FanHouse StacyAndrews

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Earlier this offseason Donovan McNabb said he wanted to see how the Eagles upgraded the roster before he would talk about a contract extension. After last fall, when things got so bad that Andy Reid benched McNabb for Kevin Kolb, it looked as if neither head coach nor starting quarterback would be in Philly another year, much less long term.

Last offseason, the Bengals franchised offensive tackle Stacy Andrews, the team's 2004 fourth-round pick, even though he had just 17 career starts. He started 15 more times last season, but a Week 17 knee injury convinced Cincinnati to let him walk this time around.

The Eagles, who are in need of reinforcements along the offensive line due to age and, ironically, injury, wasted little time in signing Andrews. His younger brother Shawn just finished his fifth year with the Eagles, and has 47 career starts at guard and tackle. Stacey's addition means that 34-year-old Jon Runyan's Eagles' career is likely over.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

It could be argued that the Cincinnati Bengals did well to win four games in 2008. They were missing their star quarterback, Carson Palmer, for the majority of the season. That left the job to an overmatched Ryan Fitzpatrick, who did his best, but was saddled with a bad running game, worse offensive line and not much defense. The Bengals found a way to win three straight at the end of the season, finishing 4-11-1.

There are many areas for improvement as the Bengals make their way toward 2009 trying like crazy to avoid doing 2008 over again. Luckily, kicker is not one of those areas of need.

As the Cincinnati Bengals begin to reconstruct their team after a disastrous season, it makes perfect sense that they would use the franchise player designation to keep a key player around. With wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh and offensive lineman Stacy Andrews among the potential free agents, the Bengals certainly had options for their tag.

With that in mind, I'm sure no one is surprised that they decided to use it. What should surprise a few people is how the Bengals have decided to use it.

Despite the feeling that he would get tagged, NFL.com's Adam Schefter is reporting that the Cincinnati Bengals will not use the franchise tag on receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

He cites a league source, so this could be real. However, everything would point to them placing the tag on Housh. He is a Pro Bowl receiver, he's been one of the best players on the team despite their recent swoon and they really have no one else they need to use the tag on.

Last offseason, they used the tag on offensive tackle Stacy Andrews. Just last Sunday, Andrews blew out his knee and is done for the season. It is highly doubtful that the Bengals would bother tagging him because his value has dropped this season. So the thought was that the franchise tag could be used on Houshmandzadeh.

The article says that the Bengals will instead attempt to sign Housh to a long term deal, something it hasn't been able to get done all year long. If they can't get anything done, the Bengals still could use the tag on him.

This news could also mean that Chad Johnson could still be in Cincinnati next year. No way does the team let T.J. walk out and then they deal Chad.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: If there is one constant on this team, it is Carson Palmer. Sure, Palmer didn't have his best season a year ago, but his off seasons are better than many QBs best years. In reality, other things factored into his poor season (injuries to the line, injury to Rudi Johnson, receivers pouting). The only issue here is what happens in Cincinnati if Palmer gets hurt. They have no one groomed to come in. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jeff Rowe are in their second seasons with the team and Carson's brother, Jordan, is fighting for a spot. Heat Index: 8

Running backs: Injuries have hurt this unit in the past couple of years. Workhorse Rudi Johnson finally hit a wall; Kenny Irons blew out his knee in his first preseason game; Chris Perry has never been able to stay on the field. Well, Rudi and Perry are healthy again, with 2007 surprises Kenny Watson and DeDe Dorsey around to give the offense a different dynamic. Cincy needs this unit to get back to form to allow the entire offense to explode. Heat Index: 4

Receivers: Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh are one of the best receiving combos in the NFL. T.J. tied for the lead in receptions; Chad was third in receiving yards. However, this could be the last season either is in Cincinnati. Johnson's issues with the team are well documented. T.J. is in his final contracted season. Chris Henry is finally gone and there are several guys trying to step into that #3 spot. Rookie Jerome Simpson will get a strong look, as will Andre Caldwell and Antonio Chatman. Chatman is the only one with experience and could get the nod. Heat Index: 8

Philadelphia Eagles tight end L.J. Smith has signed the one-year franchise tender with the team, ensuring that he will report to minicamps and training camp and play the 2008 season for the Eagles.

