HEADLINES

Cincinnati Bengals News & Rumors

Bengals LB Logan Wilson Undergoes Knee Surgery, Likely To Miss Remainder Of Season

December 5th, 2024 at 9:35am CST by Adam La Rose

The Bengals have struggled on defense while dealing with multiple injuries this season, and the unit will be further shorthanded the rest of the way. Linebacker Logan Wilson underwent a cleanup procedure on his knee Thursday morning, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

As a result of the surgery, Wilson is expected to miss the remainder of the season. The news deals another blow to a Bengals defense which already sits near the bottom of the league in several defensive categories. Improving on that side of the ball would be key to any potential playoff push, but the chances of that taking place will drop without Wilson in the fold.

The 28-year-old managed to take part in each of Cincinnati’s first 11 games, but he was sidelined for the team’s first contest after the bye. Wilson is now in position to miss the Bengals’ five remaining games, something which will leave them without a full-time starter at the second level of their defense. Wilson’s 104 tackles rank second on the team, and replacing his production down the stretch (which also includes a pair of forced fumbles) will be challenging.

The Wyoming product landed an extension last summer, and instead of playing out the final season of his rookie pact as a pending free agent he secured $36MM on a four-year deal. Given the terms of that contract, expectations have remained high for Wilson, who has been a mainstay on defense for the Bengals since his rookie season. The 2023 campaign saw him register a new career high in tackles, and prior to going down this season his 90.0 PFF run defense grade stood out on an otherwise poor Cincinnati unit.

Now, Wilson’s attention will turn to recovery in advance of the 2025 campaign. Sitting at 4-8 on the year, the Bengals face a steep path to a wild-card spot and with a defense already ranking 22nd against the run, regression in that department can be expected knowing the former third-rounder will be unavailable. Germaine Pratt is set to remain a starter at the LB spot moving forward, while Akeem Davis-Gaither – who made a season-high 13 tackles on Sunday – represents an option to replace Wilson over the rest of the season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/24

December 4th, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Designated for return: LB Dyontae Johnson

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Spencer Shrader‘s hamstring injury will knock him out for the next four weeks, and with Harrison Butker eventually set to return, the fill-in kicker’s stint with the Chiefs has likely come to an end. Temporarily, the team will turn to their third kicker in Matthew Wright. The veteran filled in for Shrader this past weekend, connecting on four of his five field goal tries.

Former Dolphins second-round pick Cam Smith landed on IR today, likely ending his disappointing sophomore campaign. The cornerback did get more run in 2024 vs. his rookie season, but he was still limited to only 16 tackles in six games thanks to a pair of IR stints. This time, it’s a shoulder issue that will put the South Carolina product on the shelf.

Saints safety Roderic Teamer was hit with a three-game ban today for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.football notes that Teamer’s unpaid ban is “the conclusion of his DUI arrest” in 2023 (when he was with the Raiders). Teamer was limited to only a pair of appearances this season, with all of his snaps coming on special teams.

Titans lineman Jaelyn Duncan returned to practice today after missing the past six games while nursing a hamstring injury. The former sixth-round pick could actually see a significant role upon his return, with Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com noting that the second-year player could get a look at right tackle once he’s fully healthy.

Bengals To Sign K Cade York

December 4th, 2024 at 1:11pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bengals have signed kicker Cade York to their practice squad after Evan McPherson suffered a groin injury, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

McPherson will be sidelined for a few weeks with a groin injury, per Garafolo, which forced Cincinnati to work out some veteran free agents on Wednesday morning. York had the most successful tryout, and he will take over as the Bengals’ kicker while McPherson heals up.

A stint on the sidelines might be a blessing in disguise for the struggling McPherson, who, like his AFC North counterpart Justin Tucker in Baltimore, is having the worst year of his career. He’s made just 72.7% of his kicks, a significant drop from his 83.9% conversion rate over his first three seasons. Crucially, McPherson has missed four field goals in three Bengals’ losses that were decided by one possession. Whether the problem is physical or mental, the 2021 fifth-rounder could benefit from a few weeks of rest. He signed a three-year extension with the Bengals before the regular season that the team may already be regretting.

