(02-09-2018, 09:25 AM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote:

(02-09-2018, 08:12 AM)Bullseye Wrote: Unsure why this thread did not register with me until now, but it poses an interesting question.

I will say that if Blake is not our guy, I would be more in favor of a veteran guy than a rookie.  This team reached the AFCCG and was 2:37 from reaching the Super Bowl.  This team is young enough and talented enough to contend again, and that would most likely be accomplished with a vet, as opposed to a guy who is just learning how to study film and just learning NFL defenses.

In the above scenario, at face value, Cousins would seem to be the best option.  Statistically he has been productive in the league for quite some time.  But he is not without concern.  Aside from him winning fewer playoff games than Bortles, there is the matter of his cost, and whether his cost will make it more difficult to retain stalwarts like Ramsey, Jack, Ngakooue, Robinson and or Fowler in the future.

If that is a concern, I would make a play for Bengals' backup A.J. McCarron, who should be had far more cheaply than Cousins.

As someone who lives in the Cincinnati area and watches almost every Bengals game (because I have to, not because I want to), I can tell you unequivocally that McCarron would not be an upgrade from Bortles. McCarron can't even win the job from Andy Dalton, possibly be the most average QB in the NFL. It's not like McCarron hasn't had any chances to unseat him either. People here have been calling for Dalton's head for the last 2 years. There are even certain factions within the fan base who would like to see the Bengals use their first round pick on a QB, knowing that they already have one of the worst O-Lines, if not the worst, in entire the NFL. Just because the Cleveland Browns were dumb enough to offer a 2nd rounder for McCarron, doesn't mean he was worth it. I still believe they realized what a terrible mistake they were making and sabotaged that deal on purpose. I would consider McCarron a moderate upgrade from Chad Henne and nothing more. When he was spot starting, A.J. Green made him look much better than he actually was. If I was going to trade for some other team's backup, the only one I would even consider besides Foles (and his price tag is now likely too high), would be Sean Mannion and I wouldn't offer anything higher that a 6th or 7th round pick. I still say we should draft a QB.

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(02-09-2018, 09:09 AM)The_Franchise_QB Wrote: While I am a fan of Mayfield I do hope everyone understands that they will have to completely change the offense for Mayfield. He needs to be in the right situation for him to be successful. The type of offense designed for Watson is essentially what is needed for Mayfield. The staff has gone for a power O run offense not a spread offense so I don't think they'll target him.

I totally disagree. Teams needed to utilize Watson's running ability in order for him to succeed in the NFL. I don't believe that is the case with Mayfield. I see him more of a Drew Brees type than anything else. Mayfield has more arm talent than Watson does. Watson is a much better athlete, which is needed in a dual threat QB, but Mayfield can be a pocket passer in a pro style NFL offense and I believe he can thrive.