The news, first reported by Adam Schefter of NFL Network, is the latest sign that NFL players are increasingly coming to accept that getting slapped with the franchise tag is not a bad deal. Although franchise players aren't able to test their free-market value the way truly unrestricted free agents can, they still get guaranteed salaries at the average of the five highest-paid players in the league at their position. That's nothing to sneeze at.

Bengals offensive lineman Stacy Andrews also signed his franchise tender, as did Panthers offensive lineman Jordan Gross. The next player to sign his tender could be Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Stacy Andrews has signed the team's franchise tender offer, meaning he will play under a guaranteed one-year, $7.5 million contract this year.

The Bengals say they are still hoping to negotiate a long-term deal with Andrews before July 15, which is the deadline to reach a long-term deal.

"We're happy Stacy is signed in advance of our offseason work," said head coach Marvin Lewis in a news release. "This does not preclude our continuing to talk to Stacy and his representatives about reaching a longer-term agreement."

A long-term extension would likely lessen Andrews' 2008 salary cap hit by giving him money as part of a signing bonus that could be prorated over the life of the contract. But whether Andrews gets an extension done or not, signing the franchise tender was the right move, and a move more players should make.

In Andrews' case, there isn't even a guarantee that he'll be a starter in 2008. The Bengals could have drafted an offensive tackle or signed one as a free agent and then decided that they no longer thought Andrews was worth $7.5 million, and if they had done that, they could have revoked the franchise tender -- and it's entirely possible that if he hit the open market, he wouldn't make that much in 2008.

By signing the contract, Andrews is guaranteed a 2008 base salary that will make him financially secure for life, and he still has the ability to either negotiate a new deal with the Bengals, or take his chances that he'll have a big year in 2008 and become a big-money free agent in 2009.

The fact that the Bengals have franchised offensive lineman Stacy Andrews instead of defensive end Justin Smith is telling. It sends the message that long term, Cincinnati thinks Andrews has more upside than Smith (assuming, of course, that the team can sign Andrews to a new deal). Even though there's a chance Andrews might not start next season.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's Mark Curnutte writes that if tackles Willie Anderson and Levi Jones are healthy there's a chance Andrews could be the offensive line's sixth man. And apparently, Andrews is cool with that.

I'm not worried about that at all," Andrews said ... "They have something in store for me, whether it's at guard or tackle. Whatever is going to help the team I'll do."

I suspect making $7.5 million next year makes it a little easier to be a backup, although I'd be surprised if the Bengals don't find a way to get him on the field.

And while I can't recall a team franchising a guy who wasn't guaranteed a starting job, this news has to make soon-to-be free agents Alan Faneca and Max Starks pretty happy. With Andrews and Carolina's Jordan Gross now off the market, their prices just went up. Even though I'm pretty sure their games didn't improve over the last week. Yea, capitalism.

Earlier today I mentioned that the Bengals had plenty of personnel housekeeping to take care of before heading to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. In addition to deciding on restricted free-agent tenders for a handful of players, the club would need to choose whether to franchise defensive end Justin Smith or offensive lineman Stacy Andrews.

Well, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer's Mark Curnutte, Andrews is the big winner. Which means he's get a one-year deal worth $7.5 million. or the average of the top five offensive lineman salaries last season. This is obviously good news for Carson Palmer, who was sacked just 17 times in 2007, second only to the Saints' Drew Brees.

The news could be less rosy for the Bengals' defense, however. A unit that has ranked in the bottom half of the league against the run and the pass in each of Marvin Lewis' five seasons, could continue to struggle in both areas if the team doesn't re-sign Smith.

Or maybe the Bengals think that Andrews is more important to its long-term future than Smith, who has been inconsistent during his seven-year career. The former first round pick had just two sacks in 2007, the lowest total of his career.

If Smith leaves for free agency, he shouldn't have any trouble finding work; defensive ends are forever in demand, even underachieving ones.