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Latest On Bengals S Jessie Bates

By | at July 9, 2022 8:59 am

The deadline for franchise players to sign multiyear contracts is less than a week away, and it doesn’t sound like a resolution is coming between the Bengals and safety Jessie Bates. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (and passed along by Grant Gordon of NFL.com), a positive outcome between the two sides “appears bleak at the moment.”

Garafolo can’t envision Bates attending Bengals training camp without a new deal. The safety was also absent during OTAs as the two sides tried to hammer out a deal, but back in May, we heard that negotiations had stalled. Bates was slapped with the franchise tag earlier this offseason, locking him in to a $12.9MM salary for the 2022 campaign. However, the safety made it clear that he has no intention of playing the upcoming season under the franchise tag as he pursues a long-term, top-of-market deal.

As Joel Corry of CBS Sports writes, there’s a good chance that the Bengals are citing Marcus Williams‘ $14MM AAV that he got from the Ravens via a five-year deal this offseason. However, Bates’ camp is likely pursuing a deal closer to Jamal Adams‘ contract with the Seahawks, which averages $17.5MM per year and could be worth up to $18MM per year. There’s also Minkah Fitzpatrick‘s deal with the Steelers that exceeded that $18MM AAV mark but is only half guaranteed. Garafolo opines that the Bengals will be unwilling to pay that much for their safety, meaning there’s at least a $4MM or $5MM annual difference in opinions.

The 25-year-old was the subject of contract talks last offseason, but negotiations stalled. Bates had established himself as an integral part of the Bengals’ defense to that point, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2020. The regular season this past year was his worst statistically, though he notched a pair of interceptions during the team’s run to the Super Bowl.

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Bengals Pursuing WR Depth?

By | at July 6, 2022 8:40 pm

The Bengals may have the best receiving trio in the NFL, but that won’t stop the front office from seeking some reinforcement at the position. Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic writes that Cincinnati will be on the lookout for receiving depth over the next month-plus.

The writer notes that the organization could seek help via the waiver wire as teams begin to trim their rosters, but he adds that the organization could also look toward the trade market if they’re truly targeting a specific name. If any of the team’s top-three wideouts suffer an injury during the preseason, then the front office would surely “turn up the aggressiveness” as they pursue that extra depth.

Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd each had 60+ receptions, 800+ receiving yards, and 5+ touchdowns during the 2022 campaign. Fortunately for the Bengals, the trio has been remarkably healthy throughout their respective careers. Chase managed to get into all 17 games as a rookie, and while Higgins missed three games in 2022, he got into all 16 games in 2021. In six seasons with Cincy, Boyd has missed 11 games, although six of those absences came in 2017.

Either way, the Bengals would rather be safe than sorry, and they could use some experience beyond their current grouping of backup receivers. The team is still rostering Mike Thomas, but he’s only hauled in 18 receptions over the past two seasons. Otherwise, the Bengals have four wideouts who had a combined six receptions in 2021 (Stanley Morgan, Trent Taylor, Trenton Irwin, and Pooka Williams Jr.) and four UDFA receivers (Kwamie Lassiter II, Jaivon Heiligh, Jack Sorenson, and Kendric Pryor).

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2022 NFL Cap Space, By Team

By | at July 6, 2022 11:58 am

Between now and training camp, additional free agents will join teams. Several big names — from 2010s All-Decade-teamers Ndamukong Suh and Julio Jones — to longtime starters like Odell Beckham Jr., Jason Pierre-Paul, Trey Flowers and J.C. Tretter remain available as camps approach.

