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Cincinnati Bengals News & Rumors

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/14/24

May 14th, 2024 at 9:14pm CST by Ben Levine

Teams continue to sign their draft picks to rookie contracts. We’ve collected today’s miscellaneous signings below:

Chicago Bears

  • OT Kiran Amegadjie (third round, Yale)

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

  • OT Walter Rouse (sixth round, Oklahoma)

New York Giants

  • CB Dru Phillips (third round, Kentucky)

Seattle Seahawks

Trey Hendrickson Participating In Bengals’ Workouts; DE Addresses Contract Status

May 14th, 2024 at 9:48am CST by Adam La Rose

News came out of a Trey Hendrickson trade request one night before the opening round of the 2024 draft. The Pro Bowl edge rusher is seeking additional guarantees on his pact, which has two years remaining.

Neither the 2024 nor ’25 campaigns currently have guaranteed salaries scheduled. Hendrickson and the Bengals worked out a revision last offseason which upped his 2023 earnings and added $16MM in compensation for 2025. Coming off a career year, though, the 29-year-old met with the team to negotiate another top-up this March.

Talks on that front did not produce a deal, and Cincinnati made it clear to Hendrickson a trade would not be given consideration. Once the draft was over, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor confirmed the former Saints sack artist would remain with the team for 2024, something Hendrickson’s recent actions further point toward.

The former third-rounder is in attendance for the Bengals’ voluntary offseason workouts, an approach which runs counter to that which many other players employ while in the midst of a contract dispute. Hendrickson is still seeking a deal moving him closer to the top of the pecking order amongst edge rushers, but when speaking about his situation he noted the organization has been “transparent and respectful” in dealing with him. The FAU product also made it known he prefers to continue his career in Cincinnati.

“This is where separating business and the team is difficult. At what point am I contradicting what I want?” Hendrickson said (via the team’s website). “Long-term, winning games, all those things are what I want to do here in Cincinnati and removing myself from the team doesn’t help the team.”

Hendrickson notched 17.5 sacks last season, one in which he earned a third consecutive Pro Bowl nod. Across his three-year tenure in Cincinnati, he has racked up 39.5 sacks, cementing his status as one of the league’s top edge rushers. The $21MM AAV of his current deal ranks 11th at the position, however, which helps explain his desire for a raise (or assurances from the Bengals in terms of up front compensation). Regardless of how Hendrickson’s contract situation plays out, he is aiming to be able to rescind his trade request and remain with the team for years to come.

“My mindset is to win a Super Bowl and I think we’ve got the quarterback and the pieces to do it,” he added. “I want to be here a long time. I want to win football games and I want to bring a Super Bowl to Cincinnati.”

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/13/24

May 13th, 2024 at 6:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Front offices around the NFL continue to chip away at their draft pick signings. That was no exception today, as a number of teams inked players to rookie contracts:

Cincinnati Bengals

Indianapolis Colts

  • OT Matt Goncalves (third round, Pittsburgh)
  • C Tanor Bortolini (fourth round, Wisconsin)

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • EDGE Jalyx Hunt (third round, Houston Christian)
  • RB Will Shipley (fourth round, Clemson)
  • WR Ainias Smith (fourth round, Texas A&M)

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Injury Updates: Joseph, Hubbard, Enagbare

May 12th, 2024 at 9:14pm CST by Ely Allen

Third-year safety Kerby Joseph has become a menace over his first two seasons in the league, recording exactly 82 total tackles and four interceptions in each campaign for the Lions. The start of his third season in the NFL will be a bit delayed this offseason, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, as Joseph underwent hip surgery to fix an injury that he sustained in Week 2 last year.

Joseph initially missed two games due to the issue but eventually returned in Week 5 and played through the injury for the remainder of the season, including three playoff contests. Joseph told the media this week that he expects to be healthy by the start of training camp. This means that he’ll likely be a non-participant in any offseason activities leading up to camp.

Here are a couple of other injury updates from around the NFL:

  • Veteran Bengals pass rusher Sam Hubbard also underwent some offseason surgery, per ESPN’s Ben Baby. After a right ankle injury forced him to miss two games in 2023, Hubbard required “significant offseason surgery.” He told the media that he underwent “a complete deltoid reconstruction in his ankle and a TightRope procedure.” He initially believed the injury to be a simple sprain, but a fluoroscopy at the end of the season revealed a much more severe situation. He played through the issue to help a Joe Burrow-less Bengals team have a better chance to win but saw his quality of play decline as a result. Hubbard is now feeling fortunate to have made it through the procedure with no permanent damage.
  • Lastly, Packers defensive end Kingsley Enagbare is hoping to be ready for the team’s 2024 season opener after initial beliefs that he had torn his ACL in January. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, those initial concerns were quelled when Enagbare’s ACL injury “turned out to be less serious” than previously thought. He never needed to undergo offseason surgery and now stands a chance at being back in form in time for the start of the regular season.

