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The Cincinnati Bengals seem like a team very done making additions to the roster.
But free agents like guard Larry Warford don’t become available often.
Warford was an unsurprising release by the New Orleans Saints on Friday. The 28-year-old guard sits as arguably the best free agent available, though not without his red flags.
The 2013 third-round pick has been a staple on the line over the years and even put up a 73.1 grade at Pro Football Focus last season.
But the flip side is the fact a team like the Saints with potentially one year left of Drew Brees under center were more than willing to let him walk. The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell elaborated:
“But the Saints aren’t basing their future plans on one or two games. Warford’s weight issues have been a concern for some time, and the Saints weren’t happy with his play in 2019. His invitation to the Pro Bowl as a replacement didn’t change that.”
Yes, Warford’s release cleared up some money too. But there were clearly other concerns to the point the Saints let him go and will throw a rookie out there in front of Brees.
Should the Bengals throw him out there in front of Burrow? Tough sell. The team has Jonah Williams coming back for left tackle and the guard spots figure to be a melee of sorts between names like Michael Jordan, Billy Price, Xavier Su’a-Filo and even rookie Hakeem Adeniji.
Warford would technically slot at right guard in Cincinnati, though the price might keep the Bengals out of the conversation because plenty of teams figure to have an interest. After committing more than $100 million to free agency, including a set plan along the offensive line, it’s hard to see another add.
But then again…the Bengals have surprised plenty of times this offseason.
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