With savings from post-June 1 cuts in the rear-view mirror and fewer than 25 draft picks yet to sign their rookie deals, we have a pretty good idea of teams’ cap-space figures. Here is how the league currently stacks up for available funds:

  1. Cleveland Browns: $40.9MM
  2. Carolina Panthers: $25.1MM
  3. Chicago Bears: $23MM
  4. Dallas Cowboys: $22.5MM
  5. Las Vegas Raiders: $21.6MM
  6. Washington Commanders: $17.7MM
  7. Green Bay Packers: $16.9MM
  8. Miami Dolphins: $16.5MM
  9. Seattle Seahawks: $16.4MM
  10. Cincinnati Bengals: $15.8MM
  11. Los Angeles Chargers: $14.5MM
  12. Pittsburgh Steelers: $14.3MM
  13. Kansas City Chiefs: $14.3MM
  14. Atlanta Falcons: $13.4MM
  15. Philadelphia Eagles: $12.8MM
  16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $12.4MM
  17. Indianapolis Colts: $12.3MM
  18. Tennessee Titans: $11.9MM
  19. Arizona Cardinals: $11.5MM
  20. Denver Broncos: $11.5MM
  21. Minnesota Vikings: $10.9MM
  22. New Orleans Saints: $10.7MM
  23. Detroit Lions: $9.8MM
  24. New York Jets: $9.6MM
  25. Houston Texans: $9.2MM
  26. Los Angeles Rams: $7.7MM
  27. Jacksonville Jaguars: $7.7MM
  28. New York Giants: $6MM
  29. Buffalo Bills: $5.6MM
  30. San Francisco 49ers: $4.7MM
  31. Baltimore Ravens: $3.9MM
  32. New England Patriots: $1.9MM
  • The Browns reduced Deshaun Watson‘s 2022 base salary to the veteran minimum. The suspension candidate’s cap number checks in at just $10MM, though the figures from the fully guaranteed deal the Browns authorized begin spiking in 2023. Watson’s cap number is set to rise to an NFL-record $54.9MM next year.
  • Carolina has been in talks with Cleveland for months regarding a Baker Mayfield trade. The sides have not come to an agreement on how to divide Mayfield’s guaranteed $18.9MM salary. While the Browns are believed to have come up to around $10MM, Mayfield remains on their roster.
  • The Bears, Cowboys and Raiders each vaulted into the top five because of post-June 1 cuts. Chicago and Las Vegas were the only teams to designate the maximum two players as post-June 1 releases.
  • The Seahawks have been connected to a Mayfield trade, but they have been more likely to pursue the disgruntled QB via free agency — should this process reach that point. A Mayfield free agent signing would not require Seattle to make adjustments to its cap sheet.
  • After restructuring Patrick Mahomes‘ contract last year, the Chiefs have not done so in 2022. The superstar passer is attached to a $35.8MM figure — the second-highest 2022 cap charge.
  • Atlanta’s cap space factors in the team’s league-leading $63.2MM in dead money, a figure mostly created by Matt Ryan‘s individual dead-cap record ($40.5MM) emerging after the Falcons traded their 14-year starter to the Colts.
  • Upon learning Tom Brady would be back for a third Florida season, the Buccaneers did restructure his deal. Brady counts just $11.9MM on Tampa Bay’s 2022 cap sheet, but due to the void years that helped the team save money, that number spikes to $35.1MM in 2023 — when Brady is not under contract.
  • San Francisco power brokers have said for months a Jimmy Garoppolo trade is the organization’s goal. With the passer not yet fully cleared, the team — which is preparing for Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa extensions to come to pass at some point — has a $26.95MM Garoppolo cap charge on its payroll. Releasing Garopppolo would save the 49ers $24.2MM.
  • The Ravens have attempted to go forward with a Lamar Jackson extension, but the team has confirmed the quarterback has not expressed much interest in doing a deal now. The sides did discuss the former MVP’s deal during minicamp. Jackson is tied to a $23MM fifth-year option salary.
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NFL Teams With Most Dead Cap

By | at July 5, 2022 8:29 pm

The Falcons made history when they traded Matt Ryan to the Colts this offseason. As a result of the trade, the Falcons were left with a record-breaking $40.5MM in dead cap. Thanks to the Ryan trade (as well as the trade of Julio Jones and the release of Dante Fowler), the Falcons lead the NFL with a whopping $63MM in dead cap heading into next season.

