For the second straight draft the Bengals received the maximum four compensatory picks but this time got a third-rounder Friday when the NFL revealed the results of its byzantine free-agent formula.
Joining the Bengals with four were Dallas, Green Bay and Oakland.
A significant portion of the Bengals’ free-agent strategy is based on carefully considering unrestricted free agents so signing them won’t hamper draft compensation in a formula that takes into consideration players lost and gained via unrestricted free agency the previous year. It computes a weighted combination of the UFA’s average yearly salary, awards, and snaps with the new team ranked against all players in the NFL on rosters at the end of season.