The Bengals will be making some tough calls on their free agent class this offseason. Like what will the team do with several of Marvin Lewis’ guys now that he has been let go?"The offseason has arrived Carlos Dunlap Jersey White , and NFL free agency will be here before you know it. This is the first time in 16 seasons that we will see a new coach leading this team. That means several veterans could be passed up as times are changing.Luckily, the Bengals did most of their work with this class before the season when they extended Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins. However, there are enough depth players and question marks set to hit the free agent market that it still will be interesting to see what the Bengals do. It should also be noted that A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd will highlight the team’s 2020 free agent group, and the team will likely be making their decisions this offseason with extensions for those two in mind.The tight endsTyler Eifert: We might as well start with the biggest name on the list. Eifert had one of the best seasons we’ve seen a tight end have in 2015. He showed he was talented enough to be considered in the elite of his position. However, he has failed to stay healthy any other season. Even in 2015 he missed three games. After a gruesome leg injury this season combined with him playing on a one-year deal, it is hard to say how motivated Cincinnati will be to bring him back. Ultimately, they should go down a similar route with a one-year incentive deal, but they need to invest more at the position. Things can’t get derailed by a Eifert injury.C.J. Uzomah: Uzomah really could have done more with his opportunity to start most of the season after Eifert and Tyler Kroft went down with injuries early. However, he was held back by play calling, Andy Dalton not being as comfortable with him and then Jeff Driskel. He should be worth a multiyear-contract suited for a second or backup tight end. Although, there could be teams willing to outbid Cincinnati. If that happens, the Bengals should let him walk as this is a pretty strong tight end draft class.Tyler Kroft: Kroft feels like the safety net for the Bengals. Outside of his seven touchdown in 2017 after Eifert got hurt, he hasn’t done much in the way of the passing game. He is an okay blocker, but you could easily find a better one. Kroft’s 2017 numbers are actually pretty close with Uzomah’s 2018, but Kroft started every game in 2017. He is a suitable backup tight end based on his red-zone ability, but if it ultimately came down to Cincinnati losing all three of their tight ends or ending up with just Kroft, keeping Kroft is only slightly better.Big names likely to move onDarqueze Dennard: Cincinnati should try and keep Dennard as he a has been a solid (not great) option as a nickel cornerback. That position has become all the more valuable over the past few seasons as three-wide receiver sets become the norm. It is still hard to pay three corners market value. Cincinnati already gave Dre Kirkpatrick a huge deal, and William Jackson will be in line for a huge contract in a couple of seasons as well. Dennard could end up being the odd man out in this equation, as he could easily fetch more on the open market than the Bengals are willing to give him.Michael Johnson: Even had Lewis stayed, it was looking like it was Johnson’s time. The team has spent three mid-round picks on defensive ends the past two seasons in Carl Lawson, Jordan Willis and Sam Hubbard. Toward the end of last year, Johnson was in an equal rotation with Willis and Hubbard as Lawson was on injured reserve. He is a great locker room guy and person, but at some point it becomes obvious that he simply isn’t the same player he once was. He may end up signing a one-year deal, but he will have a major fight in order to make this team.Jake Fisher: Fisher’s career has been derailed by injuries too often. He finally got his chance in 2018 to start briefly, only for it to be cut short by a back injury. Given he was a second-round pick in 2015 and how bad the state of offensive lines in the NFL have become, he could end up getting more than the Bengals would be willing to put towards him. Vincent Rey: Rey has been a shell of himself for about two seasons now. He is a great story. He was an undrafted free agent who worked his way into becoming the first linebacker off the bench as well as an outstanding special teamer. However, Rey lost his spot to Jordan Evans and Hardy Nickerson Jr. in 2018. He was rarely called upon even as Nickerson struggled and the entire unit was marked with injuries. With a new coach coming in, it shouldn’t be surprising to see the team move on as they overhaul the linebacking unit.The last question markPreston Brown: Brown signed a one-year deal this past offseason. He looked pretty good early in the season during Vontaze Burfict’s suspension. He isn’t a great sideline-to-sideline or coverage linebacker, but he made a decent amount of plays when called upon. He played in seven games before being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. If the Bengals aren’t looking to make a complete overhaul at the