For a team that’s probably not looking to compete in 2022, this isn’t the biggest deal in the world. For competitive squads, a hefty dead cap charge could drastically limit their ability to add to their squad following final roster cuts and into the regular season. A team’s current dead cap commitment could also influence who they decide to cut at the end of the preseason.

So which teams have the most dead cap on their books? We’ve listed them in order below (h/t to Sportrac):

  1. Atlanta Falcons: $63,209,124
  2. Chicago Bears: $57,643,341
  3. Philadelphia Eagles: $54,915,221
  4. Houston Texans: $52,289,341
  5. Seattle Seahawks: $46,022,390
  6. New Orleans Saints: $33,347,982
  7. Pittsburgh Steelers: $30,863,174
  8. Las Vegas Raiders: $29,441,565
  9. New York Giants: $29,262,372
  10. Green Bay Packers: $24,628,608
  11. Carolina Panthers: $23,507,283
  12. Dallas Cowboys: $22,713,132
  13. Minnesota Vikings: $22,092,189
  14. Jacksonville Jaguars: $21,852,872
  15. Detroit Lions: $20,324,288
  16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $19,445,910
  17. Cleveland Browns: $18,774,054
  18. Buffalo Bills: $16,601,356
  19. Denver Broncos: $14,938,136
  20. Tennessee Titans: $14,290,108
  21. Los Angeles Rams: $13,522,002
  22. Baltimore Ravens: $12,292,703
  23. Arizona Cardinals: $10,278,530
  24. Cincinnati Bengals: $9,592,578
  25. New England Patriots: $9,158,009
  26. Miami Dolphins: $8,483,400
  27. Kansas City Chiefs: $7,982,236
  28. Indianapolis Colts: $7,037,428
  29. San Francisco 49ers: $6,495,221
  30. Washington Commanders: $6,300,496
  31. Los Angeles Chargers: $3,661,167
  32. New York Jets: $2,092,411
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Largest 2022 Cap Hits: Defense

By | at July 5, 2022 11:26 am

After looking at this year’s top salary cap numbers on the offensive side of the ball, here is a rundown of the players counting the most toward their teams’ payrolls in 2022.

As could be expected, the salary figures here start below the quarterbacks. A few pass rushers, however, are tied to notable cap hits. Those numbers that check in within the top 20 leaguewide regardless of position. With the exception of true nose tackles and pure slot cornerbacks, every defensive position is represented here.

Here are the top cap figures on the defensive side for the ’22 season:

