Cincinnati — Scenes from inside the Cincinnati Bengals’ locker room served as a reminder of the team’s impending reality the day after the season came to an official conclusion.
After games, players from opposing teams who are friendly with one another often exchange jerseys with personalised notes. Others packed their things into bags or boxes, bid farewell to the town, and headed out. And some spoke of an uncertain future.
Among them was DJ Reader, a defensive tackle who was instrumental in Cincinnati’s reconstruction. Reader’s fourth season with the Bengals and his last one under his current deal came to an end in Week 15 due to a right quad injury. Reader wondered what free agency would hold for him and when this Bengals era would come to an end as he stood on crutches.
Additionally, he had no idea.
Reader commented, “It’s kind of interesting,” on January 8. “Last time, I was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ll be in the midst of this [injury predicament] this time. You never know. I’m not sure what to expect.”
Reader will be one of the few important Bengals who could join with a new team when free agency opens on March 11. The Bengals’ cap room will be little less than $60 million, per OverTheCap.com.
Additionally, Cincinnati will need to make a few crucial choices before a crucial 2024 campaign.
DJ Preview
Position: Tackle on defence
29 years old
2023 stats: 20 tackles, 1 sack, and 14 games
Prospects: Don’t let the figures deceive you. Shortly before quarterback Joe Burrow was selected with the first overall choice by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft, Reader was the first free agent the team signed. At the time, Reader’s four-year contract worth $53 million was the highest the Bengals had ever offered to an outside free agency.
His seasons in 2020 and 2023 were curtailed by quad injuries. However, he played a significant role in Cincinnati’s success when he was well.
After Reader suffered a season-ending injury, Bengals coach Zac Taylor stated, “He’s just such a leader, such a consistent force on the defensive line.”
The Roster Management System indicates that in 2023, Reader carried a $15.6 million cap charge. What type of market he will have after recovering from the accident is unknown. The Bengals will need to determine whether they can afford to bring Reader back because Cincinnati is paying hefty costs to keep its offensive core intact.
Position: Wide Receiver Tee Higgins
25 years old
12 games, 42 catches, 656 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns are the 2023 stats.
Outlook: Higgins’ least successful season with the Bengals was caused by a number of issues. He fought two major injuries: a hamstring injury he sustained during a practice later in the season, and a cracked rib sustained in a Week 4 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
In addition, he had to deal with the fact that a long-term contract was not finalised before the season began.
Higgins caught 54.5% of his targets, the lowest catch rate of his career, according to ESPN Stats & Information. But his value was underscored in a Week 15 win over the Minnesota Vikings. With star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase leaving the end of the game because of a shoulder injury, Higgins stepped up and had four catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns, including an acrobatic 21-yard reception that was one of the top catches of the year.
Higgins is a prime candidate to receive the franchise tag, which the Bengals have used in two of the past three offseasons. In 2020, Cincinnati receiver A.J. Green played on the tag. Two years later, safety Jessie Bates III played on the tag and cashed in 2023, when he signed a four-year deal worth $64 million with the Atlanta Falcons.
Even with Chase in line for a massive contract extension soon, the Bengals can give Higgins a tag that is estimated to be worth $21.7 million by OverTheCap. Chase will be in the final year of his rookie contract in 2024, and Burrow’s cap charge doesn’t balloon until 2025. Burrow has already stated his desire to have Higgins back for at least one more season.
“I expect him to be back,” Burrow said Jan. 8. “I know everybody in the locker room wants him back.”
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson said on a podcast over the weekend that if Higgins does leave Cincinnati, he’d like to see his fellow-Clemson alum in Cleveland. Both are represented by agent David Mulugheta.
Joe Mixon
Position: Reverse back
27 years old
2023 stats: 9 rushing touchdowns, 1,034 running yards, 257 carries, and 17 games
The prognosis: For the second year in a row, Mixon will have an unpredictable offseason. Mixon agreed to a renegotiated contract in 2023 that reduced his $8.4 million salary cap. He took advantage of the two significant incentives in the new contract at the end of the season. In all, he scored 12 touchdowns and was paid $350,000.
And judging by the stats, he was undoubtedly productive. Mixon collected 1,410 yards from scrimmage. According to ESPN Stats & Information, since 2015, that is the eighth-highest total recorded by a running back in his seventh or later NFL season.
But Mixon lacks the explosiveness that Cincinnati needs to punish opponents who are defending against Burrow and the Bengals’ passing game. Among running backs with at least 100 carries, Mixon ranked 15th on runs of 10 or more yards against light defensive boxes (six or fewer defenders).
That remains a point of emphasis for the Bengals this offseason. The Bengals will have to decide on Mixon’s contract early. He is due a $3 million roster bonus on March 18, the fifth day of the new league year. If the Bengals cut him before then, they will gain $5.8 million in cap savings.
While Mixon has been productive, Cincinnati is looking for more big plays on the ground in 2024, which could play a role in whether Mixon returns for his eighth season with the Bengals.
“I think this offseason we’ll be able to take a step,” Burrow said.
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