Cincinnati Bengals sign RB Kentrel Bullock

Kentrel Bullock's signing earns a C+ Contract Value Index (CVI), reflecting a low-cost depth addition that makes rational sense for a team in rebuild mode but carries minimal upside. At $1.03M AAV on a three-year, $3.1M deal, this is replacement-level money for a running back — the kind of contract designed to fill a roster slot without meaningful cap pressure or long-term commitment risk. The Bengals, sitting at 6-11 and outside the playoff picture, are in a phase where absorbing cheap bodies at secondary positions allows flexibility for higher-impact acquisitions elsewhere. The CVI grade acknowledges that Bullock slots into that narrow band where the economics are sound (low AAV, minimal guaranteed structure implied) but the player profiles as a depth piece rather than a starter or rotational contributor carrying franchise value. For Cincinnati's offseason construction, this is the type of signing that doesn't hurt and provides insurance, but it's not the kind of move that meaningfully shifts the needle on a roster in transition — hence the middle-of-the-road grade rather than a mark of distinction in either direction.