As we sit awaiting the decision of OT Marvel Smith, another name has quietly landed in the rumor mill. Late last week, when Marvel Smith came out for a visit, Barrows very subtly threw out this line:
If Smith isn't signed, another tackle to keep an eye on is Levi Jones, whose tenure in Cincinnati appears to be iffy.
Marvin Lewis has said that Levi Jones remains the starting left tackle. However, apparently there are rumors the team is actively shopping Jones. The Bengals are considering a lineman with that #6 pick, so it certainly could result in a Jones trade.
The Lions are supposedly in negotiations with 3 players (likely Jason Smith, Matt Stafford and Aaron Curry). KFFL is reporting that Smith is going to be their #1 pick. That would certainly affect the other teams looking at offensive tackles. With Andre Smith going a little haywire, it's questionable what happens once Eugene Monroe is off the board.
As the article above mentioned, the Bengals could release/trade Jones now and concentrate their efforts on signing free agent George Foster. The other option is making the #6 pick and if it's an o-lineman THEN trading or releasing Levi Jones. Since they lost Stacy Andrews they would certainly have a spot on the line for both Jones and a rookie. However, you usually don't pay that kind of money to a right tackle (an issues the 49ers could certainly face).
So the question is, would you trade for Levi Jones and what would you trade for him? The only mention I've seen of the 49ers was that Barrows post and then somebody asking about Jones in a Q&A with Barrows. Jones is certainly a very solid offensive tackle, although he had some injury issues last year. I don't know how accurate this is, but Rotoworld indicated the Bengals wouldn't face a huge cap hit by releasing Jones.
Jones seems to fit into that Marvel Smith category in terms of being talented but struggling with injuries the last couple years. I'd rather avoid waiting out a trade and hopefully just sign Smith, but sometimes beggars can't be choosers. After a couple of offseasons of relative success in terms of getting talented players out here (J. Smith, Clements), this offseason has included a bit more rejection than normal. Let's just get this one taken care of sooner rather than later.