INDIANAPOLIS -- There is no offseason for the NFL. America's most popular professional sports league is its own 24-hour news cycle. It's the reason more than 900 media members from various outlets were granted credentials for this year's annual scouting combine, up from 715 just four years ago.
The NFL Network announced its Saturday coverage brought in its largest ratings and total audience figures since the league started showing its workouts live.
The combine ends its week-long run on Monday after the defensive backs group goes through its on-field drills.
And just what did we all learn?
"We're excited about the opportunity to get a chance to get our football team better. We've got to get better in a lot of different areas," was the message given by former Bengals defensive coordinator and current Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer when he opened his press briefing on Thursday.
The same message came from representatives of all 31 teams not named the New England Patriots. Each team's nuances and situations differ but the essence is the same: We weren't good enough. We have to be better.
The Bengals will have several options available to them when it comes to the draft, which isn't until April 30. They will have the 21st pick in the first round, and in subsequent rounds (the exact order of all seven rounds plus any compensatory picks has yet to be released). While the scouting department has done its due diligence with this rookie class, head coach Marvin Lewis and the coaching staff are just now getting a chance to delve deeper into the prospects.
Of more immediate importance to them is the impending start of free agency. They have 13 of their own players who will be eligible to become unrestricted free agents on March 10 unless the Bengals re-sign the players before then. They released offensive lineman Mike Pollak last week, making him a free agent immediately.
Here's a quick look at those potential UFAs (in alphabetical order):
Starters: LG Clint Boling, TE Jermaine Gresham, LB Rey Maualuga, CB Terence Newman, K Mike Nugent, RT Eric Winston.
Reserves: QB Jason Campbell, S Taylor Mays, OT Marshall Newhouse, RB Cedric Peerman, WR Dane Sanzenbacher, TE Alex Smith, WR/KR Brandon Tate.
Starting linebacker Emmanuel Lamur and backup defensive tackle Devon Still are potential restricted free agents on March 10, while backup cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris is an exclusive rights free agent.
The Bengals have another 16 players who are currently under contract and heading into the final years of their deals. That list includes wide receiver A.J. Green, left tackle Andrew Whitworth, right tackle Andre Smith, cornerbacks Leon Hall and Adam Jones and safety Reggie Nelson.
What the Bengals are able to accomplish in free agency will dictate heavily which positions and players they pursue in the draft. They have never been a major player when it comes to making splash signings at free agency's outset. That's not going to change -- don't expect any "Breaking News" flashes from the Bengals on the first couple of days of free agency -- but Lewis indicated at the Senior Bowl that neither will the team just wait out the free agency period.
"It's a different feel than where we have been," Lewis told the Cincinnati Enquirer and the team's web site Bengals.com in January. "It's not a status quo. There has not been a status quo conversation or 'Oh, we'll be OK, we'll just get these guys back.' No, no, no, that's bull. We got to be better."
This year's salary cap is projected to be in the range of $140 million. According to the web site OverTheCap.com, the Bengals' current cap number is at $115.6 million, with their top 51 players counting for $113.4 million. There is room for the Bengals to target and re-sign their own players as well as go after other free agents who can be more than just role players.
From the comments Lewis made at the combine last Thursday when he spoke to the media, don't expect Gresham and Newman to return.
Newman has played well in his three seasons with the Bengals and has been a positive influence not just among the cornerbacks but the entire locker room. He will turn 37, however, at the start of the 2015 regular season and it's time for the Bengals to get Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard into the starting lineup.
"Terence has done a great job for us," said Lewis. "He's been a great player. He's been a great mentor. He's a good young man. He'll continue to be successful whatever he chooses to do. We'll see what happens with us down the road."
Lewis' words regarding Gresham were less kind. Gresham has caught 280 passes since the Bengals picked him 21st overall in 2010. That's good for 13th all-time in franchise history but when he didn't play at Cleveland in a key late December game or in the playoff loss at Indianapolis it didn't sit well with other players, coaches or front office personnel.
"Jermaine, he's got a lot of things ahead of him. He's got to figure out what Jermaine Gresham wants to do. That's the most important thing," said Lewis. "We were very fortunate to draft Jermaine when we did five years ago and he's had five seasons where he's contributed to this football team, and I think he's at a crossroads. What's Jermaine want next? I think when he commits to whatever he wants next then things will work out."
The combine makes for interesting theatre, projecting how this year's class of rookies can help a team. What the Bengals are able to do to reshape and bolster their roster before the draft will be a bigger factor for them in 2015.
