Bengals “Maxing Out” Their Time To Talk With Joe Burrow
The Bengals have been using every possible minute to talk with Joe Burrow, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. That’s just the latest indication that the Bengals will take the LSU quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in next week’s draft. 
[RELATED: Joe Burrow’s NFL Draft Profile]
The Bengals’ infatuation with Burrow has been the worst kept secret in the NFL for months. We’ve been surprised before in the NFL Draft, but it would be a genuine shock if the Bengals selected anyone else.
In the days before the draft, teams do their best to run misdirection plays, anonymously downplaying their targets and signaling interest the players they don’t want. Still, the Bengals haven’t been able to hide their crush, nor have they made a real effort to conceal it.
“It doesn’t look that way,” confessed head coach Zac Taylor when asked about the possibility of trading the pick. “If there is a guy there that you believe in that can really change the franchise over the next 10-15 years, then that’s a hard thing to pass up on.”
Even in January, the Bengals were up-front about their affinity for the LSU star.
“He’s got natural pocket feel. He feels it,” Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. “It seems like he never takes his eyes off down the field. He extends the play really, really well. He’s a lot faster than you might assume when you see him running away from all those SEC guys. He’s got incredible up-field accuracy. The ball hardly ever hits the ground in a game, which is rare. He just naturally puts the ball in places where those guys can make plays.”
There will be lots of surprises in store throughout draft weekend, but the Bengals seem locked on Burrow with the top pick.
Bengals HC: “Doesn’t Look Like” We’ll Trade No. 1 Pick
It doesn’t sound like anyone will be able to talk the Bengals out of taking Joe Burrow. In an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, head coach Zac Taylor more or less dismissed the possibility of trading the No. 1 pick. 
[RELATED: Taylor Says AJ Green Is “Fully Healthy”]
“It doesn’t look that way,” Taylor said (via Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer). “If there is a guy there that you believe in that can really change the franchise over the next 10-15 years, then that’s a hard thing to pass up on. You know, people all the time ask me what would it take to give up that pick and if there’s somebody there that people are willing to give up a lot for, that they believe in, then that just really verifies what we think about those players as well.”
The Giants are “open for business” at No. 4. The Lions are at least willing to listen on offers for the No. 3 pick. Beyond that, it doesn’t sound like teams will be able to move much higher up the board. By all accounts, the Redskins are laser-focused on Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young at No. 2, and the Bengals are locked in on Burrow.
The Bengals’ infatuation with Burrow has been apparent for months. The only thing that was in question, really, was Burrow’s desire to play in Cincinnati. But, at the combine in February, the LSU star put that speculation to rest.
“Yeah. I’m not going to not play. I’m a ball player,” Burrow said. “Whoever picks me, I’m going to show up.”
That’s good news for the Bengals and bad news for other teams hoping to snag Burrow. The Dolphins, at one point, had their sights set on him.
2020 NFL Cap Room By Team
The biggest names in NFL free agency might be off the board, but there are still plenty of noteworthy players on the board and high-profile cuts on the way. And, while some teams did their spending early, others are still sitting on lots of cash.
The latest cap figures from OverTheCap show that several teams are poised to pounce in the latter waves of free agency, starting with the Browns. The numbers also show that teams like the Rams still have work to do in order to sign their upcoming draft class. Also, the Eagles’ 2020 figure doesn’t quite tell the whole story – thanks to high-priced multi-year deals including Darius Slay’s new contract, they’re already overcommitted on dollars for 2021.
