Bengals Place Trae Waynes On IR
The Bengals have placed Trae Waynes on injured reserve, per a club announcement. To fill his place on the roster, they’ve re-signed fellow cornerback Torry McTyer.
[RELATED: Bengals Waive G Alex Redmond]
Waynes has not been completely ruled out for the year, though he is expected to be out for a “sizable portion” of the season. Rather than clogging up a roster spot, the Bengals will park the star CB on IR to preserve their flexibility. By waiting until Monday to make the move, the Bengals will technically reserve the right to activate Waynes after as just three games. However, his pectoral tear will almost certainly keep him out of action for a longer stretch.
The Bengals signed Waynes to a three-year, $42MM deal earlier this year, one that pays $20MM in 2020. Former fifth-round pick Darius Phillips will move into the starting lineup to fill-in for him, while McTyer offers some CB support in reserve. McTyer, entering his fourth pro season, has history with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo dating back to their time together in Miami.
The Bengals, sans Waynes, will kick off their season at home on Sunday against the Chargers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/20
Here are Sunday’s minor moves. The players who landed on injured reserve are eligible to come off teams’ respective lists after three weeks. For 2020, teams can also activate an unlimited number of IR players — as opposed to the two-man max of 2019.
Atlanta Falcons
- Claimed (from Washington): T Timon Paris
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed (from Dolphins): G Deion Calhoun
- Signed: CB Torry McTyer
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed (from Cowboys): DE Joe Jackson
- Claimed (from Bills): DT Vincent Taylor
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: WR Ventell Bryant
- Signed: CB C.J. Goodwin, LB Justin March-Lillard
- Released: LB Joe Thomas
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: T Brent Qvale, LS Jon Weeks
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed (from Eagles): TE Noah Togiai
Las Vegas Raiders
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed (from Giants): LB Ryan Connelly
New York Giants
- Claimed (from Chiefs): T Jackson Barton, S Adrian Colbert
- Claimed (from Browns): WR Damion Ratley
- Waived: S Sean Chandler, OL Chad Slade
- Placed on IR: LB David Mayo, S Xavier McKinney
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed (from Lions): RB Jason Huntley
- Placed on IR: S Will Parks, WR Quez Watkins
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: J.J. Nelson
Seattle Seahawks
- Claimed (from Titans): LB D’Andre Walker
- Waived: DB Linden Stephens
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: C A.Q. Shipley
Bengals Waive G Alex Redmond
The Bengals have waived guard Alex Redmond, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter). In a corresponding move, the team has claimed Shaq Calhoun off waivers from the Dolphins, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016, Redmond worked his way onto the Bengals’ roster and eventually earned a starting spot along the team’s offensive front. In 2018, Redmond started 15 games for Cincinnati, though he was not particularly effective. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2019 season for violating the league’s PED policy, and he ultimately appeared in just three games (two starts) last season due to the suspension and injury.
In Calhoun, the Bengals are getting a slightly younger player to provide O-line depth. The Mississippi State product signed with Miami as a UDFA last year and ultimately played in 10 games (seven starts). According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, Calhourn struggled in both pass-blocking and run-blocking, but clearly Cincinnati — which has top waiver priority — saw something it liked.
Bengals Get Roster To 53
The Bengals became the latest team to get down to 53 on Saturday, releasing one player and waiving 23 others. We’ll recap the most notable names at the bottom:
- QB Brandon Allen (released)
- DT Freedom Akinmoladun
- DE Amani Bledsoe
- DT Trey Dishon
- QB Jake Dolegala
- TE Jordan Franks
- DE Kendall Futrell
- LS Dan Godsil
- S Trayvon Henderson
- WR Trenton Irwin
- OT Josh Knipfel
- WR DaMarkus Lodge
- CB Greg Mabin
- C Frederick Mauigoa
- DT Kahlil McKenzie
- CB Torry McTyer
- WR Stanley Morgan
- HB Jacques Patrick
- CB Winston Rose
- TE Mason Schreck
- S Maurice Smith
- LB Marcel Spears Jr.
