Brown said.
And because he’s one of their own, there’s a chance it happens.