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The Cincinnati Bengals didn't make many, if any splash free-agent signings this offseason ahead of the NFL draft, instead opting to focus on the extensions for Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Cincinnati signing a name like linebacker Oren Burks in free agency sort of came and went, then, as just another small move. That was especially the case once Akeem Davis-Gaither left for the Arizona Cardinals, making it seem like a sort of swap.
But Pro Football Focus' Ben Cooper sees it as something more, tabbing Burks as Cincinnati's highest-upside signing:
"Burks, fresh off a Super Bowl win with the Eagles, comes to Cincinnati on just a $5 million contract over two years. His best work came in the playoffs, where he filled in for an injured Nakobe Dean and finished as the postseason’s highest-graded linebacker (80.7)."
Related: Bengals shock with decision to pass on huge name in NFL mock draft
If nothing else, there is indeed some interesting upside there with Burks, making him a low-cost, quality-upside signing by the front office at an embattled position.
Cincinnati's linebacker group, after all, had Logan Wilson suffer an injury last year, lost ADG and Germaine Pratt requested a trade. Maema Njongmeta is a promising player at the position, but it's quietly one the Bengals could choose to address pretty high in the draft, too -- provided coaches aren't projecting a big role for Burks, anyway.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals' free-agent signing hyped as having major upside
Continue reading...
Cincinnati signing a name like linebacker Oren Burks in free agency sort of came and went, then, as just another small move. That was especially the case once Akeem Davis-Gaither left for the Arizona Cardinals, making it seem like a sort of swap.
But Pro Football Focus' Ben Cooper sees it as something more, tabbing Burks as Cincinnati's highest-upside signing:
"Burks, fresh off a Super Bowl win with the Eagles, comes to Cincinnati on just a $5 million contract over two years. His best work came in the playoffs, where he filled in for an injured Nakobe Dean and finished as the postseason’s highest-graded linebacker (80.7)."
Related: Bengals shock with decision to pass on huge name in NFL mock draft
If nothing else, there is indeed some interesting upside there with Burks, making him a low-cost, quality-upside signing by the front office at an embattled position.
Cincinnati's linebacker group, after all, had Logan Wilson suffer an injury last year, lost ADG and Germaine Pratt requested a trade. Maema Njongmeta is a promising player at the position, but it's quietly one the Bengals could choose to address pretty high in the draft, too -- provided coaches aren't projecting a big role for Burks, anyway.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals' free-agent signing hyped as having major upside
Continue reading...