position, then keeping Brown on another one-year deal makes sense. He grew up a Bengals fan Anthony Munoz Jersey , and is a great leader and capable backup linebacker if the team ultimately drafts a starter. It would also make sense if Cincinnati plans to move on from Burfict this offseason. Although, it is just as easy to see the Bengals starting over fresh last the position.Probably need to leave:Cedric Ogbuehi (offensive tackle)Bobby Hart (offensive tackle)Andre Smith (offensive tackle)Tom Savage (quarterback)Kasim Edebali (linebacker)Ogbuehi was a long time coming. Honestly, had the Bengals done the right thing and brought in enough competition at offensive tackle then Ogbuehi wouldn’t have even made the team. After Fisher and Cordy Glenn went down with injuries, the Bengals opted to sign Smith off the street and start him over Ogbuehi, which says all you need to know.Hart wasn’t good. He had so many pre-snap penalties, and his attitude during the ed of the season pretty much started digging the grave for his chances at being on the roster next season. The slim hope he had at staying on the team left when Frank Pollack opted to leave the Bengals staff.The remaining three were brought in due to injuries. Smith will likely remain on the Bengals radar if injuries hit the offensive line again though.Likely to stayAlex Redmond (offensive guard) ERFAMatt Lengel (tight end) RFAAdolphus Washington (defensive lineman) RFAJosh Tupou (defensive tackle) ERFATrey Hopkins (offensive lineman) ERFABrandon Wilson (safety) ERFATony McRae (corner) ERFAThe reason most of these players will be likely to return to at least compete for their jobs is almost solely based on them being restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents. It is very easy for Cincinnati to retain these players on a team friendly contract.Redmond had his struggles last season, and he was even benched for the final game of the season. He will still be worth whatever affordable contract Cincinnati will be able to get him for, even if he ends up being just a backup.Lengel, Washington and Tupou have each showed flashes of being competent NFL players. They are all still relatively young, and the Bengals can’t afford to let these guys walk away as it’d cost more to try and replace them with players have a better chance of not being as good or ready to play.Trey Hopkins is the best player on this list. He really could start at center or right guard next season. He played well in relief for Bill Price in 2018 at center, and a new coach may see that and keep it rolling. At the very least he is a very valuable backup interior lineman.If McRae is healthy enough to return, he will likely be in Cincinnati’s training camp. When the NFL released the schedule back in April shortly before the draft, opinions were mixed on how the Cincinnati Bengals would fare in 2018. With the return of Marvin Lewis and the team coming off of two straight losing seasons, the talking heads had the team as a six-win club. But, after the draft and once folks started seeing this year’s team in practices, the national perception changed. Folks began believing this could be a competitive squad this year and their 5-3 start has proved them correct. Right after the schedule release, we made an early prediction of our own on how the Bengals’ season would go. For review, here are the results we had penciled in for the first half of the season:At Colts: WinRavens: WinAt Panthers: LossAt Falcons: LossDolphins: WinSteelers: WinAt Chiefs: LossBuccaneers: WinSo, while we were incorrect on the results in the Pittsburgh and Atlanta contests, our early guess on the 5-3 record before the midway bye rung true. Back in April, we guessed that the second half of the season would lead to a 4-4 record and, ultimately, a 9-7 finish where the team sniffed the postseason. So, now that we have a sample size of half of a regular season, are there changes? Are nine wins enough to get the Bengals to the postseason this year?There is an unfortunate caveat to these win-loss predictions: injuries. It would seem that Billy Price, Giovani Bernard, Tyler Kroft, John Ross and Nick Vigil should be returning to the lineup soon, which will be a nice boost for the team down the stretch. However, one of their best players Michael Johnson Jersey , A.J. Green, is battling a toe/foot injury and his long-term status is a bit uncertain. Because of the recent prognosis of his not needing surgery, we’re going with the prevailing thought that Green won’t be available for the next two games.We discussed the possible outlook of the rest of 2018 on this week’s Orange and Black Insider podcast, and we figured we’d re-hash the discussion here as well. Week 10, Saints at Bengals: Unfortunately, the Teryl Austin effect has been a negative one on the Bengals’ defense. Since he took over for Paul Guenther, Austin’s defense is ranked dead-last in overall defense and passing defense, while ranking 26th against the run. While Drew Brees and Co. are more comfortable in a dome, this matchup doesn’t bode well for the Bengals next week. New Orleans boasts the 9th ranked passing offense and 17th rated rushing attack. This will either be a blowout, or