Kevin Zeitler, guard, Cincinnati Bengals
Expected to demand $11-plus million in free agency, it sure looks like Zeitler won’t be returning to the Bengals. They have a cheaper alternative on the roster in the form of Christian Westerman, and really need to look at upgrading other positions of need. Eight figures is a ton of cash to pay for an interior lineman, cash the Bengals simply don’t have.
Zeitler was graded out as Pro Football Focuse’s seventh-best guard this past season. He’s surely already one of the best players at his position in the NFL.
But much like Poe, the number of teams interested in Zeitler will be limited due to his asking price. This leads us to believe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be his eventual landing spot. The team signed J.R. Sweezy to an absurd five-year, $32.5 million contract last season. He didn’t play a single game after suffering an injury during the offseason.
Reality tells us that Tampa needs another top-end guard to play alongside the surprising Ali Marpet. If that’s the case, Zeitler could make a ton of sense. The Bucs are a projected $70 million under the cap. They can also afford to push Sweezy to a backup role considering he earned $9.5 million last season and is set to count just $5 million against the cap in 2017.
Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers