The Cincinnati Bengals came up just short of the playoffs in 2024, as they finished with a 9-8 record for the second year in a row, which was good for third place in the AFC North behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.
Now, as the Bengals prepare for 2025, they have several important decisions to make, including what to do with the $62 million in cap space that they’re projected to have (via. Over the Cap).
While Cincinnati has a few position groups they should be looking to upgrade, the offensive line may be at the top of the list, as protecting Joe Burrow is the most important job outside playing quarterback in today’s NFL.
Recently, Pro Football Network predicted that the Bengals will use some of the cap space to sign Jacksonville Jaguars free agent guard Brandon Scherff.
“With the struggles we saw at guard last year, adding a veteran like Brandon Scherff would be an intriguing move,” PFN wrote. “They may consider taking a run at Trey Smith, who is younger and the No. 2 player on our top 100 free agents. However, Scherff would give them another veteran presence on their offense and should be considerably more affordable for a team with a number of areas to address.”
Scherff, 33, played collegiately at Iowa from 2010-14 where he earned First-team All-Big Ten honors in his final two years and All-American honors in his last season.
Washington selected Scherff with the fifth-overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, and he was great for them, making five Pro Bowls and earning All-Pro honors once in his seven seasons.
The Jaguars signed Scherff to a three-year, $49.5 million contract in 2022, and he’s been a dependable starter for them, appearing in all 51 possible games.
Veteran guard Alex Cappa has lined up at right guard for the Bengals over the last three seasons, and he’s gotten progressively worse. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranked 110th out of 135 qualifying guards while allowing 51 pressures, 36 hurries and eight sacks in his 774 pass-blocking snaps last year.
Cincinnati could release Cappa this offseason and save $8 million (while incurring a $2.25 million dead cap hit). They could then sign Scherff and still have plenty of money to spend elsewhere.
The 33-year-old might not be a long-term solution for the Bengals, but he could certainly be an upgrade at the position.
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