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The Cincinnati Bengals have undergone a massive turnaround in part thanks to newfound aggressiveness and performance in free agency.
And that’s by design that dates back to 2018.
Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn points to the shakeup in their approach to free agency that has made the biggest difference, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
“We have spent more time studying free agents before free agency. We have invested more time in doing that and I think we are getting better results with some of the things we’ve been doing. It’s like everything. We looked at it. We improved the way we were doing it. The scouts and the role they play and working with the coaches in terms of studying free agents … We’ve spent a little more time working to find the pieces and the players that will fit our team.”
Two moves let the Bengals commit even more time to free agency — the promotion of Mike Potts to director of college scouting and Steven Radicevic to director of pro scouting, primarily with a focus on free agents.
Doesn’t sound like much, but the Bengals have made major headway on big splash signings like D.J. Reader and Trey Hendrickson, to value adds like Eli Apple who stepped in and performed well as starters.
In the past, the Bengals wouldn’t take major looks at outsider players, preferring the draft-and-retain approach.
Barring something dramatic, this new, modernized approach to free agency won’t change. The Bengals hope it has helped them hit another jackpot of an offseason too after three new additions to the offensive line in this year’s free agency.
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