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Cincinnati Bengals News & Rumors

Bengals Release C Trey Hopkins

March 18th, 2022 at 7:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

The busy week along the Bengals’ offensive line continues. The team announced today that they are releasing center Trey Hopkins. 

[RELATED: Bengals To Sign Ted Karras]

The 29-year-old has been with the Bengals since joining the team as a UDFA in 2016. He occupied the starting center position since the midway point of the 2018 season. He provided consistent, if unspectacular play during that stretch.

Hopkins’ best PFF grade came last campaign, registering a mark of 63.8. Overall, he will best be known as a member of the unit which was seen as the weak point of Cincinnati’s roster. Quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked a league-leading 51 times in 2021, after being taken down 32 times in an injury-shortened season the year before. Hopkins himself was responsible for five of those, per PFF.

The Texas alum will be replaced in the middle of the line by recent signee Ted Karras. The other main addition along the offensive front was that of guard Alex Cappa, who established himself in Tampa Bay as one of the best young talents at the position. The investment Cincinnati has made in those two demonstrates how much of a priority upgrading the o-line is for them.

Hopkins, meanwhile, will join a free agent market which no longer includes either Ryan Jensen and Bradley Bozeman. Alongside J.C. Tretter – who recently suffered the same fate as Hopkins – he will now search for a new home after six years in the AFC North.

Bengals To Meet With T La’el Collins

March 17th, 2022 at 5:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

La’el Collins‘ first post-Cowboys visit will be in Cincinnati. The Bengals will host the veteran right tackle, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Collins is flying to Ohio tonight, with the visit set for Friday, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and The Athletic’s Jeff Howe (Twitter links).

As expected, the Bengals have been active in attempting to repair their beleaguered offensive line this week. They have signed interior blockers Alex Cappa and Ted Karras. Collins checks in with a slightly higher profile than both and would certainly be an upgrade for the defending AFC champions at right tackle.

Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack was Collins’ first NFL position coach, being with Dallas from 2015-17. Pollack’s position group has been under siege for multiple seasons, with the Bengals having seen Joe Burrow suffer a torn ACL and lead the NFL in sacks taken last season. The Bengals have Jonah Williams set to return at left tackle, but the team has operated with a purpose this week — after not devoting much in the way of resources to Burrow’s first two O-lines — to upgrade other areas up front.

Collins has been regarded as one of the NFL’s best right tackles for a few years now, but the former high-end prospect-turned-UDFA has not been consistently available during the 2020s. After missing all of the 2020 season due to injury, Collins saw a PED suspension shelve him for five games last year. Still, he came back and regained his job, making 10 starts for the NFC East champion Cowboys. Collins, however, only missed one game from 2017-19.

Dallas cut Collins for financial reasons, with the team’s longtime right tackle following Amari Cooper off the team’s payroll. The Bengals making this signing would nearly complete their O-line overhaul. Burrow, per The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr., is helping recruit Collins, who is also an LSU alum (Twitter link).

If the Bengals cannot close a deal with Collins on his visit, the Patriots and Dolphins have interest, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The Dolphins have already signed ex-Cowboy guard Connor Williams but have needs across their line. The Patriots lost Karras and traded Shaq Mason, and the team may lose right tackle Trent Brown as well.

Bengals To Re-Sign CB Eli Apple

March 17th, 2022 at 5:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Eli Apple will be back in Cincinnati in 2022. The Bengals are re-signing the Ohio State product, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

The former top-10 pick agreed to a one-year deal worth $4MM. While Apple did not finish his season well, being targeted on the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI-winning drive and giving up the game-winning touchdown, he bounced back on the whole after a 2020 no-show with the Panthers.

Apple started 15 games for the Bengals last season and will see a notable raise, though the 2021 campaign did not result in a substantial market for the ex-Giants draftee. The Bengals gave Apple a one-year, $1.2MM deal in 2021. Apple joined Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton as the team’s top corners; Apple usurped the injury-prone Trae Waynes on the team’s depth chart. Waynes is not expected to be with the Bengals much longer.

While it is not certain if the Bengals will make an effort to upgrade their coverage corps with an outside hire or high draft choice, Apple did intercept two passes last season and play 93% of the snaps for Lou Anarumo‘s resurgent defense. Pro Football Focus assigned Apple a middling grade for the 2021 season.

The six-year veteran would represent a good depth piece, though redeploying him as a full-timer would be somewhat risky for a Bengals team now presented with high expectations. Apple returning, however, means the Bengals stand to have their full five-man secondary back for next season.

