Alex Cappa, Aaron Stinnie And The Bengals
February 15th, 2022
Supply and demand.
Watching the Super Bowl Sunday night, Joe caught something said by windy NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth that hit home.
We all saw how the Bengals offensive line collapsed in the second half and basically cost Cincinnati a Super Bowl win.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was one of the NFL’s most sacked quarterbacks last year, so going against the ferocious Rams defensive line, this result really wasn’t a surprise.
What was a surprise was that Collinsworth said, after a sack on Burrow, that Bengals right guard Hakeem Adeniji was probably the worst starter on Cincinnati’s offense. Ouch.
And just as Joe heard that, Joe thought, “Well, guess what team has two right guards with Super Bowl rings that are both free agents?”
Yes, Bucs starting right guard Alex Cappa and his backup, Aaron Stinnie, are pending free agents (the free agency dinner bell rings on March 16.)
Cappa has developed into a solid guard. Stinnie, you may remember, filled in for Cappa when he fractured his ankle in the playoffs against Washington and the Bucs never missed a beat.
Of face value, neither guy is likely to command mega-money on the open market, if they get on the open market. And given how Bengals miserly owner Mike Brown has moths fly out of his wallet whenever he pulls it out of his pocket, bargain buys are right up his alley.
Or will Cappa and/or Stinnie be bargain buys?
Joe read Albert Breer’s Monday Morning Quarterback column on SI.com yesterday and he noted that the projected talent pool in free agency for offensive linemen is “really light.” So does that mean Cappa or Stinnie could be looking at a massive payday if they hit the market? You know, supply and demand?
If there isn’t much of a supply and there is demand, then market forces drive the price up (the Tampa Bay-area housing market right now is a good example).
Joe suspects Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is going to keep either Cappa or Stinnie as a starting guard next year. Might it cost Licht more than initially thought? And does that spell doom for Ryan Jensen returning?
You know, there is only so much Team Glazer loot to spread around without going over the salary cap.
February 15th, 2022 at 9:07 am
One thing to keep in mind about Burrow sack numbers. The AFC north has some really good pass rushers this year. TJ Watt, Miles Garrett, Clowney, and while the ravens weren’t as good this year they blitz all the time.
February 15th, 2022 at 9:11 am
Cappa was the only guy I wanted who the Bucs actually acquired from that class, so I’m biased, but I personally prefer him to stay.
February 15th, 2022 at 9:13 am
If we end up going with a young QB, a quality offensive line will make a world of between in his development.
February 15th, 2022 at 11:00 am
Make Alex Great Again
February 15th, 2022 at 11:07 am
That Cinci OLine is life-threatening.
The interior needs to be revamped. In particular, their C and RG stink.
Yeah, red lights should be flashing.
February 15th, 2022 at 11:10 am
We could lose all three to a team like the Bengals who need Oline players and have the cap space….Jensen, Cappa, Stennie….and go ahead and throw in Wells.
February 15th, 2022 at 11:24 am
Dig the Jack Benny reference, Joe.
February 15th, 2022 at 11:35 am
IF I were an NFL player, I would say to hell with allegiance. Show Me the Money.
Get paid. An NFL career is short. Nobody really cares about you..but you.
February 15th, 2022 at 11:36 am
Keep Jensen and resign Stinnie. He will come cheaper and he shown that he is a solid Guard. You have to save money from somewhere in order to keep some other FA
February 15th, 2022 at 11:37 am
It’s been said often around here — the trenches matter more than anything else. I whine about Bowels and Geezela driving Brady into retirement, and whine about how the secondary can’t play man, zone, or tackle very well.
But a solid O-line could even make Buttwater look competent, and a beastly DL can mask secondary deficiencies. So — Jensen and the cheaper of Cappa or Stinnie must be retained.
OK, back to focusing on the despicable performance of Todd’s Bowels.
February 15th, 2022 at 11:45 am
Wasn’t Cappa beaten several times in the Rams game?
February 15th, 2022 at 11:48 am
There was no drop off when Stinnie took Cappa’s place and Cappa has looked pretty average this season. I’d say let him walk and keep Jensen.
February 15th, 2022 at 11:52 am
If they like Hainsey I could see Jensen leaving and Cappa staying. Might lose both though. Ideally OL isnt a huge need in the draft.
February 15th, 2022 at 11:56 am
I would keep Cappa long-term and draft that big Johnson kid from BC at C. He was a G at BC, but supposedly was excellent at C in the Senior Bowl.
Or if Hainsey has beefed up, put him at C.
February 15th, 2022 at 12:05 pm
Jensen and Cappa are both gone. Lichts worried about a QB that he will never get. Face the Bucs have nothing to trade half the team are free agents and low draft picks.