That doesn’t mean that York is an upgrade. He entered the regular season as the Commanders’ kicker, but lost his job after missing both of his attempts in Week 1. Since then, he has worked out for the Bills and the Jets (twice), though he was unable to win either available opportunity. York spent the 2023 seasons shuttling between practice squads, but appeared in every game for the Browns as a rookie in 2022 with a disappointing 75.0% conversion rate after Cleveland drafted him in the fourth round.

York will reunite with former LSU teammates and fellow 2019 national champions Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in Cincinnati, where he will hope to re-establish his place in the NFL. The Bengals will likely use up his practice squad elevations over the next three weeks with the hope that McPherson can return before the end of the regular season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/24

December 2nd, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Monday’s minor transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Falcons get the second-round rookie, Orhorhoro, back from injured reserve for the closing stretch of the season. The Clemson-product has seen minimal time in his first NFL season, rotating in for only four games so far, but Atlanta will take whatever help it can get on a defense that is dead-last in the league with only 15 sacks on the year.

Zappe was signed off the Patriots’ practice squad following Deshaun Watson‘s placement on IR. Jameis Winston has performed admirably in relief of Watson, and the team must have confidence in second-year backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson behind him.

Shenault continues to struggle to find a place on an NFL offense, but he did carve out a role as a strong kick returner in Seattle this year. That added ability may help him find another roster spot soon.

Gill is the second punter the Buccaneers have waived this year. Gill’s yards per punt average of 43.3 currently ranks for 33rd in the NFL.

Seymour has served the league’s six-game suspension for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy and is now able to return to the field.

Bengals Demote G Cordell Volson

December 1st, 2024 at 2:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Cordell Volson had served as a full-time starter up to this point in his Bengals career. The third-year left guard is no longer a first-team option along the interior, however.

Cincinnati has replaced Volson with Cody Ford at the left guard spot beginning with today’s contest against Pittsburgh. Volson was healthy for each game during the 2022 and ’23 campaigns, logging every offensive snap during that span. He remained a first-team option this year through the team’s first 11 games, but Ford recently had the opportunity to handle left tackle duties in place of Orlando Brown Jr.

Ford’s PFF grades during that stretch left much to be desired, but he did not allow a sack while stepping in at left tackle. Brown is now healthy, leaving the Bengals with the option of returning Ford to backup duties or demoting Volson. The latter path has been taken for the time being as Cincinnati looks to remain productive on offense as part of a playoff push.

Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, Volson graded out as PFF’s 64th-ranked guard during his rookie campaign. The following season saw a step forward (42nd out of 79 qualifiers), but it certainly left plenty of room for improvement. To date in 2024, Volson sits just 53rd in PFF grade with a 58.4 mark. Ford has not delivered demonstrably better figures over the course of his career – one in which he has seen time at both tackle spots as well as left and right guard – but he will get a look for at least a short-term stretch.

In Volson’s case, this demotion is notable from a financial perspective. The 26-year-old will first be eligible for an extension this offseason, and continuing his run of logging every snap would have have helped his chances of landing a new deal. Instead, his play once he is next on the field will be key in determining his value.

Ford, meanwhile, is a pending free agent since he is playing on his second straight one-year Bengals pact. The former second-rounder is attached to the veteran minimum for his base salary this season, but holding onto a full-time starting spot down the stretch would help his ability to secure a raise in 2025.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/29/24

November 29th, 2024 at 9:17pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest practice squad transactions from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/29/24

November 29th, 2024 at 8:23pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the NFL’s minor moves on Friday:

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed to active roster from practice squad: DB Daryl Worley

The 49ers waived Bell after a frustrating season from the 2023 seventh-rounder. He appeared in all 17 games in 2023 and played all but two games this year, but only managed two catches for 22 yards despite expanded opportunities after Brandon Aiyuk‘s ACL tear. Any team that claims Bell on waivers will take on the remainder of his 2024 salary as well as the $2.2MM owed to him across 2025 and 2026, though that money is not guaranteed. However, Bell’s struggles this year will likely dissuade any team from claiming him on waivers. If he clears waivers, he will be free to sign with any team’s active roster or practice squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/28/24