- WR Scotty Washington
- TE Mitchell Wilcox
Allen was drafted in the sixth-round by the Jaguars back in 2016, but didn’t appear in a game until injuries forced him to start three games at quarterback for the Broncos last year. He was decent in his first game under center but quickly declined before relinquishing the job to Drew Lock. He couldn’t beat out 2019 fourth-rounder Ryan Finley for the right to hold Joe Burrow‘s clipboard this season.
McTyer is a 2017 UDFA who started a handful of games at corner for the Dolphins in 2018 and appeared in five with the Bengals last year. McKenzie was a sixth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2018 who is best known for being the son of former Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie.
Broncos Trade Christian Covington To Bengals
The Broncos have agreed to trade defensive tackle Christian Covington to the Bengals in exchange for linebacker Austin Calitro, as Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The deal appears to be a one-for-one swap, with no additional draft capital attached. 
Covington joined the Broncos on a one-year, $1.75MM deal in April. Before that, he spent the 2019 season with the Cowboys and the previous four years with the Texans. With Dallas, he had one of his most productive seasons to date, posting a career-high 28 tackles to go with one sack and one pass defended in 16 games. For his career, he has 93 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and a forced fumble to his credit.
Calitro suited up in 13 games (including four starts) for the Jaguars last year, but they dropped him in late April to make room for their incoming class of draft picks and a host of undrafted free agents. The Bengals scooped him up off of waivers, using their higher priority to beat out the Broncos. The Browns, Jets, and Raiders also tried to claim Calitro, who registered 40 tackles and a sack while serving as a key special teams contributor in 2019.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/3/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Khari Lee
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: RB Antonio Williams
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: WR Tommylee Lewis
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: T O’Shea Dugas, LB Brady Sheldon and DE Bryce Sterk
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: S J.T. Hassell, CB Donnie Lewis, WR J’Mon Moore, DT Ricky Walker
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: WR Artavis Scott
New England Patriots
- Waived: CB Michael Jackson
- Waived/injured: DT Michael Barnett
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: T Andre Dillard
- Waived: DB Grayland Arnold, WR Manasseh Bailey, WR Deontay Burnett, WR Travis Fulgham, G Julian Good-Jones, WR Marcus Green, RB Elijah Holyfield, C Luke Juriga, RB Adrian Killins, DB Elijah Riley, TE Tyrone Swoopes, RB Michael Warren
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: CB Jamar Taylor
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DE Damontre Moore
- Waived: WR Seth Dawkins, DE Pita Taumoepenu
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: DT Kyle Love
Contract Details: Decker, Mixon, Ngakoue, Dotson
There have been a handful of extensions, reworked contracts, and brand-new deals signed over the past few weeks. We’ve provided updates on some of those notable deals below:
- Taylor Decker, LT (Lions): Four-year, $60MM extension. Includes $7.5MM signing bonus (paid out in 17 installments in 2020). Salaries: $6.85MM (2020), $13MM fully guaranteed (2021), $14.75MM fully guaranteed (2022), $13.7MM (2023), $12.95MM (2024). $250K workout bonuses (2022-2024), $500 roster bonus (2024). Via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter.
- Joe Mixon, RB (Bengals): Four-year, $48MM extension. Includes $10MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1.3MM (2020), $8MM (2021), $8MM (2022), $9.4MM (2023). $9.6MM club option in 2024. $500K in playing time bonuses, $200K in offseason workout bonuses (each season). Via Rapoport on Twitter.
- Yannick Ngakoue, DE (Vikings): One year, $12MM reworked deal. $8MM base salary and $4MM signing bonus. Via Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling on Twitter.
- Demar Dotson, RT (Broncos): One-year, $3MM deal. $1.15MM salary ($400K guaranteed). $100K roster bonus, $250K game-day roster bonuses. $1.5MM in incentives. Via Mike Klis of 9News on Twitter.
Bengals, Joe Mixon Agree To $48MM Deal
The Bengals and Joe Mixon have agreed to a four-year deal worth $48MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). With that, the Bengals now have their primary running back under contract through 2025. 
Mixon, 24, has been pushing for a new deal throughout the summer. The Bengals remained adamant about wanting to extend him, but talks were slow to progress. Last week, Mixon said that he was unable to practice due to migraines, and that may have helped to speed things up. Now, Mixon will earn an average of $12MM/year starting in 2021, after he finishes out his rookie deal, which pays $1.2MM.
“He’s in a year that he can be extended, and he is a guy that we visited with,” Bengals player personnel director Duke Tobin said earlier this summer. “We’ll go through those discussions and see if there is a fit or a match for a long-term contract with him, obviously a guy we value quite a bit. The great thing about Joe is he goes about it the right way… He’s the type of guy you want to lock up to a long-term deal.”
Mixon managed a respectable 4.1 yards per carry average last year, despite the Bengals’ sagging offense. This year, he’ll look to reprise his 2018 performance which included a 4.9 YPC mark.
Mixon’s deal, as expected, falls short of Christian McCaffrey‘s $16MM/year mega-deal, but also exceeds some of the projections we heard earlier this year. At one point, it was reported that Mixon was gunning to be one of the eight highest-paid RBs in the league, which would have required just $8MM/year. His actual figure, $12MM per annum, seems more in line with Mixon’s talent level.
The complete details of the deal will give us a better picture of how Mixon stacks up against the league’s other top-earning rushers. That info will also inform ongoing talks for other standouts like Alvin Kamara and Dalvin Cook.
Latest On Bengals’ Joe Mixon
Joe Mixon has been out of Bengals practice for the last few days with migraines, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Meanwhile, Mixon is in talks with the Bengals, who are probably hoping that Mixon isn’t looking to cause headaches for the front office. 
[RELATED: Bengals’ Trae Waynes To Miss Time]
The Bengals have been adamant about wanting to extend Mixon, but talks have been slow to progress. For now, Mixon is set to play out the final year of his rookie deal with a salary of just $1.2MM. The 24-year-old is clearly in line for a pay bump, however, and Bengals player personnel director Duke Tobin recently pointed out the team’s history of extending players during training camp.
As camp draws to a close, Mixon is said to be seeking Top 8 RB money. That would mean an average annual value of at least $8MM – a substantial, but not unreasonable, raise.
The Bengals currently have upwards of $20MM in available cap room. If they’re not aiming for another major addition, it might behoove them to frontload Mixon’s deal and ease the burden in 2021, when the cap is expected to shrink.
Mixon managed a respectable 4.1 yards per carry average last year, despite the Bengals’ sagging offense. This year, he’ll look to reprise his 2018 performance which included a 4.9 ypc mark.
Mackensie Alexander Leaves Bengals Camp In Search Of Missing Father
THURSDAY, 9:57am: Alexander’s father has been found alive and well, as Jay Morrison of The Athletic tweets. Mackensie and other family members are on their way to see him today.
Meanwhile, Alexander has been charged with a misdemeanor stemming from his run-in with a person who saw him just prior to his disappearance.
TUESDAY, 5:41pm: First-year Bengals cornerback Mackensie Alexander left the team’s training camp Tuesday. Alexander departed to search for his father, who has been reported missing, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
Alexander’s father, Jean Odney Alexandre, disappeared Monday on a berry-picking trip, according to the Okeechobee County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office. Alexandre, 65, was with one other man on this trip in northwest Okeechobee County, according to authorities. The other man, however, left Alexandre behind before the latter was reported missing Monday night.
Alexander signed with the Bengals this offseason, coming to Cincinnati after four seasons in Minnesota. The former Vikings second-round pick agreed to a one-year, $4MM deal to join the Bengals.
This marks the second time in three weeks a Bengals player has left camp because of a family emergency. Wide receiver John Ross departed two weeks ago to care for his coronavirus-stricken son. Ross has since returned to the team.