When free agency legal tampering starts and what to expect from Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals figure to be active in free agency on Monday, though not potentially right out of the gates like the last few years.

For those out of the loop, the NFL’s “legal tampering window” starts Monday at noon. Teams can negotiate with unsigned veterans starting then. Agreements go final at the closing of the window, Wednesday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET.

The Bengals have been very open about shifting gears more into a retaining their own mode this year, which makes sense. With the major rebuild morphing the team into Super Bowl contenders, there won’t be a major splash like a DJ Reader or Alex Cappa. There will be a focus on retaining guys like Vonn Bell and others while potentially adding outside names to replace the likes of Eli Apple and Hayden Hurst.

Either way, there’s little reason to panic if the Bengals are very quiet out of the gates on Monday while a few of their guys sign elsewhere.

In the interim, the Bengals have already been at least loosely linked to the following free agents:

• DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
• RB Jamaal Williams

These are lists of players available on the open market at areas of need for the team:

• Running back
• Tight end
• Cornerback
• Right tackle

And finally, a seven-round mock draft for the Bengals before free agency opens.