November 28th, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Thanksgiving Day minor moves from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Quitoriano’s injury struggles continue. The depth tight end who often appears in running plays and multi-tight end sets has yet to prove he can stay on the field for much more than half a season. After appearing in 16 games (11 starts) over his first two years in the NFL, Quitoriano was only able to appear in seven games (four starts) before hitting injured reserve this year. Signed off the Bears’ practice squad to make up for the season-ending loss of Brevin Jordan, Quitoriano’s loss leaves Dalton Schultz and Cade Stover as the only healthy tight ends on the active roster as Quitoriano joins Jordan and Dalton Keene on IR. Houston has veteran Irv Smith on the practice squad, as well.

2024 NFL Dead Money, By Team

November 27th, 2024 at 12:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants making the decision to waive Daniel Jones, rather than keep him around ahead of a potential 2025 post-June 1 cut designation, changed their dead money outlook for this year and next. Here is how their new total fits in with the rest of the teams’ numbers for dead money — cap space allocated to players no longer on the roster — entering the final third of the regular season. Numbers courtesy of OverTheCap.

  1. Denver Broncos: $85.21MM
  2. New York Giants: $79.57MM
  3. Minnesota Vikings: $69.83MM
  4. Buffalo Bills: $68.47MM
  5. Carolina Panthers: $68.28MM
  6. Green Bay Packers: $65.53MM
  7. Tennessee Titans: $62.89MM
  8. Philadelphia Eagles: $61.95MM
  9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $60.64MM
  10. New Orleans Saints: $59.44MM
  11. New York Jets: $59.24MM
  12. Los Angeles Chargers: $58.62MM
  13. New England Patriots: $53.37MM
  14. Miami Dolphins: $52.28MM
  15. Seattle Seahawks: $52MM
  16. Jacksonville Jaguars: $51.2MM
  17. Las Vegas Raiders: $49.37MM
  18. Washington Commanders: $42.81MM
  19. Houston Texans: $39.28MM
  20. Cleveland Browns: $38.79MM
  21. Los Angeles Rams: $34.63MM
  22. Detroit Lions: $33.71MM
  23. Pittsburgh Steelers: $30.18MM
  24. Chicago Bears: $29.65MM
  25. Arizona Cardinals: $29.35MM
  26. San Francisco 49ers: $26.91MM
  27. Dallas Cowboys: $26.79MM
  28. Baltimore Ravens: $21.35MM
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: $12.65MM
  30. Indianapolis Colts: $11.8MM
  31. Atlanta Falcons: $11.55MM
  32. Cincinnati Bengals: $9.11MM

The Jones release moved more than $13MM of dead cap onto the Giants’ 2024 payroll. More significantly, the Giants granting Jones an early exit — after a contract-driven benching — will prevent the team from designating him a post-June 1 cut next year. The Giants will take on $22.2MM in dead money in 2025, rather than being able to split that bill over two offseasons. The team also took on more than $10MM in dead money this year due to the 2023 Leonard Williams trade.

This year’s most egregious dead money offender has been known for months. The Broncos’ contract-driven Russell Wilson benching last year preceded a historic release, which saddled the team with more than $83MM in total dead money. A small cap credit is set to come in 2025 (via Wilson’s veteran-minimum Pittsburgh pact), but for this year, $53MM in dead cap hit Denver’s payroll as a result of the the quarterback’s release.

The Broncos more than doubled the previous single-player dead money record, which the Falcons held ($40.5MM) for trading Matt Ryan), and they will be on the hook for the final $30MM-plus in 2025. Beyond Wilson, no other ex-Bronco counts more than $7.5MM in dead money. In terms of total dead cap, however, the Broncos barely check in north of the Buccaneers and Rams’ 2023 totals. Denver is trying to follow those teams’ lead in rallying back to make the playoffs despite nearly a third of its 2024 payroll tied up in dead cap.

