CINCINNATI -- We never should have doubted Marvin Lewis.
Back in January at the Senior Bowl, when the Cincinnati Bengals' head coach told reporters from Bengals.com and the Cincinnati Enquirer that his team would be more aggressive in free agency this year, it was hard to fully buy into what he was saying.
In most recent years, when it came to the Bengals and free agency, the focus was on replenishing what was already there. Build from within by keeping former draft picks and signing them to second and third contracts that wouldn't break the bank. That was the credo. If any free agents were added from the outside, make sure they primarily aided in depth and were good, complementary locker room players.
Those were admirable charges. And it worked. No head coach in franchise history has made the postseason as regularly as Lewis has.
But that free-agency mission hasn't gotten the Bengals a playoff win. Something needed to be tweaked to help make that finally happen.
Thus, Lewis' now prophetic words and new strategy.
"It's a different feel than where we have been," Lewis told Bengals.com and the Enquirer at the Senior Bowl. "It's not status quo. There has not been a status-quo conversation or 'Oh, we'll be OK, we'll just get these guys back.' No, no, no, that's bull. We got to be better."
The 2015 free-agency period is only a day old, but already it appears the Bengals have improved.
Not only have they maintained a strict focus on re-signing the talent they have, but they also signed one free agent from the outside and have their eyes on another couple who would be more than complementary locker room pieces.
It's safe to say the Bengals experienced a Day 1 win.
Clint Boling's re-signing, originally reported late Tuesday and expected sometime Wednesday, was the perfect cap to a busier start of free agency than most outside of Paul Brown Stadium anticipated for the Bengals. Many expected a comparatively quiet Tuesday. The only signing that seemed plausible was Boling. But once reports Monday indicated the Vikings, Falcons, Jets and others were trying to lure the unrestricted free agent away, it appeared a couple of days might go by before the offensive lineman ultimately decided where to go.
Despite the interest elsewhere, Boling stayed with Cincinnati.
Before him, another Bengals free-agent lineman, Eric Winston, re-signed. A key late-season acquisition, his return locks up an area that had long been a trouble spot. Along with him, the Bengals added linebacker A.J. Hawk, the former Green Bay Packer and a Southwest Ohio native, to address a need for a veteran linebacker since Vontaze Burfict's injury status is in limbo.
Days before those moves, Cincinnati also retained veterans Rey Maualuga and Mike Nugent. Mix in defensive tackle Nick Fairley's anticipated visit Wednesday and the possibility of former Bengals defensive lineman Michael Johnson's return if Tampa Bay cuts him this week, and you have the makings of a truly aggressive start to free agency.
"[Mike Brown] is the one leading the charge," Lewis said in January, referring to the team president's directive for a tactical change. "He's pushing people to identify players that will make us a better football team in free agency."
Free agency alone might not win the Bengals a playoff game, but this revamped approach ought to help. The Bengals promised changes, and so far, they're delivering.
