The Bengals have agreed to terms with LB Oren Burks on a 2 year/$5M deal.
Burks was originally a 3rd round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2018. After his rookie contract, he spent a couple of seasons with the 49ers, before landing in Philly this past season, where he won a Super Bowl.
This is a tidy piece of business for the Bengals. Burks is an extremely athletic player. He is someone that can excel on special teams, and has also shown that he can make an impact on defence. He was called upon to fill in for an injury during the Eagles playoff run, and he performed admirably.
For the 2024 season, he made 2 starts in 17 regular season appearances. In that span, he totaled 41 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 2 tackles for a loss, and 1 pass breakup. In the playoffs, he started 3 out of 4 games, making 25 tackles, 3 for a loss, a sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 pass breakup.
Along with the news on Burks, came the news that now former Bengals LB Akeem Davis-Gaither has agreed to terms with the Arizona Cardinals on a 2 year/$11M deal.
Originally a 4th round pick in 2020, Davis-Gaither filled a similar role for the Bengals as Burks did in Philly. ADG had been a core special teamer for the last 5 years, and when called upon to fill in on defence, he was solid. The Bengals were able to get him re-signed last offseason, after some speculation that he might depart. However, this time, it looks like they weren’t willing to go that high. This isn’t surprising, given that they could get Burks for much cheaper.
On the surface, it would appear to be a like for like swap. However, there are a couple other factors to consider here. One being Germaine Pratt’s trade request. If Pratt is cut or traded, it could give Burks the opportunity to be a full time starter. In fact, Burks might still get that opportunity even if Pratt sticks around. This is because there is a good chance that Al Golden runs a more traditional 4-3 scheme, as opposed to Lou Anarumo, who usually only had 2 LB’s out there in favour of an extra DB.
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