Twenty-two players represent dead money for the Saints, who have seen their total updated since the Marshon Lattimore trade. Rather than restructure-crazed GM Mickey Loomis using the Lattimore contract once again to create cap space next year, the Saints will take on the highest non-QB dead money hit in NFL history. Lattimore counts $14MM in that category this year before the contract shifts to a whopping $31.66MM in dead cap on New Orleans’ 2025 payroll. Considering the Saints are again in their own sector for cap trouble next year ($62MM-plus over), the Lattimore trade will create some issues as the team attempts to rebound post-Dennis Allen.

Two 2023 restructures ballooned the Vikings’ figure toward $70MM. Void years on Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter‘s deals combined for more than $43MM in dead money. Minnesota also ate nearly $7MM from the void years on Marcus Davenport‘s one-year contract, while the release of 2022 first-rounder Lewis Cine (currently on the Bills’ practice squad) accounted for more than $5MM.

Free from the Tom Brady dead money that comprised a chunk of their 2023 cap, the Bucs still have eight-figure hits from the Carlton Davis trade and Mike Evans‘ previous contract voiding not long before the sides agreed on a new deal. Elsewhere in the NFC South, three of the players given multiyear deals in 2023 — Vonn Bell, Hayden Hurst, Bradley Bozeman — being moved off the roster in GM Dan Morgan‘s first offseason represent nearly half of Carolina’s dead cap.

 

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

November 25th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Week 12 slate of games is in the books. For many teams, attention is increasingly turning toward the offseason with a playoff berth no longer in reach.

Plenty of time remains for the draft order to change over the coming months, and it will be interesting to see which teams wind up in position to add at the quarterback spot in particular. The crop of prospects for 2025 is not held in high regard after Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, meaning the demand for potential franchise passers is set to outweigh demand at the top of the board. Of course, players like Sanders’ Colorado teammate Travis Hunter will be among the ones worth watching closely as well.

The Jets have moved on from head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas, inviting questions about a reset under center as well. Aaron Rodgers wants to play in 2025, but it remains to be seen how his relationship with the organization will take shape down the stretch and if a new regime will prefer to move on at the position. The Giants, meanwhile, confirmed they will be in the market for a new signal-caller with Daniel Jones no longer in the fold.

Teams such as the Raiders have long been mentioned as a team to watch regarding a rookie QB pursuit. Jayden Daniels was a target for head coach Antonio Pierce last spring, and it would come as no surprise if Vegas were to make a push for a long-term starting option this time around. Other franchises not on track to qualify for the playoffs figure to give the Raiders plenty of competition in that department, though.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-9
  2. New York Giants: 2-9
  3. Las Vegas Raiders: 2-9
  4. New England Patriots: 3-9
  5. Carolina Panthers: 3-8
  6. Tennessee Titans: 3-8
  7. New York Jets: 3-8
  8. Cleveland Browns: 3-8
  9. New Orleans Saints: 4-7
  10. Cincinnati Bengals: 4-7
  11. Dallas Cowboys: 4-7
  12. Chicago Bears: 4-7
  13. Indianapolis Colts: 5-7
  14. Miami Dolphins: 5-6
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-6
  16. Los Angeles Rams: 5-6
  17. San Francisco 49ers: 5-6
  18. Arizona Cardinals: 6-5
  19. Atlanta Falcons: 6-5
  20. Seattle Seahawks: 6-5
  21. Washington Commanders: 7-5
  22. Houston Texans: 7-5
  23. Denver Broncos: 7-5
  24. Los Angeles Chargers: 7-4
  25. Baltimore Ravens: 8-4
  26. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-3
  27. Green Bay Packers: 8-3
  28. Minnesota Vikings: 9-2
  29. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-2
  30. Buffalo Bills: 9-2
  31. Kansas City Chiefs: 10-1
  32. Detroit Lions: 10-1
Load More Posts