NFL Free Agency starts next week and believe it or not the Bengals are once again positioning themselves to spend alot. Katie Blackburn wrote a letter to the fan base essentially announcing she is now in charge and her goal is a super bowl. If you dont know she is Mike Brown's daughter and has been slowly taking over as her father ages. A big free agency period last year and the new jersey can really reflect she is taking power. Exciting and for now there is no reason to doubt her intentions. 

 To start here are the biggest free agency notes/rumors, a lot come from Goodberry, Hobson, and the locked on pod. 

• The Bengals chose not to use the franchise tag on William Jackson or Carl Lawson. The idea had been they would have forced Lawson into a position where he needs to take a deal or take the tag. He has dealt with a lot of injuries in his career so signing a 1 year deal would not have been ideal for him. The Bengals decided not to do this.
• Hobson(an insider) described not using the tag in this way. The Bengals plan to spend $40 million in free agency(this year not total contract), using the tag on Lawson would have cost $16 million and basically wiped out half of the available money. Does it make sense to spend half your money on an injury prone edge rusher for a 1 year deal? The Bengals are a small market team so they need to use their signing bonus cash wisely.
•  Lawson is still on the table. The Bengals want to sign him to a longer term deal and would have a massive hole at edge rusher without him. However he is the top pass rusher in free agency so he will be getting a big offer from somebody.
• William Jackson is gone. The long time rumor is the staff doesnt feel he is as good as PFF/fans. Trae Waynes is coming off IR so there isnt really a hole created. With Jessie Bates going into a contract year would it make sense to have Waynes/WJ3/Bates all on huge deals? WJ3 is also viewed as the top corner in free agency. 
• Geno Atkins wont be playing on his current contract one way or another. He is owed $14 million and the team will ask him to take less or be cut. If he is cut they will be able to spend $50 million. 
• Joe Thuney is very unlikely. He is expected to make $14 million a year and do the Bengals want to spend that on a guard? They are VERY serious about spending money on the offensive line and even players like Carl Lawson have come out and said he knew they were going to spend a lot on the OL. 
• Expectations-Huge money spent on the OL, Atkins/WJ3 gone, Lawson is a question mark but if hes gone they will sign another edge rusher. Fully building around Burrow this year and after '21 they can go back and focus on the defense.

Draft Simulation-Dolphins as of this moment are expected to take Penei Sewell. Sewell is a elite LT for 5 years on a cheap contract, drafting him and signing somebody like JuJu Smith makes a lot of sense. 

• #5-Jamarr Chase WR LSU-This fits the all in on Burrow idea of this offseason. Having the OL fixed through free agency, Joe Mixon coming back, and adding Jamarr Chase to Higgins and Boyd. The offense would be top 10. Who would be able to cover this receiving core? Chase is simply elite in every way. 
• #38-Liam Eichenberg RT Notre Dame-A plug and play RT to finish to offensive rebuild. The Bengals spend big money on the IOL and hope to use this pick on the best available OT. Eichenberg is exactly what they want. A very experienced OT who is better in the run game than pass protection. Would be very good leading the way for Mixon while having much more upside in pass protection than Bobby Hart. Jonah Williams was nearly a top 10 LT in his first year starting, he isnt being moved. 
• Dylan Moses LB Bama-The Bengals have revamped the LB room but they are lacking a versatile athlete like Moses. ADG is a very good passing down LB, Germaine Pratt is a base Will, Logan Wilson is a good standard/rush down Mike. Moses can be the versatile LB that does everything. He can pass rush, be a big pass down backer, and be athletic enough to cover. This pick positions the defense to focus 100% on the DL and CB in the 2021 offseason.