February 15th, 2022 at 12:15 pm
Joe, I do t u Dr stand your comment about the Bengals owner being miserly… Isn’t there a league wide salary cap? Are you telling me the Bengals play well under the salary cap every year? Never considered this concept. Are you just talking about there being no indoor practice field? Curious.. Thanks!
February 15th, 2022 at 12:16 pm
If supply of guards in free agency is low – the good guards will be drafted earlier than normal this year.
I want a #3 WR to be drafted in round #1 but perhaps we draft a C/G with pick #27.
Whoever we select with pick #27 better be able to start right away.
February 15th, 2022 at 12:19 pm
Mike Brown has a *long* history of being cheap. Several examples including football staff, salaries, bonuses, etc. Yes, the indoor facility you mention is a good example, the only NFL without one.
February 15th, 2022 at 12:22 pm
@ Joe
More bad news regarding the salary cap….
“Second year in a row, Bucs have three players getting nice bumps in final year of their rookie contracts due to NFL’s Proven Performance Escalator incentive. Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Dean and Mike Edwards each will make $2.54 million, a bump of $1m+ from their original deals.”
We just lost $3 million dollars off our already low available salary cap…
February 15th, 2022 at 12:23 pm
Don’t forget Gronk, Cincy could sure use a blocking/receiving TE and I don’t mean Camille.
February 15th, 2022 at 1:01 pm
Brady makes any offensive line look good because he gets rid of the ball so fast.
I can almost guarantee our O Line will not look near as good next year w/o Brady.
February 15th, 2022 at 1:02 pm
Mr. Joe. Jensen, cappa and stinnie are gone. They want money. They got a ring already.
Our 5 star GM licht will dive into division 2 and draft oline and start them like marpet and cappa. No money will be spent on oline. We have 2 pro bowlers and a solid Durable LT. we also have levertte that play great this season.
February 15th, 2022 at 1:06 pm
Joe burrow is on his rookie deal, so this is Cincinnati’s chance to put some quality FA lineman around him. Ben would do it through the draft though. You can find plenty of quality lineman in the draft, if you know where to look. Besides, if you find some good ones, they’re under cheaper, team friendly deals with control. Ben loves cappa. Just not paying a guard eight million a year, no matter who he is.
February 15th, 2022 at 1:06 pm
Chris-Apple,
Totally agree. Our line is good but not great and TB did make them look much better then they actually are.
Especially on paper.
February 15th, 2022 at 1:12 pm
cincy is going to go all in on that crap oline…
to bring mixon’s game to a higher average…
and to protect those already bum knees of their young superstar qb
February 15th, 2022 at 1:19 pm
@adrnagy:
dude that’s crazy man…
guarantee we don’t lose all 3…one yeah, maybe 2…def not 3…you’re kinda crazy meng…
and yeah what game were you watching where nick leverett played great…he was a sufficient back up at best that held his own and didn’t get steamrolled like a turnstile…that means he did well as a depth guy…
great is a whole other avenue
February 15th, 2022 at 1:21 pm
Let em get paid.
fire sale
rebuild
this is now a team with no true leader and their weaknesses will be exposed no matter how much we pay and/or keep the vets.
February 15th, 2022 at 2:59 pm
@adamfromny
Brady release the ball under 3 sec. Any oline could or would of played great. Licht will consider that. Jensen is gone. He will want at least $10m being a pro bowler and with exp. Cappa will command at least $8m-12 m a yr.
Do we have cap space to drop let say $15m- $18m this year in 2 oline while having whitehead, godwin , fournette FA not to mention a QB and c. Davis. ?
February 15th, 2022 at 3:00 pm
We built from d smith. Marpet. Wirfs. Draft and sign cheap exp vet.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:50 pm
Bengals aren’t the only team looking to upgrade their line. There’s other teams that can use a SB winner/starter, particularly if they have a young QB to groom.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:58 pm
Adrnagy is correct. People believe because Brady is a statue, lineman need to hold blocks longer. It couldn’t be further from the truth. So long as he has recievers that can get open quickly, he’s going to get the ball out incredibly fast. His pocket awareness is second to none. The only way to rattle him is pressure up the middle, an incredibly hard thing to generate, if the lineman know it’s coming.
February 15th, 2022 at 4:52 pm
Licht can draft guards all day long, I wouldn’t worry about it in the least.
February 16th, 2022 at 8:21 am
Tampa is a nice place to live, no state tax. Up rooting a family, buying selling houses, just saying. Staying in Tampa for a few less dollars should have some appeal.
February 17th, 2022 at 8:12 am
Cappa has turned into a great guard. Stennie can hold up for short periods, but is too short to be an everyday starter.
Tom Brady came here because of our OLine
Keeping Cappa and Jensen should be the priority.
I think we lose Godwin. I hate to say it, but that knee injury was pretty severe.
Hes not gonna be the receiver he was before the injury.