Duke Tobin thinks cap space gives Bengals “certain advantage” in free agency

[Who Dey]

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Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin didn’t say at a Monday press conference whether the Bengals would use the franchise tag on pass rusher Carl Lawson or cornerback William Jackson III, but he does expect the team to be active in free agency.

The Bengals are projected to have more than $40 million in cap space and that space will grow if they part ways with defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Tobin said the team “is not going to sit on our hands” in free agency.

“The way we’ve managed our cap and coming into it the way that we are, I think we’ve got a certain advantage and we’re going to look to take advantage of that,” Tobin said.

Tobin said the team will build around quarterback Joe Burrow and the next couple of weeks will show how the team puts their advantage to work on that front.