Here’s the complete rundown for all 32 teams, in descending order of cap space:
- Browns – $40.2MM
- Lions – $29.5MM
- Eagles – $27.1MM
- Colts – $24MM
- Dolphins – $23.9MM
- Redskins – $23.8MM
- Chargers – $22.3MM
- Titans – $21.5MM
- Bills – $20.9MM
- Texans – $18.6MM
- Broncos – $17.5MM
- Giants – $17.1MM
- Jets – $15.5MM
- Jaguars – $14.6MM
- Cowboys – $13.6MM
- Buccaneers – $13.5MM
- 49ers – $13.4MM
- Seahawks – $12.6MM
- Vikings – $12.3MM
- Ravens – $11.3MM
- Packers – $11.08MM
- Bears – $11.03MM
- Panthers – $9.4MM
- Raiders – $8.8MM
- Bengals – $7.3MM
- Steelers – $7.2MM
- Cardinals – $7MM
- Saints – $5.3MM
- Chiefs – $2.9MM
- Falcons – $2.4MM
- Patriots – $1.2MM
- Rams – (-$5.3MM)
Bengals HC: A.J. Green Is “Fully Healthy”
Last year, A.J. Green missed the entire season thanks to a foot injury. Last month, the Bengals cuffed him with the franchise tag anyway. Fortunately, the wide receiver appears to be “fully healthy,” according to head coach Zac Taylor. 
[RELATED: Bengals Won’t Rule Out Keeping Dalton]
“Everything’s been positive with A.J.,” Taylor said in a virtual presser on Wednesday. “He’s fully healthy and is working hard. He’s been in Atlanta. It’s all been positive in that regard.”
The franchise tag will pay Green roughly $18MM in 2020, a steep price given Green’s age and questions about his foot. As he looks ahead to his 32nd birthday in July, Green is preparing to prove himself all over again.
Meanwhile, Green has been vocally opposed to playing on the franchise tag. It remains to be seen whether he’ll get the long-term deal that he wants – he’s been largely unstoppable throughout his career, but the Bengals may be fearful of committing major dollars to him beyond 2020.
“I have no problem with the franchise (tag). I don’t like it, but I’m not a guy that’s going to sit out the whole year,” Green said in December. “But at the end of the day, that shows me they’re not committed to me. That’s fine. They have a business they have to run. As the player I have my own business, so if you do that I have to protect myself.”
“If you’re not committed to me long-term, I understand. There are no hard feelings. You have a business to run. All great businesses face difficult decisions. I understand that. For me, I have to make a big decision as well.”
Green qualified for the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven NFL seasons and he’s tallied more than 1,000 yards in every campaign with at least 13 games played. He’s also gone for double-digit touchdowns in three separate seasons with a career average of almost 15 yards per catch.
Bengals Won’t Rule Out Keeping Andy Dalton
The Bengals aren’t in any rush to trade or cut Andy Dalton. And, interestingly, they haven’t ruled out keeping the veteran quarterback on the roster, according to head coach Zac Taylor (Twitter link via Elise Jesse of WLWT). 
[RELATED: Bengals To Listen To Calls On No. 1 Pick?]
“Every option is on the table,” Taylor said. “We’re trying to put ourselves in the best position to make sure we’re prepared for next season and we have the best assets we can have. We think the world of Andy, obviously.”
It still seems unlikely that Dalton would remain with the Bengals on his current contract, which calls for a $17.5MM non-guaranteed base salary. If Dalton stayed in Cincy, he’d be playing second fiddle to a rookie quarterback (likely LSU standout Joe Burrow) and that’s a mighty expensive QB2. Meanwhile, Dalton has made it clear that he wants to be a starter in 2020.
Dalton was the Bengals’ starter from the jump, serving as their QB1 from 2011 up until he got the hook last year. In the midst of a lousy season for the entire organization, the Bengals benched him in favor of rookie Ryan Finley. Dalton got his gig back for the final stretch of the year, but he didn’t impress – he completed just 57.9% of his passing attempts with seven touchdowns against six interceptions.
On the cusp of his age-33 season, and coming off of his worst season, Dalton doesn’t hold much trade value at the moment. That’s the most likely explanation for Dalton remaining on the roster here in April. In all likelihood, the Bengals are waiting to see if other teams get desperate for QB help between now and the start of the season, which might allow them to recoup something of value for Dalton. And, if they’re unable to find a deal, they’ll probably cut him loose.
Bengals To Listen To Calls On First Pick?
Sports leagues across the world are shutdown due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the next big event for most fans to tune into is the NFL draft. The league is hoping the draft can serve as a welcomed distraction for the country, and we’ve got a fresh batch of notes on what’s happening from Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. It’s been assumed for a while now that the Bengals will be taking Joe Burrow with the first overall pick, but that apparently isn’t set in stone.
