The Cincinnati Bengals went against their normal philosophy of thrifty offensive line spending this offseason and splurged on a couple of key players.

Cincinnati has agreed to sign guard Alex Cappa and guard/center Ted Karras.

The deal for Cappa is for $40 million over four years while the deal for Karras is for $18 million over three years.

Cappa, specifically, is a tough offensive lineman who once finished a game with a broken arm and once tried to play through a broken leg.

That's the type of offensive lineman that every Bengals fan should want protecting quarterback Joe Burrow.

A+ signing, right?

Well, not according to ESPN.

ESPN gave the Bengals a "C+" for the signing (which can't become official until Wednesday).

Here's what ESPN's Jeremy Fowler had to say about the Bengals adding Cappa:

Cappa is a solid player. He doesn't commit penalties or give up egregious sacks. More mobile guard options were out there, such as Laken Tomlinson, so if you're going to spend $10 million annually, that's the route I would have gone. But the Bengals also need predictability up front, and Cappa provides that.

Anything Cincinnati can do to avoid giving up nine sacks in a playoff game would be wise. Expect Cincinnati to also poke around on centers and maybe an extra tackle.

Fowler mentioned that Laken Tomilson, who is expected to sign with the New York Jets, would've been a better option for the Bengals.

Tomlison and Cappa actually graded out the exact same as pass blockers last season (69.2 per Pro Football Focus). Tomlison's overall grade was just slightly better than Cappa's (73.6 compared to 71.9).

I'm not sure what there is to criticize here. The Bengals needed to beef up their offensive line and they did that by adding one of the toughest guards in the league. No, Cappa isn't perfect. But he's a major upgrade for Cincinnati and he'll instantly make Burrow's life easier.

Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK