Senior Bowl standout T'Vondre Sweat can make a tough decision very easy for the Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin has not been hiding his attention after two practices at the Senior Bowl. He's been eyeing the trenches, and for good reasons. On one hand, the Cincinnati Bengals will likely need a new starting right tackle and a couple interior defensive linemen for the 2024 season. On the […]
Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin has not been hiding his attention after two practices at the Senior Bowl. He's been eyeing the trenches, and for good reasons.
On one hand, the Cincinnati Bengals will likely need a new starting right tackle and a couple interior defensive linemen for the 2024 season.
On the other hand, if you had the chance to watch former Texas defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat in person, you probably would as well.
It's hard to miss Sweat when it's his turn to partake in one-on-one drills. He didn't officially weigh in earlier in the week, but the 2023 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year plays like every bit of his listed 362 pounds.
Sweat's a nose tackle through and through. The Bengals have had the luxury of rostering an elite nose tackle in DJ Reader for the past four years, but not only is Reader a pending free agent this offseason, he's also just six weeks removed his second torn quad in three years.
That's a lot of uncertainty that a player like Sweat can solve on his own. He's doing his best to prove that in Mobile thus far.
An excess of natural power and motor with a notable get-off for his immense size does resemble Reader off first glance. No one in Mobile could verify this more so than Tobin himself.
He passes the eye test with flying colors, and his data isn't too shabby either. He was Pro Football Focus' top interior defender in terms of overall defense grade (91.7) and run defense (92.0) in 2023.
If you get caught up with just two sacks from the season, don't. He graded out at 85.3 as a pass rusher, which was inside the top 10 for FBS defensive tackles.
"I get question a lot of 'Can a big guy pass rush?'…turn on the film and you'll see," Sweat told A to Z Sports' Sam Phalen following Wednesday's practice.
The Bengals are in a good spot to draft Sweat. He's currently No. 48 on the Consensus Big Board, which is exactly where the Bengals will select in the second round. The question is, will they opt to re-sign Reader or not beforehand?
Reader's injury and subsequent recovery will likely impact his free agency prospects. That said, A to Z Sports salary cap experts Josh Queipo and Kyle Dediminicantanio project Reader to command $22.5 million in guaranteed money this offseason, which is more than what was included in the contract he signed four years ago.
That is likely to be out of Cincinnati's price range. They'll have to pivot elsewhere before entering the draft with such a glaring hole at a position so important to their defense.
Investing a top 50 pick in Sweat can ensure Reader's departure will not be as harsh as it could be.
D.J. Reader’s 2024 free agency contract projection
Could be a bargain for someone.
