Burks is coming from the Super Bowl-winning Eagles.
The Cincinnati Bengals got Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins new contracts, and that wasn’t cheap. However, the team is in a good place offensively for the long-term future, especially with Joe Burrow having signed a massive extension a few offseasons ago.
The Bengals will have to keep building out their defense, and they tried to start earlier this offseason with the signing of former Eagles linebacker Oren Burks.
Adding Burks was crucial, especially since Germaine Pratt had requested a trade. The Bengals got him at a steal as well, and Pro Football Focus’ Ben Cooper says he has the highest upside of the Bengals’ signings.
“Burks, fresh off a Super Bowl win with the Eagles, comes to Cincinnati on just a $5 million contract over two years. His best work came in the playoffs, where he filled in for an injured Nakobe Dean and finished as the postseason’s highest-graded linebacker (80.7),” Cooper wrote.
Burks came to the NFL as the Green Bay Packers‘ 3rd-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons there before being with the San Francisco 49ers for the next two. His seventh year, and most successful one from a team perspective, was with the Eagles.
He had 17 games played and just two starts last season, ending with two forced fumbles and 41 tackles. While he has never been an every-game starter, Burks has been a strong option for the teams that he’s played on.
The Bengals will be no different.