Dead Weight

If you're a Bengals fan, you've probably often debated the value of keeping x-player on the roster: can he tackle?  Is he a good "locker room" guy?  Is he going to get Carson killed?  How many guns does he own?  Although such arguments are the right of every NFL fan--and also fun as hell--we thought we'd get right down to the heart of the issue--namely, how much does it actually cost against the salary cap to keep each player on our roster?  With the help of Sports Illustrated's online staff, we have compiled the list of salary cap amounts for each Bengal's player currently under contract (rookies are excluded since they have yet to sign).  Read on to see if you think some of these guys should be standing in the unemployment line come September 7th.

According to SI, here are the 2008 salary cap numbers for all Bengals players currently under contract:

Player	Position	Cap Number ($)
Adams, Daniel 'Blue'	CB	605,000
Adams, Titus	DT	370,000
Anderson, Willie	OL	4,400,000
Andrews, Stacy	OL	7,455,000
Blackstock, Darryl	LB	520,000
Brooks, Ahmad	LB	605,187
Busing, John	S	445,000
Chatman, Antonio	WR	740,000
Coats, Daniel	TE	372,500
Cook, Kyle	OL	295,000
Dorsey, De De	RB	445,000
Fanene, Jonathan	DE	1,500,000
Gabriel, Doug	WR	445,000
Geathers, Robert	DE	4,233,333
Ghiaciuc, Eric	OL	1,033,250
Graham, Shayne	K	1,130,000
Hall, Leon	CB	1,562,500
Hebert, Kyries	S	307,500
Henderson, Eric	DE	295,000
Holt, Glenn	WR	445,000
Houshmandzadeh, T.J.	WR	3,687,500
Irons, Kenny	RB	690,000
JOhnson, Rudi	RB	4,650,000
Jackson, Dexter	S	1,750,000
Jeanty, Rashad	LB	445,000
Johnson, Brandon	LB	445,000
Johnson, Chad	WR	6,415,370
Johnson, Jeremi	RB	1,350,000
Jones, David	CB	370,000
Jones, Dhani	LB	1,866,666
Jones, Herana-Daze	S	445,000
Jones, Levi	OL	5,266,666
Joseph, Johnathan	CB	1,582,500
Kelly, Reggie	TE	3,200,000
Kilmer, Ethan	WR	460,500
Kooistra, Scott	OL	688,333
Larson, Kyle	K	1,230,000
Lawrie, Nate	TE	605,000
Livings, Nate	OL	295,000
Manning, Roy	LB	520,000
Maxwell, Jim	LB	605,000
Maxwell, Marcus	WR	445,000
Mays, Corey	LB	445,000
Myers, Michael	DT	880,000
Ndukwe, Chinebum 'Nedu'	S	378,837
O'Neal, Deltha	CB	3,421,250
Odom, Antwan	DE	5,700,000
Palmer, Carson	QB	13,980,000
Palmer, Jordan	QB	295,000
Peko, Domata	DT	546,750
Perry, Chris	RB	1,481,500
Pollack, David	LB	2,175,000
Rowe, Jeff	QB	413,500
Rucker, Frostee	DE	600,000
Santucci, Dan	OL	370,000
Schlegel, Anthony	LB	445,000
St. Louis, Brad	TE	758,571
Thornton, John	DT	4,625,000
Thurman, Odell	LB	368,750
Turnbull, Nick	S	370,000
Uperesa, Dane	OL	295,000
Utecht, Ben	TE	2,666,666
Verdon, Jimmy	DE	370,000
Watson, Kenny	RB	921,666
White, Marvin	S	481,875
Whitworth, Andrew	OL	720,000
Williams, Bobbie	OL	2,925,000

Couple of things jump out at me here--starting with the lineman (man, these guys get paid).  First, Marvin is right about Stacy Andrews--he had better be starting this year at nearly $8 million against the cap.  The fact that this guy has started less than two full seasons in the NFL means we either need to lock him up with a long-term contract, or say adios fat man.  If, in fact, the team is looking at him as the replacement for Willie "Grandpappy" Anderson, then it may be time (at least, next year) to let Big Willie retire to his burgeoning Fat Burger franchise, taking his $4.4 million dollar cap hit and life expectancy of 43 years with him.  OK, that last joke was not funny, but seriously, when you weigh 345 lbs. and own a restaurant called Fat Burger, you better have some good health insurance.

As far as the rest of the O-line, well, we here at WDR will be the first to say that it all starts up front, and you have to have a talented O-line to do anything in this league.  So, allotting over $5 million in cap space to Levi Jones and $2.95 million for Bobbie Williams is fine by us.  However, the intended beneficiary of their work, one Rudi "I think I am better than I am" Johnson, seems to be sandbagging this whole operation with his $4.65 million cap allocation and pitiful 2.9 yards per carry average.  If we have seen anything over the last few years, it's that finding a solid RB is not that difficult--I'm not saying you'll find LT or Adrian Peterson on the waiver wire, but a Rudi Johnson?  Um, yes.  Take a look at Ryan Grant, Ahmad Bradshaw, etc, and that's just from last year.

