| 24 March 2010
I thought the Bengals would get one compensatory pick, but I figured it would be a fourth-rounder. And if they got two, I presumed it would be something like a fourth and a seventh.
But a third and a fourth? That's gold, Jerry!
The Bengals now have six picks in the first four rounds: No. 21 overall, No. 54 overall (22nd pick of the second round), No. 84 overall (21st pick of the third round), No. 96 overall (third-round compensatory), No. 120 overall (22nd pick of the fourth round) and No. 131 overall (fourth-round compensatory).
So, how exactly did this come about? Well, compensatory picks are based on how much a team lost via free agency the previous season versus how much it gained. The formula is based mostly on the dollar value of the contract signed, but performance is also a factor. The Bengals lost wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, offensive lineman Stacy Andrews and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick following the 2008 season. The team landed wide receiver Laveranues Coles, which pretty much cancelled out the loss of Houshmandzadeh (in terms of the compensatory pick system) even though Coles' contract wasn't quite as lucrative as Houshmandzadeh's. (Houshmandzadeh got $40 million and $15 million guaranteed over five years; Coles signed a four-year, $28 million deal with $10 million guaranteed.)
However, thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles grossly overpaying for Andrews (six years, $38.9 million with $8.72 million guaranteed ... seriously) and thanks to Fitzpatrick unexpectedly starting eight games for the Buffalo Bills, the Bengals were rewarded with some very valuable picks in the upcoming draft.
And in case you're wondering, Andrews recently re-worked his ridiculous contract or the Eagles likely would have released him.
As for those compensatory picks, the Bengals are getting the first one of the entire draft (there are no compensatory picks in the first or second rounds) and are getting the only one of the fourth round. There are just three teams getting compensatory picks in the third round (the Titans have the No. 97 overall pick and the Falcons have the No. 98), just one in the fourth round, six in the fifth and sixth rounds and then 16 in the seventh round (which are basically meaningless picks).
So, to make a long blog short, the Bengals made out like gangbusters when the league awarded compensatory picks this week.
By the way, if you're looking for a good Bengals message board, give BengalsJungle.com a try. I highly recommend it for the diehard Who Dey fan.
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