The Cincinnati Bengals are now allowed to work out a contract extension with elite defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Both sides need to come to an agreement this preseason because there is no sense in allowing it to drag out for the duration of the regular season.
There is absolutely no reason to not sign Atkins to an extension when looking at it from the front office's point of view. Atkins is arguably the best defensive tackle in the league and an integral cog of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's unit.
As obvious as it is that Atkins is one of the best NFL defenders, it's even more obvious the Bengals have plenty of cash to work with as the organization once again has one of the highest amounts of free cap space.
Atkins and his representatives are going to demand a massive contract in the upper echelon of NFL numbers, and that's just fine. Cincinnati has done a great job with its contracts to date (depending on how you look at it) and can throw as much cash at Atkins as his heart desires.
Of course, it takes two sides to make a deal. There's been little in the way of negotiations so far. Perhaps Atkins and his agent wants to wait until after the season on the chance he will have an even better year, which will subsequently allow him to make higher contractual demands.
However, it's hard to imagine Atkins will do much better than his 2012 performance in which he tallied a ridiculous 12.5 sacks from the defensive tackle position.
The one thing that may be giving the Cincinnati front office some pause in regards to extending Atkins is the contract status of two of his fellow defensive linemen. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap is headed for free agency and could demand a hefty price tag if he puts together a solid campaign, as is Michael Johnson, who is currently playing under the franchise tag.
It is highly doubtful all three players are back with the team in 2014, but the priority has to be on Atkins. Johnson is a great piece to have in more ways than one but may command too much money. Dunap is more affordable and has unlimited upside but has failed to stay healthy and improve his game against the run.
Then there is Atkins, who has no deficiencies to speak of on or off the field. He stuffs the run with smooth anticipation, but his real value comes from his work against the pass. As a pass-rusher from the defensive tackle spot, Atkins creates unusual pressure from the interior of the line. Pressure from the ends can be avoided by quarterbacks by simply stepping up in the pocket. Interior pressure from Atkins has to be avoided by running to the left or right into the defensive ends.
The attention offenses have to give Atkins creates room for the linebackers behind him to work. If all of this hasn't been clear enough, Atkins is the main piece on a defensive unit that allows it to excel.
Only one other man on the roster should have just as much, if not more sway within the Bengals organization when it comes to extension talks, and receiver A.J. Green is not eligible until next offseason.
Owner Mike Brown and Co. need to focus on Atkins and only Atkins for the remainder of the preseason. Allowing his contract status to play out over the course of the season would be a huge mistake.
Cincinnati has done a lot of things right in regards to player personnel in the past few years, but Atkins' contract extension is not something the franchise can afford to fudge.
Get the extension done so the team can focus on taking the next step once the regular season rolls around.
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