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The Cincinnati Bengals figure to hit linebacker at least once in free agency, perhaps even reaching for a starter-level player to pair with Germaine Pratt.
Meaning, Cleveland Browns linebacker Joe Schobert is one to consider and break down. Here’s a look at his profile.
Other free-agent profiles: Derek Wolfe.
Background
Schobert, 26, is a four-year pro who came off the board in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. He played college ball at Wisconsin and the Bengals are more than familiar with him due to the AFC North connection.
Notes
Schobert has been a workhorse, missing just three games over four seasons and drumming up more than 100 tackles in each of his last three seasons. His real strength comes against the pass — he let up a 69.1 completion percentage last year over 55 targets. He missed 10.7 percent of his tackles last year.
Pros
Upon arrival, Schobert would be Cincinnati’s best coverage linebacker. He’d shore up one of two starting spots alongside Pratt. He’d also mean the Bengals don’t force a need at No. 33 or elsewhere in the draft. The Bengals are completely remaking their linebacker core, so a top-heavy unit with Schobert and Pratt would mean the team just needs to smartly replace or add to a few different spots.
And as an aside, Schobert would make another Bengals star happy — Joe Mixon has openly recruited him. It would also signal to fans the team is serious about improving.
Cons
The Browns aren’t interested in paying Schobert what the market will probably dictate, which is probably a bad sign. He’s going to be expensive, probably in excess of $10 million per year.
And compounding on that problem is the fact Schobert isn’t even the best coverage linebacker in free agency, a title that belongs to Corey Littleton. Throwing so much money at Schobert in the first wave of free agency could handicap the cap over the long-term, especially if the team is also working on extensions for guys like A.J. Green and Joe Mixon.
A smaller factor to consider — for what the Bengals would pay on Schobert, he isn’t exactly a wow name that would bring fans to the stadium.
Verdict
This one probably isn’t happening. If the Browns don’t want to pay up and Schobert is going to have a big market, it wouldn’t make sense to overpay in a bidding war. There are other value buys and the draft has coverage linebackers too. The symbolic gesture of paying up for Schobert would be nice but the actual value of it is worth questioning.
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