Bengals Waive Gionni Paul
- The Bengals have waived undrafted linebacker Gionni Paul, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.
La Canfora: Marvin Lewis Is On The Hot Seat
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports examined the job security of each NFL head coach entering the season. In La Canfora’s estimation, Rex Ryan (Bills), Gus Bradley (Jaguars), Jim Caldwell (Lions), Mike McCoy (Chargers), Marvin Lewis (Bengals), Bill O’Brien (Texans) and Jason Garrett (Cowboys) are the least secure coaches going into this year. Of that group, two (Lewis and O’Brien) were at the helm of playoff teams last season. Ryan has only been in Buffalo for a year, making him the shortest-tenured member of the septet.
Bengals Sign William Jackson III
The Bengals announced that they have formally signed first-round pick William Jackson III. With the cornerback officially under contract, the Bengals have now signed every player in their 2016 draft class. 
Jackson, a University of Houston product, turned heads with a 4.37 second 40-yard-dash time at the NFL combine. Over the last two years at UH, Jackson allowed just 40% of passes thrown his way to be completed. The cornerback was reportedly at the center of what could have been a rare trade between the Jets and Giants on draft day. The Jets are said to have offered their No. 20 overall pick and second-rounders to the Giants to get the No. 10. The Jets had their sights set on Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil while the Giants would have targeted Jackson at No. 20. However, the Giants were zeroed in on Ohio State star Eli Apple and didn’t want to pass up the chance to draft him.
Here is a full recap of the Bengals’ 2016 draft class:
- 1-24: William Jackson III, CB (Houston)
- 2-55: Tyler Boyd, WR (Pittsburgh):
- 3-87: Nick Vigil, LB (Utah State)
- 4-122: Andrew Billings, DT (Baylor)
- 5-161: Christian Westerman, OL (Arizona State)
- 6-199: Cody Core, WR (Ole Miss)
- 7-245: Clayton Fejedelem, S (Illinois)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bengals, Giovani Bernard Finalizing Extension
The Bengals and running back Giovani Bernard are finalizing a three-year, $15.5MM contract extension, a source tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports (on Twitter). The deal will put Bernard in the top ten of “new money” given annually to running backs (link). The team has since confirmed the deal via press release.
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The tailback will make $6MM+ in 2016, per Pelissero. The deal is up after the 2019 season, at which point he’ll still only be 28 years old and primed for another big money deal. In the interim, Bernard has some financial security and a pay bump from his old rookie scale contract.
Bernard, 24, has been a big part of the Bengals’ running game since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2013. Last year, many expected Bernard to fade into the background with big-play back Jeremy Hill taking the reins. However, that wasn’t the case. Bernard ran for a career-high 730 yards with two scores while catching 49 passes for 472 yards. The reliable, all-purpose back was originally slated to hit the open market after the 2016 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dehner: Bengals Wouldn't Sign Freeney Until July
- Paul Dehner Jr. of The Enquirer (Twitter link) suspects that if the Bengals sign Dwight Freeney, it won’t happen until we get “much closer” to training camp, if not August. He adds that a reunion between the Bengals and cornerback Leon Hall is unlikely, but the same parameters apply if it were to happen. Freeney says he’s 95% sure he’ll play in 2016, he’s just not sure where.
Bengals Valuing Older Players
- The Bengals might have found a new market inefficiency by relying on older players to handle key roles, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Cincinnati will have four members of its club (non-QB or specialist) who will be age 33 or older by season’s end: Andrew Whitworth, Karlos Dansby, Adam Jones, and Eric Winston. Additionally, the club has expressed an interest in pass rush specialist Dwight Freeney, who is still productive at the age of 36.
Dwight Freeney: “95%” Certain I’ll Play In ’16
After recent visits with the Bengals and Falcons, Dwight Freeney is still without an NFL team. According to the defensive end, however, he did not expect to leave either trip with a contract in hand (Twitter link via SiriusXM NFL Radio). The 36-year-old also said that his next contract will probably be his “last stop.” Freeney is presumably looking to sign a one-year deal, so it sounds like this coming season will mark his farewell tour – that is, if he can find an NFL home. 
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In Freeney’s estimation, the odds of him playing in 2016 “are at 95%” (link). He says that he had “good” visits (link) with both the Falcons and Bengals, which would imply that the door is being left open by both clubs. Yesterday, Falcons coach Dan Quinn told reporters that the team has not ruled out signing Freeney. As for the Bengals, we have not heard much on that front since the veteran took a physical with them on May 25th.
During the interview, Freeney also discussed his time with the Cardinals in 2015 (link) and expressed hope that an offer could still come his way from Arizona. The multiple-time Pro Bowler says that he would love to help mentor offseason acquisition Chandler Jones and the team’s other young players in the front seven. After racking up eight sacks for Arizona last year, one has to imagine that the Cardinals are at least open to the idea of a reunion.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dwight Freeney To Visit Falcons
JUNE 1st, 8:49am: Freeney’s visit to the Falcons is today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
MAY 25th, 3:40pm: The Falcons confirmed that Freeney will be visiting with them next week.
1:47pm: Dwight Freeney will likely visit the Falcons next week, according to ESPN.com’s Jim Trotter (Twitter/Vine link). Freeney visited the Bengals today and took a physical with the team, but it does not sound like the two sides have struck an accord. 
Freeney, 36, is rated as Pro Football Rumors’ fourth-best defensive free agent still on the board. Despite his age, Freeney was remarkably effective in his 11-game campaign last year. The Cardinals inked Freeney to a veteran’s minimum deal midway through the season and they were rewarded with eight sacks and three forced fumbles. Freeney may not be the elite player that he once was, but he has proven that he is still a force to be reckoned with on passing downs.
The Falcons are not necessarily hard up for edge rushers, but Freeney could be a fit for Dan Quinn‘s aggressive defensive scheme. The Falcons are currently slated to start Vic Beasley and Derrick Shelby at defensive end with support from Adrian Clayborn and Tyson Jackson.
In 2015, the advanced stats at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Freeney as (tied) for the 51st best edge rusher in the NFL out of 110 qualified players. In total, Freeney saw 276 pass snaps and just 41 run snaps last year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Andrew Whitworth Discusses Bengals Future
Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler is reportedly aiming for a new contract prior to the 2016 season, but as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com details (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3, 4), Butler might not have a leg to stand on in negotiations. As a former undrafted free agent, Butler isn’t in line to reach unrestricted free agency until after the 2017 season — rather, he’ll only be a restricted free agent in 2017, in line for a first-round tender at a tad under $4MM. Linebackers Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower, however, will be UFAs next March, and are thus likely to be higher priorities. The best-case scenario for Butler, per Corry, might be a contract in line with Bengals linebacker — and fellow former UDFA — Vontaze Burfict, who sacrificed two unrestricted years at market value while tacitly accepting that he would be hit with a restricted tender.
- After agreeing to a one-year extension that locks him up through the 2016 season, Bengals tackle Andrew Whitworth says he’s not worried about playing out the final year of his deal. “If I go into the season pretty much with the thought that I’ll be a free agent I think that the reality for me is that I wouldn’t think about it again until they brought it up,” Whitworth told Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Whitworth also said that he’s open to shifting to guard later in his career, a move that he made briefly in 2014 (with great success). The Bengals drafted tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher in the first two rounds of the 2015 draft, so Whitworth’s future at tackle might be limited, at least in Cincinnati.
Bengals Transfer Jonathan Brown to Injured-Reserve
- Bengals kicker Jonathan Brown has been transferred to the injured reserve, tweets Wilson. The former Kentucky soccer standout went unclaimed after having been waived-injured.
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