Joe Burrow Addresses Bengals Interest
Off the radar to be the 2020 No. 1 overall pick at this time last year, Joe Burrow is now widely expected to be Cincinnati-bound when Roger Goodell announces this year’s first selection. Rumors of the LSU superstar being less than thrilled about that destination have circulated.
The reigning Heisman winner addressed a potential Bengals fit and stopped short of saying he would be happy to land with the Bengals.
“They have their process that they have to go through, so I’m just blessed to be in the position that I’m in. If they select me, they select me,” Burrow said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Drew Davison. “I’m going to do everything in my power to be the best football player that I can be.”
When asked a follow-up question on whether he would be satisfied if the Bengals select him, Burrow did not respond in that fashion, Davison adds. This follows a comment Burrow made earlier this month that helped start the rumors that he may not be ecstatic about going to Cincinnati.
“You want to go No. 1. But you also want to go to a great organization that is committed to winning. Committed to winning Super Bowls,” Burrow said.
Burrow has been training for the draft with ex-Bengal backup Jordan Palmer, the younger brother of Carson Palmer. The latter has not made his feelings about the Bengals’ desire to win hidden. The Bengals have not won a playoff game since a 1990 wild-card win over the Oilers, and Carson Palmer’s frustration with the franchise prompted a trade demand in 2011. While the Bengals recovered quickly without Palmer, their Andy Dalton years produced five straight opening-round playoff losses. Last season, the Bengals started numerous veterans but still finished 2-14. Though, they did lose some key players to injury.
The Dolphins have been linked to Burrow, and while they have the draft capital to move up from No. 5 to No. 1, the Bengals are not believed to be interested in moving down (barring a Ricky Williams-type offer). They are zeroing in on making the Ohio native-turned-national champion their next quarterback.
Bengals Widely Expected To Draft Burrow
Holding the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since they drafted Carson Palmer 17 years ago, the Bengals have been widely linked to Ohio native Joe Burrow with this selection. While Cincinnati is considering Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Chase Young at No. 1, the prospect of a Burrow-Bengals partnership not happening would surprise many in the NFL. It has become “quite clear” in the minds of several execs the Bengals will draft Burrow, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report notes. Unless a team comes in with a Ricky Williams-type trade, as one coach relayed to Miller, the Bengals are not expected to get cute with their pick. (The Saints traded their entire 1999 draft, plus first- and third-round picks in 2000 to the Redskins for Williams. The Bengals receiving any offer on this level would be shocking.) With the Bengals set to work with Andy Dalton on a trade, signs continue to point Burrow heading back to Ohio.
Bengals Willing To Work With Andy Dalton On Trade
Earlier this offseason, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin left all options on the table when addressing Andy Dalton‘s future. Now, the wheels are in motion for the expected scenario to play out. The Bengals informed their longtime quarterback that they’re willing to work with him in order to facilitate a trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. 
The Bengals are widely expected to take LSU’s Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick. Dalton, in theory, could return as a bridge to Burrow (or another QB), but the veteran has made it known that he wants to start in 2020.
Dalton, a second-round pick in 2011, has been the Bengals’ starter since the get-go. But, in the midst of a dreadful 2019 for the entire team, he was benched in favor of rookie Ryan Finley. Dalton got the ball back in Week 13, but he didn’t do much to change anyone’s mind. In the final four games of the season, Dalton completed just 57.9% of his throws with seven touchdowns that were tarnished by six interceptions.
For what it’s worth, Dalton was under center for the Bengals’ only two victories of the season – a 22-6 win over the Jekyll-and-Hyde Jets and W over the Browns (sans Myles Garrett) in the finale.
Dalton, 33 in October, has thrown for a franchise record 204 touchdowns. He’s also three full seasons removed from his best work. In 2016, he captured his third career Pro Bowl nomination with a 64.7% completion rate and 4,206 passing yards. Even then, his 18 passing touchdowns were nothing to write home about and the Bengals only managed a 6-9-1 record on the year.