Bengals Sign 14 Undrafted Free Agents

May 11th, 2024 at 4:53pm CST by Ely Allen

After an unexpected fourth-place finish in the AFC North, the Bengals went to work in order to get back into the race of the league’s toughest division, putting together a 10-man rookie draft class. They’ll expand their rookie group by 14 with these undrafted free agent additions:

On offense, Burgess was a small school stud in Division III football. In three years as a starter in college, Burgess caught 176 balls for 3,095 yards and 35 touchdowns. He has clearly demonstrated that he has the tools to succeed in the NFL after dominating at the DIII level, but he will need to handle the significant leap in the level of competition to earn a roster spot.

Another small school phenom, Blazek will likewise need to make the jump to NFL competition. In two full seasons as a starter, Blazek earned DIII first-team All-American honors with a combined 17.5 sacks, 29.0 tackles for loss, and 11 passes deflected. He has the athleticism and the drive to make a go at a roster spot. Jules is one more small school prospect with massive production. He has great range and plays the ball aggressively, helping him get 29 passes defensed in his career. He also showed the other side of safety play in 2023, tallying 111 tackles and 13.0 tackles for loss.

It was a bit of a shock to see Casey go undrafted after a monster season for the Hoosiers. After leading the team in total tackle (86) and tackles for loss (10.5) in his first season as a starter in 2022, Casey stuffed the stat sheet with 109 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles in 2023. He takes a lot of risks that bite him, but he’s an aggressive defender with NFL potential. Njongmeta’s production came more in 2022, but in his two years as a starter, he combined for 154 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/10/24

May 10th, 2024 at 9:13pm CST by Ely Allen

Yesterday’s rush of rookie signings continued today. Here are Friday’s draft pick signings:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

  • K Will Reichard (sixth round, Alabama)
  • C Michael Jurgens (seventh round, Wake Forest)
  • DT Levi Drake Rodriguez (seventh round, Texas A&M-Commerce)

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • G Mason McCormick (fourth round, South Dakota State)
  • DT Logan Lee (sixth round, Iowa)

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

2024 NFL General Manager Search Tracker

May 7th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Patriots hiring Eliot Wolf as their de facto GM after having moved on from Bill Belichick, all five teams in need of a GM have filled their post this offseason. If other teams decide to make GM changes, they’ll be added to this list.

Updated 5-11-24 (4:35pm CT)

Carolina Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

Washington Commanders

Bengals’ Trey Brown Declines Patriots Interview

May 6th, 2024 at 9:27pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots have kicked off their search for a “top football executive,” but one of the team’s targets has already rejected an interview. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown has declined an interview for the Patriots’ de facto GM job.

[RELATED: Patriots Begin Top Executive Search]

A move to New England would be a bit of a reunion for Brown, as the 39-year-old started his front office career as a Patriots scout. He followed that up with a long stint in Philadelphia, where he eventually climbed to the role of Eagles director of college scouting. Brown had brief stints in the AAF and XFL before joining the Bengals as a scout in 2021. Following one year with the organization, he was promoted to his current role of senior personnel executive.

Brown’s rise through the Bengals organization coincided with the team’s on-field turnaround, and the executive garnered plenty of praise for his role in the operation. He first popped up on the GM carousel in 2022 when he earned an interview for the Raiders GM job. He got another look for the Raiders job this offseason but walked away empty handed. Considering his track record, Pelissero notes that Brown will remain a top GM candidate during next year’s hiring cycle.

While the Patriots have continually signaled that they’ll eventually be conducting a search for a front office leader, today’s development still comes as a bit of a surprise. After moving on from head coach/de facto GM Bill Belichick, the team basically handed the reins to Eliot Wolf, who retained his title of director of scouting. While the new-look Patriots relied on a group effort to fill the Belichick-sized void, Wolf played a major role in the team’s free agency and draft approach. With the roster pretty much set (and the organization having made a significant decision with Drake Maye at No. 3), the team will now curiously consider another executive to lead the way.

With that said, Wolf’s presence may cause some issues for Robert Kraft and the Patriots’ top decision makers. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes, the Patriots may have a tough time convincing candidates that Wolf isn’t “a lock to get the job.” For what it’s worth, Volin notes that the Patriots have already complied with the Rooney Rule in regards to their GM vacancy.

The Patriots haven’t employed a traditional GM since Kraft took over ownership of the organization. It sounds like the long-time owner is once again considering a creative approach to his front office.