On the defensive side, two players jump right off the page into the WTF category (no, not WDR, for those who don't know the abbreviation, it stands for What The F*ck?)  John Thorton--captain of the defense, usurper of nearly $5 million in cap space, and overall sub-par defensive lineman.  How this man commands a salary above $100 per week plus food expenses is beyond me.  In all seriousness, Thorton is at best an average NFL D-lineman who should not be getting paid at near-elite levels (he is certainly not top-tier in terms of payment, but still above average).  We can only hope that this year the emergence of Pat Sims or (gulp) Jason Shirley will push JT out, making way for Keith Rivers to take over as captain of the D.

Finally, Deltha O'Neal.  I'm conflicted on this one because, unlike many of my comrades, I think Deltha is still a good player (when he tries).  I would love to have him out there in Nickel situations--but $3.4 million in cap space for a non-starter on a TERRIBLE defense?  Doesn't add up.  If we can believe any of Hobson's tripe (I like the guy, but recently it's been one puff piece after another), maybe there are some young secondary guys who can emerge and take over that Nickel corner spot.

Lastly, any talk of economics, cap hits, trades, etc. is all moot if you don't have an owner who is willing to make intelligent--and sometimes big--moves.  In case you didn't notice, we have Mike Brown and his equally incompetent daughter/son-in-law combination of Katie and Troy Blackburn.  So while we here at WDR would like to see some intelligent moves made with regard to managing the salary cap, we'd be even more thrilled if the Bengals spent some of their money to get us impact players instead of bargain-basement talent.

Post Script

In the category of "best value," there are a few worth mentioning here.  Daniel "Don't Call Me Ben" Coates has to be on that list, as a guy who has been a special teams contributor, emerging TE, all-around great locker room guy (from what we're told) and potential starting FB.  I'd dish out $300K for a guy like that any day.

Rashad Jeanty also has to make that list, as one of the better defenders on our team.  Certainly, he's been slowed a bit by injuries, but I think he's earned his $445K cap space.  The two young safeties--Chinedum Ndukwe and Marvin White--could really be valuable this year, maybe making way to part with the $1.75 million in cap space for Dexter Jackson (which I don't thing is inordinate, but if he gets outplayed, see ya later). 

It'll be interesting to see how things pan out this year and whether or not we are able to get some key guys (Houshmandzadeh, Andrews) locked up to long-term deals.  If not, I think ownership will have failed to take advantage of some good opportunities to manipulate the salary cap. 

Comments

[Klinglered]

I got a fat burger this weekend and it was amazing

[Todd]

I'd also take a look at Kyle Larson for almost $1.3 million. I don't remember ever thinking we have to throw some cash Kyle Larson's way or else he'll bolt for greener pastures. Maybe I'm wrong but I think we could replace his 35.6 (or so) net average, inside the 20 punts, and place holding responsibilities for less.

Katie Blackburn allegedly knows the Collective Bargaining Agreement better than anyone, so perhaps she is more competent than Mikey and Troy when it comes to making smart economic moves. However, based on what I've read about her, I feel it is more rote knowledge of the CBA rather than true understanding. Knowing what it says is not the same as knowing how to wisely maneuver under its constraints.

[Winn Parry]

I think one player that we have overlooked is Jonathan Fanene making $1.5 million this year. This guy had 4 tackles and 1 sack last year... In comparison, Frostee and Blue Adams, and even Ahmad Brooks (who played 1 full game) all had bigger numbers than this guy. Dont get me wrong.. I hope he plays well this year. But he will be hard pressed to even see the field with the likes of Geathers, Odom, Frostee, Henderson, etc crowding the field ahead of him.

[Todd]

Yep, he was also on my list of overpaid suspects. With the contract the Bengals gave him, you can basically think of him as a poor man's Peko (making him a homeless man's Dwayne Robertson, by extension). We are simply paying him for his potential, which we apparently view as significantly less than Peko. Again, the question is simply could his production be replicated for a discount? Anwer: probably.

[Andrew Simon]

Stacy Andrews is the 2nd highest paid player on the Bengals. For that kind of money he had better play both ways and be the wedge on kickoff coverage.

[John A. Schizzle]

Stacy got lucky with his deal. What the Bengals failed to realize is that you don't have to franchise a player. If they would have offered a contract worth something to him last year during the season we wouldn't be paying him 8 mil this year. He is a good player and should be kept, but I agree 8 million! Dude should be cleaning the stadium after home games.

[Todd]

Yeah, the back to back franchising of Smith then Andrews cost us Steinbach last year and who knows what going this year (Houshmanzadeh?). Bengals management is not good at strategery. Yes, I am aware that is not a word.

[Paul Katz]

What about Reggie Kelley and Utecht getting a combined 6 mil. We could build a super fast super strong robot for that kind of money.

[Todd]

I think the Diet Pepsi Machine is an unrestricted free agent...

[Scott Simons]

jeremi johnson at $1.35m. 2 problems here: its too much for an average FB who doesnt play every down AND it buys him way too many fat burgers. slim down, big dog