Still, Dalton is an important part of the franchise’s history. He’s one of only five quarterbacks in NFL history to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons, but when Marvin Lewis was finally fired after last year it signaled the beginning of the end. As for where the TCU product might land, that’s very much up in the air. There are a number of teams that could be interested on paper, but there are also going to be a ton of veteran quarterbacks looking for new homes. This should be one of the most active quarterback carousels in recent memory, and it’s possible Dalton is dealt sometime after the dust settles between free agency and the draft.
Bengals Add Two Ex-NFLers To Staff
- The NFL’s other Ohio team did some hiring recently, adding two coaches to Zac Taylor‘s staff. Former NFL wide receiver Troy Walters is now the Bengals‘ wideouts coach, the team announced. The team also brought in another coach with 21st-century NFL experience, hiring Colt Anderson as its assistant special teams coach. Walters played eight seasons, from 2000-07. His most notable work came for some high-powered Colts teams in the mid-aughts. Walters, who has yet to coach in the NFL, spent 2018-19 as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator. Taylor is ex-Cornhuskers quarterback and coach. Anderson spent time with the Eagles, Colts and Bills from 2010-17. This will be his first NFL coaching gig.
- Expected to place the franchise tag on A.J. Green, the Bengals will likely accelerate negotiations with the star wideout between the tag window, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic (subscription required). Teams can apply tags to players from Feb. 25-March 10. Green has voiced opposition to being tagged in advance of his age-32 season and pointed to a likely holdout, though he has stopped short of saying he would not play on the $18.5MM tag. Green’s recent injury history and the Bengals’ likely reluctance to offer a highly guaranteed contract leads Dehner to predict the seven-time Pro Bowler will play 2020 on the tag.
AFC North Notes: Burrow, Stefanski, Ravens
The Bengals are widely expected to take LSU QB Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, but there may be a bit of intrigue in that regard, per Albert Breer of SI.com. Burrow will work with former Bengal Jordan Palmer, the little brother of franchise icon Carson Palmer, for his pre-draft training. And the elder Palmer recently had some critical comments for Cincinnati, saying that the club was never really dedicated to chasing a Super Bowl.
Burrow subsequently said the following: “[y]ou want to go No. 1. But you also want to go to a great organization that is committed to winning. Committed to winning Super Bowls.” That may just be a coincidence, and Burrow’s father recently downplayed any notion that Burrow doesn’t want to be picked by the Bengals (Twitter link via Jeremy Rauch of FOX 19), but Breer believes Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin may need to sell Burrow on the team just a bit.
Now for more from the AFC North:
- As expected, the Bengals have promoted Dan Pitcher to quarterbacks coach after Alex Van Pelt left for Cleveland’s OC job, the team announced. Pitcher will have a significant role in Burrow’s development, assuming Cincy selects the LSU signal-caller.
- We passed along some remarks from new Browns GM Andrew Berry earlier today, and new Cleveland HC Kevin Stefanski also took to the podium. Scott Patsko of Cleveland.com passes along the entire transcript, which is worth a read for Browns fans, but much of it was fairly non-committal coach-speak, which Stefanski has already mastered. Stefanski, though, made it a point to note that he will be heavily involved in making personnel decisions with Berry, and he said he does not know who will be calling offensive plays this year.
- Though the Ravens have more cap flexibility this year than in past seasons, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic does not expect a spending spree. He predicts perhaps one big-ticket item and a few modest signings, and much will depend on what the club decides to do with pass rusher Matt Judon — a situation that is still fluid — and whether RG Marshal Yanda retires. He also names OL James Hurst as a potential release candidate.
- Steelers president Art Rooney II indicated his club may target a RB and/or WR in free agency, per Teresa Varley of Steelers.com, though Rooney said Pittsburgh is content with the quarterback situation as it is. Behind Ben Roethlisberger, the club will roll with some combination of Mason Rudolph, Duck Hodges, and Paxton Lynch.
