Let’s take a look at that along with some hardwood happenings at both the high school and college levels.
How are Bengals approaching free agency?
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Since the start of the offseason, the narrative around what the Cincinnati Bengals will do to try to get back to the playoffs after a two-year absence has undergone a noticeable shift.
It began, “Can the Bengals afford to re-sign Tee Higgins, extend Ja’Marr Chase and make Trey Hendrickson happy, too?”
When the people who examine the salary cap were done, they concluded the answer is yes.
***
That begat another question: “But do they want to?”
De-facto general manager Duke Tobin provided that answer this week at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“We’re putting together a big picture, and our players want a good football team, and we’re going to attack that and respect that, and also respect the level of production and ability level our players have,” said Tobin, whose title is director of player personnel.
Translation: They want to keep all three, and not just for next year.
This will play well with the vocal collection of fans online who want everything, not to mention quarterback Joe Burrow. He has been agitating for deals to get done for Higgins and Chase throughout the offseason, and Hendrickson recently has become a topic of conversation, too.
But even if they can, and even if they want to, should they?
I am not so sure. Re-signing Chase is a no-brainer, but that makes Higgins an awfully large luxury item in my opinion. I am not so sure they would not be better off spreading the wealth on offense both literally and figuratively. One could counter that they might spend almost as much on three or four receivers trying to find another as good as Higgins, and that is true, but what if he gets hurt?
As for Hendrickson, they had the worst defense in the NFL with him leading the league in sacks last season, so how much worse could they be without him?
On the bright side, Tobin indicated they don’t plan to sign those guys then shut it down. The Bengals’ front office actually seems to agree with the notion they can have their cake and eat it, too, by continuing to add more talent after taking care of their internal business.
“The earlier we can do some of this stuff, the freer it gives us to build the rest of the team,” Tobin said.
Both Dayton basketball teams got big wins Wednesday night
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
In a gotta-have-it game at Rhode Island, the Dayton men’s basketball team built a 20-point lead in the second half then held off the Rams 85-77.
That kept the Flyers in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Atlantic 10 Conference with Saint Joseph’s (18-10, 9-6) and Saint Louis (16-12, 9-6) with games left in the regular season.
“They made a lot of winning plays,” former UD coach Archie Miller, now the head man for the Rams, said of Dayton. “We turned it over too much. We couldn’t make a shot. That’s a disaster in terms of those two statistical things. We fought hard to kind of hang around and claw back, but we just weren’t good enough tonight.”
Meanwhile back in the Gem City, coach Tamika Williams-Jeter’s team rallied from an early deficit to beat Saint Joseph’s 74-65 at UD Arena.
Senior Rikki Harris led the Flyers with 16 points while Jayda Johnson added 14 on Senior Night.
They will conclude the regular season at St. Bonaventure on Saturday.
Alter looks sharp as title defense revs up
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
In boys basketball, Alter torched the nets at Xenia on Wednesday night, jumping on Thurgood Marshall and never looking back in a 74-27 district semifinal victory.
Next up is a district final against Taylor on Saturday in Middletown.
The Alter girls are still alive, too, after knocking out Indian Hill on Tuesday night.
Co-coaches Kendal Peck and Christina Hart rely heavily on senior Maddie Moody, but they had a few youngsters providing key support against the Braves and will need more of that Saturday in a regional final against conference foe McNicholas at Butler High School.
The Dayton Daily News Community Gems initiative highlights people who give their time and effort to improve the lives of their neighbors and community. Do you know someone like this in your community? Follow this link to nominate them.
About the Author