Bengals To Sign Hayden Hurst

March 17th, 2022 at 3:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bengals appear to have found a short-term replacement for C.J. Uzomah. Cincinnati is signing tight end Hayden Hurst, to a one-year deal according to ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). 

[RELATED: Jets To Sign C.J. Uzomah]

Hurst, 28, started his career in Baltimore. He flashed potential in two campaigns with the Ravens, totalling 43 catches and 512 yards in 28 games. With Mark Andrews ahead of him on the depth chart, however, it became clear that Hurst would need to go elsewhere to have an opportunity as a starter. He requested – and was granted – a trade to Atlanta in 2020.

In his first season with the Falcons, the former first rounder played closer to the level he was capable of with increased playing time. He totalled 56 catches for 571 yards and six touchdowns. However, the Falcons drafted Kyle Pitts last offseason, which again limited Hurst’s target share. It’s not surprising, then, that he is on the move again.

In Cincinnati, Hurst will step into a sizeable opening left by Uzomah’s departure. His production in the passing game – along with his blocking ability – should keep him on the field for a Bengals offense which was among the league’s best in 2021. This addition should help compliment the team’s talented WR trio enough for the Bengals to replicate their success in the passing game.

Bengals To Re-Sign Brandon Allen

March 17th, 2022 at 1:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bengals are set to retain the top two names on their quarterback depth chart. The team is re-signing backup  Brandon Allen on a one-year contract, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). 

Pelissero notes that Allen “was Cincinnati’s top choice” to serve as Joe Burrow‘s No. 2, so the move shouldn’t come as a surprise. The 29-year-old has been with the Bengals for the past two seasons, after he spent one year in Denver. He’s made a total of nine starts in his career, going 2-7 while completing 56.2% of his passes. The former sixth round pick has thrown 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.

In his time in Cincinnati, the numbers look slightly better. Allen’s completion percentage sits at 60.8% with the Bengals, and his passer rating is 82. While he doesn’t seem destined to find a starting role in the NFL, the former Razorback has clearly pleased the Bengals enough for him to be their preference as a backup.

Before the deal was announced, the Bengals still had just under $13MM in cap space to work with. That should leave them the flexibility to make at least one more noteworthy signing to augment the roster of last season’s AFC-winning team. In any event, they will at least carry over the same quarterbacks that they had that season into 2022.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/22

March 17th, 2022 at 7:56am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/22

March 16th, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

S Michael Thomas Re-Signing With Bengals

March 16th, 2022 at 6:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Michael Thomas (the defensive back) will be sticking with the AFC champs. Thomas is re-signing with the Bengals, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).

Despite going undrafted out of Stanford in 2012, Thomas has managed to put together a 10-year career. He spent the 2021 campaign with the Bengals after catching on with their practice squad. The veteran ended up seeing time in eight games (one starts) for Cincy, collecting 18 tackles while appearing primarily on special teams. Thomas also saw time in each of the Bengals’ four playoff games.

Thomas spent the first five seasons of his career with the Dolphins before moving on to the Giants, where he earned his lone Pro Bowl appearance. Following two seasons in New York, Thomas spent the 2020 season with the Texans.

During the early parts of free agency, the Bengals have been focused on retaining their own guys. They franchise safety Jessie Bates, and they re-signed defensive tackle B.J. Hill and linebacker Joe Bachie.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/22

March 15th, 2022 at 6:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:

RFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Bengals To Re-Sign DT B.J. Hill

March 14th, 2022 at 1:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals are re-signing defensive tackle B.J. Hill (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Once finalized, it’ll be a three-year, $30MM pact with $15MM paid in Year One.

[RELATED: Bears To Sign Ogunjobi]

Hill was shipped from the Giants to the Bengals last August in exchange for offensive lineman Billy Price. Price went on to give the Giants 16 games and 15 starts – the most first-string appearances he’s ever had.

Hill, meanwhile, shined in the Bengals’ interior rotation, notching 5.5 sacks and 50 stops across 16 games, even though he only started twice. Playing behind D.J. Reader and Larry Ogunjobi, he showed promise as a run-stuffer who can also get to the quarterback on passing downs. Now, he’s got a contract to match, one that puts him closer to that of Reader, who inked a four-year, $53MM contract with Cincy.

Ogunjobi, meanwhile, has left the AFC North for the NFC North. On Monday, the defensive tackle agreed to a three-year, $40.5MM deal with the Bears.

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