The Bengals have signed G Lucas Patrick to a 1 year/$2.1M contract.
Patrick was originally an undrafted free agent signing of the Packers back in 2016. After largely serving as a depth option in Green Bay, he went on to sign in Chicago with the Bears. There, he continued to work as a depth option, but saw more time in the starting lineup. His versatility was on display, as he spent time at all three interior OL positions.
This past season, Patrick played for the Saints. In New Orleans, he started 10 out of the 11 games he appeared in, before landing on IR with a knee injury.
The 2024 season was Patrick’s best one to date. He won’t blow you away, but he was able to play at about an average level, while not giving up any sacks. He is an ideal depth option for the Bengals, and if they can get the version of him we saw last season, he’d be a decent enough stop gap starter.
It is likely that Patrick will be competing with the likes of Cordell Volson, Cody Ford, Jaxson Kirkland, and a draft pick for one of the starting G spots. The Bengals currently have two starting spots open, and perhaps both will be up for grabs. But if the Bengals are serious about improving the offensive line, they will add a true starter at the position, like Brandon Scherff, and avoid going into the offseason with two question marks at the position. Patrick is a step in the right direction, but hopefully it is viewed as just a step, as opposed to the solution.
In other news, the New York Jets have signed former Bengals DT Jay Tufele to a 1 year contract. This deal went down late last week.
Tufele was originally a 4th round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. He first joined the Bengals leading up to the 2022 season as a waiver claim.
In Cincinnati, Tufele served as a depth guy at DT, getting into the lineup from time to time as a rotational player. In 30 games for the Bengals, he contributed 42 tackles, 3 for a loss, half a sack, and 1 pass breakup.
His departure isn’t a big surprise, given that the DL was an area of weakness last season. It is likely that the position will continue to be revamped, which would have made re-signing a back-end guy, like Tufele, unnecessary.
Featured Image Via: Keith Allison (CC)