Bengals’ biggest roster decisions on the defensive side
Top pass rusher and cornerback could walk if team doesn’t step up.
With NFL free agency opening in a few weeks, the Cincinnati Bengals have some decisions to make — particularly regarding two high-profile players who could be candidates for a franchise tag before then.
Cornerback William Jackson III and defensive end Carl Lawson are set to become unrestricted free agents when the new league year begins March 17.
However, the Bengals could be considering either one of them for a franchise tag, and that decision would need to be made by 4 p.m. March 9. Teams were able to designate franchise or transition players beginning Tuesday.
Locking up Lawson appears to be the top priority for the Bengals, as the 2017 fourth-round draft pick is coming off a career year where he ranked in the top 10 among the league’s edge players in pass rushing. Cincinnati’s pass rush was among the worst in the NFL last year, ranking last in sacks with just 17, and Lawson was one of the few players who got consistent pressure on the quarterback, despite not being able to finish the play.
“Pass rush is critical in this league, and Carl has done a nice job of that, pressuring the quarterback, getting hits on them and affecting the games,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said in December. “It’s good to have somebody like that who affects the quarterback.”
It’s possible the parties could be looking at a long-term deal but the franchise tag could be a
way to keep him in town one more year to make sure his first full season since 2017 — first as a starter — wasn’t a fluke. The franchise tag also still leaves room for negotiation of a long-term contract, though the deadline to sign a multi-year extension is July 15.
Lawson played just seven games in 2018 because of a season-ending ACL tear (he also tore an ACL in college) and then dealt with a hamstring injury in 2019, so completing a full season was important in the final year of his rookie contract.
“It’s just the perception of it,” Lawson said in December when asked how he handles the perception he is injury prone. “A guy isn’t injury prone. Most of the times, people don’t come back from injury because they don’t rehab right. Or mentally, they just don’t know how to do it. Or they just don’t have the resources to do it. Or they just don’t care as much. Or they rehab and they mess something else up, they come back too soon. … I just kind of think my mindset is with anything, you can improve and you can do anything. … That’s how I approach everything in life, to be honest.”
Lawson didn’t want to talk about the possibility of playing his last game for Cincinnati when asked about his contract situation in December. He offered that “Cincinnati is a great place,” but didn’t want to “jinx” the good things going for him at that time.
While Lawson, like anyone, would prefer a longterm deal, a franchise tag at his position (representing the average of the top five highest paid players) is estimated at $17.8 million for 2021. Lawson’s average salary in 2020 was $763,000.
Re-signing Jackson — or tagging him if not Lawson — could be the next priority on the team’s to-do list this offseason, but as someone who averaged $9.6 million in salary, Cincinnati might be ready to move on. Jackson wasn’t the most consistent player for the Bengals, and they should have Trae Waynes back from injury in 2021 to help the secondary. He could be looking to test the waters and assuming enough teams need corners someone will bite on a big contract.
“I think our corners have to be more consistent across the board,” Taylor said in November when asked about Jackson’s performance in 2020. “Again, it’s not always easy. You have to hold up sometimes for longer than you want to but that’s life in the NFL. When you’re a starting corner, it’s one of the hardest jobs in the league. You have to have a short memory. You are gonna give up plays, they all do. You have to be able to retrigger your focus back to the next play and go make the next play. He’s had some really solid games for us this year. We are counting on him to be a consistent player.”
There are 28 Bengals players who are set to become free agents next month. The team used a franchise tag on A.J. Green last year after he missed the entire 2019 campaign because of an ankle injury, but all signs seem to point to him having played his last game for Cincinnati.
Others who seem likely to depart in free agency include safety Shawn Williams and wide receiver John Ross, who fell on the depth chart, and in Ross’ case, disappeared altogether, as well as kicker Randy Bullock, who was replaced late in 2020.
The Bengals also will have decisions to make with tight end Cethan Carter, cornerbacks LeShaun Sims, Mackensie Alexander, Tony Brown and Jalen Davis, punter Kevin Huber, safety/kick returner Brandon Wilson, wide receivers Alex Erickson and Mike Thomas, linebackers Josh Bynes and Jordan Evans, defensive linemen Mike Daniels, Margus Hunt, Xavier Williams, Amani Bledsoe and Christian Covington, long snapper Clark Harris, offensive linemen Quinton Spain and Alex Redmond, backup quarterback Brandon Allen and running back Samaje Perine.
CENTERVILLE — The Wayne High School boys basketball team is back in the district finals for the first time since 2018.
Senior Prophet Johnson scored a game-high 20 points as Wayne beat Lebanon 68-46 in a Division I district semifinal Friday night at Centerville High School.
Sophomore Lawrent Rice had 14 points and senior Malcolm Curry added 10 as the Warriors improved to 16-4. Lebanon finished 16-3.
“I’m just proud of our guys,” said Warriors coach Nathan Martindale. “I love them to death. I told our seniors: ‘This is your legacy.’ It’s time for them to see what they’re going to leave for the kids coming up. I was happy for those guys. They deserved this. We’re happy to still be playing in the tournament.”
Wayne led 16-15 after the first quarter, but pulled away to grab a 36-25 lead at the half.
“Lebanon has a lot of seniors, they’re physical and they run their system and they’re good at what they do,” Martindale said. “I thought our seniors really stepped up. Winning a sectional championship isn’t an easy thing to do and we don’t take anything for granted. We just tried to stay in the moment and take it possession by possession and really executed.”
Wayne held Lebanon to three points in the third quarter, taking a 49-28 lead to seal the victory.
“It was big for this group to be able to win this game,” Martindale said. “We didn’t handle our business last year. We’re thankful. We know with the pandemic and everything going on we’re not guaranteed tomorrow, so we’re just trying to live in the moment and I think our kids are playing that way right now.”
Martindale credited senior Cam Fancher for taking four charges.
“A lot of that’s not sexy or flashy, but it made a huge difference,” he said. “It made a huge difference in how they approached the game.”
Wayne plays St. Xavier in the D-I district final Saturday at a time to be determined. Wayne fell at St. Xavier 62-59 on Jan. 30.
“We know that whoever we play in the district it’s going to be a tough battle,” Martindale said. “We’re going to try to get prepared and realize we’ve got a huge task at hand. We’ve got to get ready to go.”
■ Also Friday in Division I, top-seeded Centerville beat Beavercreek 71-45 to advance.
■ In Division III, Greeneview edged Purcell-Marian 57-56 in overtime.
■ In Division IV, Botkins, Tri-Village and Cedarville all advanced.