2020 Draft Order
Super Bowl LIV is in the books, which means the order for the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is set. By virtue of their 31-20 win Sunday night, the Chiefs will have the final pick in the first round. The 49ers dropping to 5-2 in Super Bowls will result in the NFC champions approaching the podium at No. 31.
Here is the full first-round order:
1. Bengals (2-14)
2. Redskins (3-13)
3. Lions (3-12-1)
4. Giants (4-12)
5 Dolphins (5-11)
6. Chargers (5-11)
7. Panthers (5-11)
8. Cardinals (5-10-1)
9. Jaguars (6-10)
10. Browns (6-10)
11. Jets (7-9)
12. Raiders (7-9)
13. Colts (7-9)
14. Buccaneers (7-9)
15. Broncos (7-9)
16. Falcons (7-9)
17. Cowboys (8-8)
18. Dolphins (via Steelers 8-8)
19. Raiders (via Bears 8-8)
20. Jaguars (via Rams 9-7)
21. Eagles (9-7)
22. Bills (10-6)
23. Patriots (12-4)
24. Saints (13-3)
25. Vikings (10-6)
26. Dolphins (via Texans 10-6)
27. Seahawks (11-5)
28. Ravens (14-2)
29. Titans (9-7)
30. Packers (13-3)
31. 49ers (13-3)
32. Chiefs (12-4)
NFL Waiver System For Veterans Resumes Today
The NFL’s waiver system for the 2020 year resumes today, as Field Yates of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter). That means that all vested veterans (players with four or more accrued seasons) that are released will become free agents right away. The rest, meanwhile, will be subject to the waiver wire.
This is the typical operating procedure for released veterans in the NFL, but it flips each year following the trade deadline. From late-October onward, veteran players are subject to the waiver wire, giving the league’s other 31 teams a chance to claim them.
Waiver priority is based on the inverse of the previous season’s record, which means the Bengals will have top priority on waivers all the way through Week 3. They’ll be followed by the Redskins, Lions, Giants, and Dolphins. After that, waiver priority will based on 2020 records.
AFC North Notes: Berry, Ravens, Mixon
Let’s take a quick swing around the AFC North:
- The Browns hired former Eagles’ VP of Football Operations Andrew Berry to be their GM and EVP of Football Operations today, and he will report directly to owner Jimmy Haslam, just like new head coach Kevin Stefanski and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks it’s fair to wonder whether Berry will really have final say over roster decisions, as his contract says he will. Of course, in order to pry Berry away from Philadelphia, Cleveland needed to give him such power contractually, but whether Berry will be permitted to fully use that power is another story. Stefanski and DePodesta may not be keen on consistently yielding to Berry, who was probably the team’s No. 2 choice behind Vikings exec George Paton.
- In 2019, the Ravens made a number of in-season signings to bolster their defense that ended up paying major dividends. Baltimore has already inked one such acquisition, L.J. Fort, to a two-year extension, and Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic believes the club could also look to re-sign OLB/DE Jihad Ward and DT Justin Ellis.
- Many have noted the Ravens‘ need to add pass rushing talent, and much of that discussion has focused on edge rushers. But in the same piece, Zrebiec says Baltimore will think long and hard about selecting a quality pass-rushing interior defensive lineman if one is available near the end of the first round. The Ravens haven’t really had such a player since the heyday of Haloti Ngata.
- Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic lays out a number of moves he believes the Bengals should make this offseason. The entire piece is worth a read for Cincy fans, but one move that Dehner thinks is especially likely to come to fruition is an extension for running back Joe Mixon. We recently heard that director of player personnel Duke Tobin would explore a new contract for his RB1, and such a deal won’t be cheap.
Bengals To Consider Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Chase Young
While favored to take Ohio native Joe Burrow at No. 1 overall, the Bengals are considering three other players for the top pick. The LSU standout is, of course, among this group. But the team is also studying Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Chase Young for the pick, Albert Breer of SI.com reports.
