Cincinnati Bengals Non-Playoff Team Free Agency Targets: Indianapolis Colts

We’ve begun a series looking at free agents the Cincinnati Bengals should pursue on teams which sat out the 2017 playoffs. Next up: the Indianapolis Colts.

The NFL offseason is in full swing, ladies and gentlemen. An exciting Super Bowl ended the 2017 playoffs with a bang only a couple weeks ago, but it isn’t long until we see 2018 truly begin. Only a few weeks away is March 14, the beginning of free agency. Now is the time to figure out who is worth pursuing for and from every team in regards to the Cincinnati Bengals.

We’ve already gone through the postseason participants from this past season and who Cincinnati should look at coming off of their rosters. But now the focus is switching to the teams that sat out of the playoffs.

We’ve previously taken a look at players from all the non playoff teams from the AFC West. Now we begin looking at the AFC South, with a player from the Indianapolis Colts.

Donte Moncrief, WR

Entering last season, Cincinnati was a dark horse playoff contender to some. The expectation proved horribly wrong by the end of 2017, but at the time it didn’t seem outlandish that even with clear issues (particularly with the offensive line) that the team had a believable path to being among the final twelve teams at the end of the year.

A big part of those hopes rested on the wide receivers. The group appeared to be the deepest seen in at least a few seasons here, and was even thought by some to surpass the depth and talent of the 2015 unit which was the backbone of quarterback Andy Dalton’s by far most productive season.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

A.J. Green is a superstar lead wideout. 2017 first round selection John Ross was brought in to add much-needed outside speed. Tyler Boyd had an underrated rookie season and was set to be a consistent slot option. Brandon LaFell would continue to be a steady veteran presence. Alex Erickson showed promise as a receiver and returner. Josh Malone was a mid-round 2017 selection who could be a red-zone threat with his size. Cody Core’s potential was enough to force the team to hold onto seven receivers entering the year — something that is slowly becoming more common league-wide but still counts as notable when teams have just 53 roster spots to divvy up each season.

All those promising expectations fell by the wayside. Green was good overall, but struggled under the weight of being the one consistent option available every week for a helplessly broken offense; his positives were blunted by fumbles, drops, and losing his normally-cool head (including going all Wrestlemania on Jalen Ramsey).

Ross’ health concerns entering the draft continued throughout his rookie season, leaving him with just 17 snaps in a lost campaign. Boyd was given random, inconsistent playing opportunities throughout the year. LaFell followed his namesake and dropped off the the cliff of productivity. Erickson had a couple moments in limited chances, but not enough to make a difference. Malone and Core were barely warm bodies.

Entering 2018, changes need to be made with the group. All of those players are under contract as of now, but Cincinnati cannot just hope for better from the same group. New players need to be added to the mix.

Moncrief would be a worthwhile addition. He’s a flawed option, of course. His route-running was a problem entering the league and remains a handicap on his abilities. Only once has he caught more than 35 catches or 450 yards in a season. He is the sort of player who seems to need a great quarterback to produce.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Full two-round projection

He can be useful in the proper role though. He’s got the speed and athletic ability which has been in short supply for the Bengals lately. In his four-year career, he’s picked up 24 20-plus-yard plays and 18 touchdown passes; think the moribund Cincinnati attack couldn’t use some of that? Another plus: he’ll be cheap. He barely made $700,000 last year; as a limited role player entering free agency, he’s not breaking anyone’s bank.

This team cannot just hope its young players rapidly improve. That’s what happened last year, and it was a beyond abysmal result. Bring in Moncrief for cheap, let him compete, and he may surprise us and become a dynamic gem for a team always shopping in the bargain barrel.