New Orleans will come into Cincinnati a bit exhausted having spent a massive amount of effort and emotion in beating the Rams in Week 9. We’re sticking with a loss here, though. Result: LossWeek 11, Bengals at Ravens: This contest is one that is so topsy-turvy that it becomes hard to predict. Just as Pittsburgh is Cincinnati’s kryptonite, the Bengals often get the best of the Ravens. An idea of a different Bengals team emerged after they took care of a solid Baltimore squad on national television. Some of that luster has dissipated with losses to the Steelers and Chiefs, but Lewis does have a 19-12 record against his former employers. It’s possible the Bengals pull out a sweep this year, as the Ravens are even more Jekyll-and-Hyde than Cincinnati this year, but we’ll go with the series being split. We especially feel this way if Green, the perennial Raven-killer, is sidelined as it appears that that is going to be the case. Result: LossWeek 12, Browns at Bengals: This one will be interesting, as Cleveland has proven to be scrappier than their 2-5-1 record would indicate. They’ve fired Hue Jackson and Gregg Williams comes in as the interim head coach. Can he inspire a late-season turnaround to respectability?The Browns have also made a change at quarterback, as Baker Mayfield is now the unquestioned starter. The “Battle of Ohio” may be headed to a split this year, but I’m not so sure. In Williams’ debut as head coach, Cleveland got predictably stomped by Kansas City.Result: WinWeek 13 Broncos at Bengals: This matchup has had its tugs-of-war in recent years, but Case Keenum doesn’t seem to be the long-term answer at quarterback for Denver. The Broncos are 3-6 and don’t have a ton of signs of trending upward. One wild card in this matchup is the tandem of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. The former has nine sacks this year, while Chubb is a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate with eight sacks of his own. Can the Bengals’ inconsistent offensive line rise up to the challenge? We think they will as Denver keeps finding ways to lose close games. Result: WinWeek 14, Bengals at Chargers: Under Lewis, the Bengals are actually 5-3 against the Chargers. Believe it or not, Cincinnati is actually 3-1 when traveling to the west coast to face the Chargers under their long-tenured head coach. Most look at this and automatically see a loss for Cincinnati, which is understandable given the Chargers’ 6-2 record. Los Angeles has a solid roster this season, but they do have weaknesses that can be exploited. Still http://www.thebengalslockerroom.com/authentic-sam-hubbard-jersey , with the Bengals dealing with so many injuries and their defense underwhelming right now, the Chargers could start to tip the recent record scale back to being close to even. Result: LossWeek 15, Raiders at Bengals: Initially, this seemed like a really tough matchup on the schedule. Oakland made a needed change at head coach, and most thought that Jon Gruden would bring his quarterback whisperer skills to fix Derek Carr. Well, it’s been an absolute dumpster fire for the Raiders this year, starting 1-7 and being recently embarrassed on Thursday Night Football. Cincinnati should cruise to a comfortable win here without many problems. Result: WinWeek 16, Bengals at Browns: I really am tempted to give the Browns a win in the series this year, but I’m not as big of a believer in Mayfield as most folks seem to be. I still think they are a year away from truly being competitive in the division. Even so, we expect these two games will probably be frustrating for Bengals fans to watch, in terms of performance and them being close contests, even if they end up both being wins for Cincinnati. Result: WinWeek 17 Bengals at Steelers: Something tells me that this one will have some major implications going into January. Pittsburgh still has bragging rights over the Bengals after a last-second comeback win at Paul Brown Stadium, but they’ve shown major warts and have a pretty tough back half of the schedule (Ravens, Chargers, Patriots and Saints).Pittsburgh just secured a huge win over the Ravens in Baltimore, pushing them further down the playoff pecking order at 4-5, and stomped the Panthers on Thursday Night Football. If Cincinnati can get a win in Maryland of their own in Week 11, the Ravens’ postseason hopes will essentially be dead. Of Cincinnati’s eight meager wins against Pittsburgh in the Lewis era, six have inexplicably come at Heinz Field. I guess that plays a little into Cincinnati’s corner here, but common logic just doesn’t point to the Bengals pulling out a massive win against their bitter rivals to potentially put them into the playoffs, or give them better seeding.Result: LossEnd record: 9-7 — Wild Card berthIf you’re unable to join us live for here at Cincy Jungle or YouTube every episode, all Orange and Black Insider content is available here on CJ, as well as on our SoundCloud, Stitcher, through the Google Play Music app and YouTube channels, ART19 as well as on iTunes! You can tweet us @BengalsOBI or get in touch with us via email at theobinsider@gmail.com. Thanks for listening and go subscribe to our channels!