So last night was pretty heartbreaking. But I want this thread to be more focused on turning the page and getting what we were so close to claiming for the first time. Really want to talk about 3 things in this thread: the cap, the roster, and the draft.

Cap space:

• The Bengals are currently projected to have $55 million in cap space for '22. This is much more than any of the other playoff teams and close to the highest in the league.
• One downside is the Bengals currently only have 37 players under contract for next year so that amount of money has to cover basically 20 more players(including the draft picks)
• Players to be cut: Trae Waynes will be cut and will free up $10.4($5 million dead cap) and Trey Hopkins will be cut freeing up $5.6 million($1.1 dead cap) so the Bengals will gain an additional $16 million bringing the true total up to $71 million in cap space.

Top players to resign:

• Jessie Bates(S)-This is a must resign. He was the best S in football in '21 and was ridiculously good in the playoffs this year. He would be projected to get about $16 million per year and would want a longer contract. He is one of the few truly elite players, is a team captain, and most importantly is only 24 years old. They have to resign him
• CJ Uzomah(TE)-Resigning Uzomah would cost about $8 million per year with what would be a shorter contract as he is 29. CJ is the vocal leader of the team and put up really solid stats as the 4th option in the passing game. Drew Sample is a bust and no better than a backup. I think this is somebody you need to resign. 
• BJ Hill/Larry Ogunjobi(3T DT)-First of all BJ Hill is clearly better than Ogunjobi imo. Either way atleast one of the guys needs resigned. There isnt another DT(3T) under contract so bringing one or both of these guys back is needed.
• Quinton Spain(LG)-Spain is interesting because he isn't good at all but he appears to be solid next to the tomato cans on the OL. Spain SHOULD be a backup OG but if he is here on a cheap contract as the worst starting OL then I can live with that.
• Eli Apple(outside CB)-The Eli Apple saga has been incredible for the Bengals this year. He came out of no where to be an average starting corner which made the Trae Waynes debacle no issue and then Apple proceeded to drive his value down by becoming one of the most hated players in the league. Apple should 100% be brought back as the #3 corner on a cheap contract but he shouldnt be viewed as a starter.

Needs heading into free agency:

• OG(2)-Spain is a free agent and they have Jackson Carman and Xavier Sua'Filo under contract. In reality though they need to find two starters because those two suck. It costs about $5 million to get average starters. Some names include 
• C(1)-Hopkins will be cut and they have Trey Hill as depth. They need to find a starter.
• RT(1)-Riley Reiff is gone and after the 33 year old end the year on IR I doubt they go back down that path. Maybe time to find a long term option here. I think this is where they should spend big.
• TE(1)-I imagine they resign Uzomah to start but there are some intriguing options out there, they need a starter. 
• DT-3T(2)-They currently have nobody under contract here and they werent great to begin with here. I think they should resign BJ Hill and go get a good player here to complete the defense. This will be a very important piece this offseason. 
• CB(2)-Waynes will be cut and Apple is a free agent. Hilton is great as a slot and Awuzie is good. They should resign Apple and try to find a starting caliber CB which isnt cheap.
• S(1)-They should either tag or resign Bates to fill this role.
• EDGE rusher(1)-Hubbard is solid and had good stats but he isnt that good of a pass rusher and could be used as a 3T on passing downs to get more rush from there. The interesting question is do you spend big $ here to be elite at rushing the passer or do you hope Joesph Ossai is good coming off IR.

Players returning from IR:
Josseph Ossai(EDGE) was the 3rd round steal who was fantastic in camp and during his first preseason game before missing the season. He could be a huge addition at an impact position or maybe he was just a good storyline in camp.
Akeem Davis Gaither(LB) a passing down LB with good athleticism will return to round out a LB room that turned into a strength down the stretch with Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt.

Draft Simulation: I know everybody will scream to draft 8 OL and I understand that and think they need to find 4 starters. However Chase is an important reminder that the draft should be used to find the best players and to not draft positions. The Bengals need help at CB, DT, OL, and at EDGE. Also this can be kind of hard before free agency

1.  Zion Johnson(IOL Boston College) Bengals nab the top guard in the draft to add talent upfront. Johnson is 6'3" 315 and really the only flaw is he isn't the biggest guy but he isnt undersized like Linerbaum. Also seems to have the intelligence/athleticism to be able to slide to center.
2. Jamaree Salyer(OG UGA) I didnt intend to go OL heavy because I think that is short sighted but the board ended up this way. Salyer was a starting tackle for the champion Bulldogs. He is a very good run blocker, massive at 6'4" 320 with a huge wingspan, and very explosive. His biggest weakness is his lateral mobility. Between Carman, Salyer, and Johnson hopefully two of these MFers pan out.
3. Quay Walker LB UGA-The LB room is very good with Wilson/Pratt/ADG who are all very good at being LBs who always fit their responsibility. What it does lack though is a freaky athlete who can get to the QB on blitzes. Walker is a freak at 6'4" 230 and very explsoive. He isnt the greatest from a technique standpoint but he can be very versatile and his pass rushing adds an extra element to this defense. 
4. Alec Pierce WR UC-I know its crazy to think drafting a receiver is a possibility but there are really two reasons for this. First if ANY of the three starters get injured who the hell is stepping in? Important to have somebody able to step in and make plays in 1on1 coverage. Second if you have any hope of resigning Higgins and Chase in a couple years you better have dudes on cheap contracts behind them. Pierce at 6'3" is great at all the little things like catching, route running, blocking, and body control but he is just ok in the big traits. A crafty guy like him who could occasionally fill in as the #3 receiver or come in as the outside guy in empty spread sets allowing Chase to be the second slot would be a good role.