Latest On Joe Burrow’s Injury Recovery

May 6th, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Nearly six months after suffering a torn wrist ligament, Joe Burrow is throwing to his receivers. The Bengals franchise quarterback hit a significant milestone in his recovery from a wrist injury, as the team’s website passes along that Burrow was participating in the team’s offseason program today.

Monday marked the start of the second phase of the Bengals’ voluntary offseason program. When Burrow underwent surgery to repair a damaged ligament in the middle of his right wrist, it was uncertain when the quarterback would return to the practice field. There were rumblings that Burrow might not start throwing until training camp, but the veteran ended up beating that timeline by almost three months.

While today’s practice wasn’t open to the media, many members of the Bengals organization were excited about Burrow’s recovery, including new QB coach Brad Kragthorpe.

“I think he looked as quick and as athletic as I’ve seen him look,” Kragthorpe told the team’s website. “He looked like the Joe Burrow we’re used to seeing. I didn’t see any difference. I thought the ball came out of his hand well. Confidently. I’m happy where he’s at.”

The late-November surgery ended an injury-marred 2023 campaign for Burrow. Prior to his season-ending injury, the QB was slowed by a calf issue during training camp. That injury continued an ongoing theme where Burrow would miss extended time during training camp (following recovery from an ACL injury (2021) and an appendectomy (2022)).

Burrow previously admitted to ESPN’s Ben Baby that he normally “wouldn’t be throwing until OTAs really anyway,” so the QB sounds like he’s a bit ahead of his standard offseason regimen. Still, given the player’s list of offseason setbacks, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the organization eventually pumps the brakes and takes it slow with their franchise quarterback.

Bengals Did Not Approach $20MM AAV During Previous Tee Higgins Talks

April 29th, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

No news about Tee Higgins-Bengals extension talks has surfaced this year, leading to a trade request — as seven of the other nine 2024 tag recipients agreed to deals. But the Bengals did discuss terms with Higgins last year; those talks did not go well.

With Ja’Marr Chase on track for an expected record-setting receiver extension, it is not certain if the Bengals have a Higgins extension — at least, not one at the rate the Cincinnati WR2 would seek — in their plans. Just before last season, a report surfaced the Bengals and Higgins were not close on terms. This prompted the two-time 1,000-yard pass catcher to play out his rookie contract without further extension talks transpiring.

[RELATED: Bengals Exercise Ja’Marr Chase’s Fifth-Year Option]

No reports of another round of Bengals-Higgins talks have surfaced, and the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway provides more details on the latest round of discussions. The Bengals did not come close to the $20MM-per-year number for Higgins when the sides last talked, and Conway adds the gap that formed — in terms of AAV — cut off extension talks fairly early. The sides did not discuss guarantees.

Guarantees were rumored to be an issue between the parties last summer, but it is unclear if guaranteed money — beyond the $21.82MM franchise tag the Bengals applied in February — has entered the equation yet. In terms of comps, Conway adds Higgins was seeking a deal in line with the numbers Michael Pittman Jr. agreed to (three years, $70MM). This would have placed Higgins in the range Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf established in 2022.

Higgins’ receiving numbers are comparable to these players, and had he hit the open market like Calvin Ridley did, a deal north of where the Titans went (four years, $96MM) would have been likely. Not counting Higgins’ tag, 17 wideouts are now attached to deals worth $20MM or more per year.

Eyeing another run at a Super Bowl, the Bengals predictably used the tag on Higgins, who joins Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. as the only tag recipients this year unsigned. While Tampa Bay has extension plans for its All-Pro DB, Cincy might be content letting Higgins play a season on the tag. The team has no plans to trade Higgins, who expects to be with the Bengals in 2024.

Keeping Higgins on a rental agreement would stand to align with the Bengals’ Chase and Joe Burrow contracts. Chase remains on his rookie contract, and only one wide receiver — DeVonta Smith — has signed an extension with two years of rookie-deal control remaining in the fifth-year option era. The Bengals waited until Year 5 to extend A.J. Green in 2015, pointing to a 2025 Chase agreement. Burrow’s five-year, $275MM extension also will spike from $29.7MM to $46.3MM from 2024-25. These two situations open a window for the Bengals to retain Higgins on the tag, though the long-term outlooks for Burrow and Chase complicate matters regarding an extension for the 2020 second-round pick.

It will be interesting if the Bengals make another offer. They did make Jessie Bates an offer before the 2022 tag deadline, but the proposal was believed to be low on guarantees, calling into question how interested Cincinnati was in a long-term Bates deal. Unless an extension is reached or Higgins is re-tagged in 2025, will be in position, the 6-foot-4 target will be positioned as one of the top players on next year’s market.

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