The Bengals have stepped back from a report indicating they will not trade the No. 1 pick, but Breer notes the team is not expected to move down. Bengals brass praised the Heisman winner recently, and while it would be a borderline shock if they did not draft Burrow, the team plans to conduct on-campus visits and bring in each player for pre-draft workouts. Burrow, however, is still believed to be the frontrunner, per Breer.
Young is regarded by some as the best pass-rushing prospect available in years, and both Tagovailoa and Herbert entered the 2019 season with much higher profiles than Burrow. Young remains a strong bet to go to the Redskins at No. 2, and if the Bengals do draft Burrow, there could be some jockeying for position at the Nos. 3-4 slots (held by the Lions and Giants) for Tagovailoa and Herbert.
After throwing 16 touchdown passes in 13 games as a junior, Burrow tossed a record-setting 60 in the Tigers’ national championship season. Zac Taylor asked Burrow’s father, Jimmy — who, like Taylor, played at Nebraska — to see if Joe would go to the Senior Bowl, Breer adds. But Joe Burrow declined to attend the Mobile, Ala., showcase.
It is interesting as well to see a pecking order emerge before the Combine, though the Bengals’ top need is not exactly a secret. As such, Young may be trailing the three passers.
“We know what Joe is on tape; we know what Tua is on tape; we know what Justin is on tape,” Bengals player personnel director Duke Tobin said, via Breer. “Our role right now is to try to find out what we don’t know — how his leadership works, how his football mind works, how quickly he adapts to different situations, what his overall personality is, what it’s like being around him on a regular Tuesday. How much passion do they have for the game? … We’re trying to get at those types of things, with every player we do, but particularly the quarterbacks.
“… I feel like I’ve got a long way to go, because I’m just now starting the process of asking people close to them what they think of them.”
Bengals Personnel Director On Green, Dalton, Mixon
Bengals receiver A.J. Green missed the entire 2019 campaign due to an ankle injury, and the last time he suited up for a game was in Week 13 of the 2018 regular season. Given his age (he will be 32 by the time the 2020 regular gets underway) and recent injury history, there has been plenty of speculation that the rebuilding Cincinnati outfit might move on from its franchise icon this offseason.
But that’s not necessarily the case. On Wednesday, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin told reporters, including Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer, that he plans on having Green back in 2020 (Twitter link). Tobin said “all options are on the table,” which presumably means that the franchise tag and a multiyear pact are in play. Green has previously indicated that he is opposed to the franchise tag, though he did concede that he would not engage in a season-long holdout if he is hit with the tag.
The tag value for wideouts checks in at a whopping $18.5MM, a lot of coin for an aging player who has missed 23 of his team’s last 24 games. A long-term deal would also be quite costly, because with a fairly light free agent receiver class — which gets a lot lighter if Amari Cooper and Emmanuel Sanders re-up with their current teams — Green would likely still command top-dollar on the open market.
On the other hand, a receiver of Green’s caliber would be a major boon to the team’s offense, especially if the Bengals draft Joe Burrow and put him under center right away. The two sides were recently said to be far apart on contract talks, so this is shaping up to be one of this offseason’s most prominent storylines.
Tobin also touched on quarterback Andy Dalton and running back Joe Mixon. The consensus seems to be that the Bengals will look to trade Dalton or cut him if the right deal comes along, but there is also a possibility that he returns as a bridge to Burrow, as Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com writes. As with Green, Tobin said he has not ruled out any options when it comes to Dalton.
Mixon, meanwhile, is eligible for an extension for the first time this offseason, and Tobin plans to explore that possibility. Despite being one of the few dangerous skill position players on the team in 2019, Mixon went over 1,100 yards rushing for the second straight season, and he certainly looks the part of a long-term feature back.
Tobin suggested that the Bengals may be more active in the free agent market than they historically have been, but if they are earmarking a significant amount of money for Mixon and Green, they may not be able to spend as freely as they might like. But they should have enough cap space to make a few key signings, especially if they part ways with Dalton.