While the expectation is still that Burrow is the pick, there is “a lot of buzz in scouting circles that the Bengals will at least listen to calls” on potential trades for the top choice, Miller writes. Since there’s no one ahead of them, it wouldn’t make all that much sense for the Bengals to be playing games if they weren’t actually planning to listen to inquiries. As of a couple of weeks ago we had heard that the Dolphins were still interested in trading for the first pick and selecting Burrow.
Bengals “Officially” Sign D.J. Reader
The Bengals have officially signed D.J. Reader, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The two sides agreed to a deal weeks ago, but the pandemic threw a wrench into their plans. 
The deal, at long last, is done after Reader agreed to additional language that has been popping up more and more as of late. In essence, Reader’s deal is done, though he still must pass a physical in order for the deal to take effect. If he doesn’t pass, the Bengals will have the option of cutting him immediately or keeping the contract as-is. It adds an extra layer of protection for the Bengals, of course, but also ensures that Reader will not be left in a holding pattern.
As previously reported, Reader’s four-deal is set to pay him $53MM with a favorable cash flow. He’ll get $22.25MM in Year 1 and $31.75MM over the first two years of the contract. It’s a big commitment, but the Bengals believe that it’s a worthwhile one – Reader is fantastic against the run and he’ll be downright scary when lined up next to Geno Atkins on the interior line.
“I know we’re in a good spot with the mix of young and experienced players that know what they’re doing. You’ve got guys like Geno and Carlos Dunlap that have played a lot of ball,” Reader told the team website recently. “They’re great leaders and everybody in the back end. And we’ve got some new guys coming in now. It’s a revamped team, but a lot of their standard pieces are in place. It wasn’t like you needed that much to come. You’ve got young guys like (right end) Sam Hubbard, the receivers are good. Running back Joe Mixon is good; the offensive line is good and has a lot of guys that have been there. I knew the record didn’t reflect what the team had last year.”
The Broncos, Bills, and Titans were among the clubs looking at Reader last month. Ultimately, the Bengals came out on top to land one of the league’s best young 3-4 NTs.
Bengals Discussed Dalton With Colts
The Colts clearly made a quarterback upgrade a top priority this offseason. In addition to the research done on Philip Rivers and Tom Brady, and a Nick Foles trade inquiry with a division rival, the Colts looked into Andy Dalton. The Colts discussed Dalton with the Bengals, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets (video link). It is not clear how far the discussions progressed, but Rapoport suggests Dalton would have needed to agree to reduce his 2020 salary. The veteran quarterback is set to make $17.5MM in base salary. The Colts viewed Rivers as a better option than Foles, Rapoport adds, and may well have felt the same about the prospect of giving up assets for Dalton as opposed to paying Rivers $25MM.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/31/20
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: S DeAndre Houston-Carson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: CB Greg Mabin
Bengals To Release Dre Kirkpatrick
The Bengals will release cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, according to ESPN.com’s Ben Baby (Twitter link). The move will save Cincy $8.3MM against the salary cap, giving them even more cash to work with in the second half of the offseason. 
Kirkpatrick is just the latest vet to be jettisoned by the Bengals. All in all, they’ve freed up more than $23MM by cutting veterans in the last couple of months.
The Kirkpatrick release doesn’t come as a surprise after the Bengals inked Trae Waynes to a three-year, $42MM deal that will pay him approximately $20MM in 2020. Kirkpatrick, a former first-round pick, should find plenty of interest from cornerback-needy teams, though his market will be somewhat limited since many teams have already addressed that gap.
Since 2012, Kirkpatrick has appeared in 99 games over the course of eight seasons. Last year, his season was cut short by a hyperextended knee injury. He finished out with 33 tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery in six contests. In 2018, he allowed just 44.4% of the targets thrown his way to be caught, good for the second-best rate in the NFL.
The Bengals will also be moving forward without Darqueze Dennard, who left in free agency to sign with the Jaguars. Waynes will be among their new headliners and he’ll be joined by fellow ex-Viking Mackensie Alexander. Former Titans corner LeShaun Sims will also be in the CB mix.