After playing in the Super Bowl, the Cincinnati Bengals will have to quickly turn the page to the 2022 season.
The Bengals coaching staff will have a compressed window for preparation for free agency and the draft. With free agency starting in a month, the Bengals will need to make quick decisions on their offseason plan.
Here’s the schedule for the offseason:
March 1-7: NFL scouting combine
The Bengals coaching staff will get its first in-person look at the top draft prospects. In 2020, the Bengals used the combine for one-on-one conversations with many of their eventual draft picks.
Last year’s combine was held virtually due to the pandemic, but the event returns to Indianapolis this year.
March 14: Deadline to designate franchise tag
If the Bengals want to use the franchise tag to retain safety Jessie Bates, then they’d need to make that decision by March 14.
Bates is the only franchise tag candidate on the Bengals. He was the team’s best defender in the postseason and intercepted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in the Super Bowl.
March 14: Teams can begin negotiations with free agents
March 16: The league year begins and trades and free agency moves can become official
One month from Monday, the Bengals will be able to negotiate with free agents as they rebuild their roster for the 2022 season.
The Bengals can re-sign their own free agents before that date. But this is the week that the Bengals can begin negotiations with the rest of the league.
April 28-30: NFL Draft
NFL Draft:Where the Cincinnati Bengals will pick in the 2022 NFL Draft
The dates for OTAs, mini camp and the preseason haven’t been announced. The regular season schedule will be announced in May.
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