The Cincinnati Bengals took an anticipated hit when defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi decided to sign with the Chicago Bears in free agency.
But now he’s back on the open market.
In a stunning turn of events, the Bears decided to not sign Ogunjobi after a failed physical. That’s an unfathomable unfortunate turn of events for the veteran and nixes his three-year deal worth $40.5 million.
Ogunjobi suffered a foot injury in the wild card round of the playoffs and needed surgery, but no word on if that’s the root cause of the agreement falling apart (the two sides “agreed” to the deal during the “legal tampering window”). As Bengals fans have seen in the past though, team doctors can fail a player’s physical for any number of reasons while other teams will pass them.
So now the question becomes whether the Bengals take another look at Ogunjobi’s market. We know they’re on the hunt for a replacement at 3-tech, hence the visit with pass-rusher Jarran Reed.
At this point, Ogunjobi might have to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal similar to the one he got last year in Cincinnati. And from his perspective, if that’s the case, re-upping with the Bengals to again maximize his value would make the most sense.
The Bengals are already familiar with Ogunjobi’s medicals, so getting him back in the door for a check would be a reasonable thing to do if he has a quiet market after the issues in Chicago. He’ll only turn 28 this summer, so if the asking price is low again, it’s a no-brainer of a move to attempt to get him back.
Ultimately unexpectedly getting Ogunjobi back would be similar to bringing back Eli Apple and signing Hayden Hurst at tight end — they get immediate production from veterans and can also take their time developing draft picks at those positions. Ogunjobi was very good in his role last year and a key part of the Super Bowl run, so provided he can stay healthy, there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t be able to do it again.
