After losing T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks on Monday, the Bengals have emerged as a possible candidate for free agent Laveranues Coles, who was released by the Jets last week.
Cincinnati has bigger needs than wide receiver, including finding a new center, adding a quality pass-rusher and finding overall depth at running back and along the offensive line. But with plenty of cap space available (the Bungles started with $26 million at the start of free agency), Coles could be a solid addition to a team that lost a lot of production at receiver when Housh signed with Seattle.
Of course, the Bengals could wait until draft day to address the wide receiver position; in fact, now that the Seahawks signed Housh there’s little chance they would draft Texas Tech wideout Michael Crabtree in April. That means Crabtree could fall to No. 6 and if Cincy pulls the trigger, they could get significantly younger at the receiver position while also filling the hole vacated by Houshmandzadeh.
There are obvious risks involved with waiting until the draft to address the receiver position. One, Crabtree might not fall to No. 6 and two, he is scheduled to have foot surgery soon and might miss some time this summer recovering. There’s obviously no guarantee that he’ll develop into a productive pro, either.
The Bengals could probably afford to offer Coles a four-year deal in the $6 mil per year range. If they do, they know they would be signing a consummate pro that has produced throughout his entire career. Therefore, signing him (if he’s even interested) seems like a better choice and then Cincy could look to addressing one of their other needs ni the first round.