  1. T.J. Watt, OLB (Steelers): $31.12MM
  2. Chris Jones, DT (Chiefs): $29.42MM
  3. Joey Bosa, OLB (Chargers): $28.25MM
  4. Leonard Williams, DL (Giants): $27.3MM
  5. Aaron Donald, DT (Rams): $27MM
  6. Jalen Ramsey, CB (Rams): $23.2MM
  7. Deion Jones, LB (Falcons): $20.1MM
  8. Bud Dupree, OLB (Titans): $19.2MM
  9. Justin Simmons, S (Broncos): $18.85MM
  10. Javon Hargrave, DT (Eagles): $17.8MM
  11. C.J. Mosley, LB (Jets): $17.5MM
  12. Cameron Heyward, DL (Steelers): $17.42MM
  13. Robert Quinn, DE (Bears): $17.14MM
  14. Matt Judon, OLB (Patriots): $16.5MM
  15. DeForest Buckner, DT (Colts): $16MM
  16. Shaquill Griffin, CB (Jaguars): $16.44MM
  17. Tre’Davious White, CB (Bills): $16.4MM
  18. J.J. Watt, DL (Cardinals): $15.9MM
  19. Marcus Peters, CB (Ravens): $15.5MM
  20. Carl Lawson, DE (Jets): $15.33MM
  21. Eddie Jackson, S (Bears): $15.1MM
  22. Lavonte David, LB (Buccaneers): $14.79MM
  23. Budda Baker, S (Cardinals): $14.78MM
  24. Romeo Okwara, DE (Lions): $14.5MM
  25. Trey Hendrickson, DE (Bengals): $14.49MM
  • Illustrating how much the cap has climbed over the past several seasons, T.J. Watt is tied to a number nearly twice that of J.J. Watt, who has been tied to $16.7MM-per-year (a defender-record number in 2014) and $14MM-AAV deals as a pro. Trailing his older brother in Defensive Player of the Year honors, T.J. is signed to an edge defender-record $28MM-per-year accord.
  • Jones’ four-year Chiefs deal vaults from an $8.5MM cap number in 2021 to the league’s second-highest defensive figure this year. The standout defensive tackle’s cap hit accompanies Patrick Mahomes‘ $35.79MM number, which is well north of his 2021 figure, on Kansas City’s new-look payroll.
  • After two franchise tags, Williams scored a monster extension in 2021. The well-paid Giants D-lineman’s cap number this year is way up from his 2021 number ($9.4MM).
  • The Rams redid Donald’s contract last month, adding no new years to the through-2024 pact. The all-world defender’s cap hit actually decreases in 2023, dropping to $26MM
  • It is not certain Deion Jones will be back with the Falcons, who have jettisoned other Super Bowl LI cornerstones from the roster since the current regime took over in 2021. But they would save just $1MM were they to release the seventh-year linebacker.
  • To date, this represents the high-water mark for Mosley cap hits on his Jets deal, which at the time (2019) began a sea change for off-ball linebacker contracts. Mosley’s cap hit, on a pact that runs through 2024 because of the linebacker opting out of the 2020 season, increased by $10MM from 2021-22.
  • Hargrave is one of five Eagles pass rushers signed to veteran contracts. The ex-Steeler’s 2021 deal accompanies Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick, and Fletcher Cox‘s new agreement on Philadelphia’s defensive front. As cap hits do not reflect average salaries, Hargrave is the only member of this quartet tied to an eight-figure cap number in 2022.
  • Quinn has also been connected to a departure, with the 31-year-old pass rusher skipping minicamp after it became known he would like to be traded away from the rebuilding team. His cap hit tops the Bears’ payroll. The Bears would save $12.9MM by trading Quinn, should another team sign up for taking on his full 2022 base salary.
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The NFL’s Longest-Tenured GMs

By | at June 30, 2022 10:48 am

Wednesday, we took a look at how the 2022 offseason changed the HC landscape. While 10 new sideline leaders are in place for 2022, not quite as much turnover transpired on the general manager front. Five new decision-makers, however, have moved to the top of teams’ front office hierarchies over the past six months.

The Bears, Giants, Raiders and Vikings rebooted their entire operations, hiring new HC-GM combos. The Minnesota move bumped out one of the previous top-10 longest-tenured GMs, with 16-year Vikings exec Rick Spielman no longer in power in the Twin Cities. The Steelers’ shakeup took the NFL’s longest-tenured pure GM out of the mix. Kevin Colbert was with the Steelers since 2000, and although he is still expected to remain with the team in a reduced capacity, the 22-year decision-maker stepped down shortly after Ben Roethlisberger wrapped his career.

Twelve teams have now hired a new GM in the past two offseasons, though a bit more staying power exists here compared to the HC ranks. Two GMs (the Cardinals’ Steve Keim and Chargers’ Tom Telesco) have begun their 10th years at the helms of their respective front offices. They have hired three HCs apiece. The Buccaneers’ Jason Licht is closing in on a decade in power in Tampa Bay; Licht will now work with his fourth HC in Todd Bowles. Beyond that, a bit of a gap exists. But a handful of other executives have been in power for at least five seasons.

Here is how long every GM or de facto GM has been in place with his respective franchise:

  1. Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989[1]
  2. Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991[2]
  3. Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000[3]
  4. Mickey Loomis (New Orleans Saints): May 14, 2002
  5. John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks): January 19, 2010; signed extension in 2021
  6. Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles): January 29, 2010; signed extension in 2022
  7. Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams): February 10, 2012; signed extension in 2019
  8. Steve Keim (Arizona Cardinals): January 8, 2013; signed extension in 2022
  9. Tom Telesco (Los Angeles Chargers): January 9, 2013; signed extension in 2018
  10. Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 21, 2014; signed extension in 2021
  11. Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins): January 4, 2016[4]
  12. Jon Robinson (Tennessee Titans): January 14, 2016; signed extension in 2022
  13. John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers): January 29, 2017; signed extension in 2020
  14. Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts): January 30, 2017; signed extension in 2021
  15. Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills): May 9, 2017; signed extension in 2020
  16. Brett Veach (Kansas City Chiefs): July 11, 2017; signed extension in 2020
  17. Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers): January 7, 2018
  18. Eric DeCosta (Baltimore Ravens): January 7, 2019
  19. Joe Douglas (New York Jets): June 7, 2019
  20. Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns): January 27, 2020
  21. Nick Caserio (Houston Texans): January 5, 2021
  22. George Paton (Denver Broncos): January 13, 2021
  23. Scott Fitterer (Carolina Panthers): January 14, 2021
  24. Brad Holmes (Detroit Lions): January 14, 2021
  25. Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons): January 19, 2021
  26. Trent Baalke (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 21, 2021
  27. Martin Mayhew (Washington Commanders): January 22, 2021
  28. Joe Schoen (New York Giants): January 21, 2022
  29. Ryan Poles (Chicago Bears): January 25, 2022
  30. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota Vikings): January 26, 2022
  31. Dave Ziegler (Las Vegas Raiders): January 30, 2022
  32. Omar Khan (Pittsburgh Steelers): May 24, 2022

Footnotes:

  1. Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
  2. Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
  3. Belichick has been the Patriots’ de facto GM since shortly after being hired as the team’s head coach in January 2000.
  4. Although Grier was hired in 2016, he became the Dolphins’ top football exec on Dec. 31, 2018
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The NFL’s Longest-Tenured Head Coaches

By | at June 29, 2022 11:08 am

The NFL experienced a busy offseason on the coaching front. A whopping 10 teams changed coaches during the 2022 offseason, with the Buccaneers’ late-March switch pushing the number into double digits.

Fourteen of the league’s 32 head coaches were hired in the past two offseasons, illustrating the increased pressure the NFL’s sideline leaders face in today’s game. Two of the coaches replaced this year left on their own. Sean Payton vacated his spot in second on the longest-tenured HCs list by stepping down from his 16-year Saints post in February, while Bruce Arians has repeatedly insisted his Bucs exit was about giving his defensive coordinator a chance with a strong roster and not a Tom Brady post-retirement power play.

While Bill Belichick has been the league’s longest-tenured HC for many years, Payton’s exit moved Mike Tomlin up to No. 2. Mike Zimmer‘s firing after nine seasons moved Frank Reich into the top 10. Reich’s HC opportunity only came about because Josh McDaniels spurned the Colts in 2018, but Indianapolis’ backup plan has led the team to two playoff brackets and has signed an extension. Reich’s seat is hotter in 2022, however, after a January collapse. Linked to numerous HC jobs over the past several offseasons, McDaniels finally took another swing after his Broncos tenure ended quickly.

As 2022’s training camps approach, here are the NFL’s longest-tenured HCs:

  1. Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000
  2. Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers): January 27, 2007; extended through 2024
  3. John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens): January 19, 2008; extended through 2025
  4. Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks): January 9, 2010; extended through 2025
  5. Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs): January 4, 2013; extended through 2025
  6. Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills): January 11, 2017; extended through 2025
  7. Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams): January 12, 2017; extended through 2023
  8. Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers): February 6, 2017; extended through 2025
  9. Mike Vrabel (Tennessee Titans): January 20, 2018; signed extension in February 2022
  10. Frank Reich (Indianapolis Colts): February 11, 2018; extended through 2026
  11. Kliff Kingsbury (Arizona Cardinals): January 8, 2019; extended through 2027
  12. Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers): January 8, 2019
  13. Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals): February 4, 2019; extended through 2026
  14. Ron Rivera (Washington Football Team): January 1, 2020
  15. Matt Rhule (Carolina Panthers): January 7, 2020
  16. Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys): January 7, 2020
  17. Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns): January 13, 2020
  18. Robert Saleh (New York Jets): January 15, 2021
  19. Arthur Smith (Atlanta Falcons): January 15, 2021
  20. Brandon Staley (Los Angeles Chargers): January 17, 2021
  21. Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions): January 20, 2021
  22. Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles): January 21, 2021
  23. Nathaniel Hackett (Denver Broncos): January 27, 2022
  24. Matt Eberflus (Chicago Bears): January 27, 2022
  25. Brian Daboll (New York Giants): January 28, 2022
  26. Josh McDaniels (Las Vegas Raiders): January 30, 2022
  27. Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings): February 2, 2022
  28. Doug Pederson (Jacksonville Jaguars): February 3, 2022
  29. Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins): February 6, 2022
  30. Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints): February 7, 2022
  31. Lovie Smith (Houston Texans): February 7, 2022
  32. Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): March 30, 2022
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AFC North Rumors: Trubisky, Apple, Pratt, Johnson

By | at June 24, 2022 8:34 pm

With Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Deshaun Watson (tentatively) being cemented behind center in Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, respectively, Pittsburgh is working to name their starting quarterback to open the 2022 NFL season. According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the current situation points towards free agent acquisition Mitchell Trubisky being named the starter for the Steelers’ season opener in Cincinnati.

On 105.7 The Fan, Dulac was quoted saying, “I think the plan is, and I don’t think there is any question about this, unless something would dictate otherwise including injury, I think Mitch Trubisky will go into the regular season as the starter.” He continued, “NFL teams don’t draft quarterbacks No. 1 to have them be the third quarterback and a gameday scratch. I expect Kenny Pickett to be the guy who dresses on gameday (as the primary backup).”

When asked where that leaves five-year veteran Mason Rudolph, Dulac thinks the Steelers will have “a little bit more respect than to keep him around as the third quarterback and a gameday scratch.” Dulac believes Pittsburgh would rather have the two parties mutually move on and try to find him a trade to a desirable location.

Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC North, starting with a couple rumors from the division (and conference) champions from last year:

  • When detailing some training camp position battles in Cincinnati this summer, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic asserted that six-year veteran cornerback Eli Apple will be favored to keep his starting job over rookie second-round pick Cam Taylor-Britt. After the rollercoaster start of his career, Apple played well last year for the Bengals. Despite the team spending heavy draft-capital on his position by drafting Taylor-Britt early, Apple has reportedly responded very well to the pressure and kept his eye on the ball. Taylor-Britt may eventually unseat the incumbent, but, for now, expect to see Apple across from Diontae Johnson or Chase Claypool to open the season this September.
  • Expanding further on the Bengals’ offseason to-do list, Dehner Jr. reported on some possible extension candidates in Cincinnati, claiming that, for now, the Bengals don’t view linebacker Germaine Pratt as an extension candidate. Since Cincinnati selected him in the third-round of 2019, Pratt has been a formidable defender, racking up 76 tackles as a rookie as well as 89 and 91 tackles in the two seasons since. Despite his defensive tenacity, it doesn’t appear that Pratt does quite enough to force an early decision from the Bengals on his future. Instead, Pratt will want to put together a contract year that will either convince Cincinnati to keep him around or convince another franchise to spend big to bring him in. The Bengals will allow him to play out the last year of his rookie deal and assess his value before free agency.
  • Despite the recent one-year deal running back D’Ernest Johnson signed earlier this month to remain in Cleveland, ESPN’s Jake Trotter believes that Johnson could still potentially find himself as the odd man out of a loaded running back room for the Browns. With Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt cemented as 1-2 at running back, Johnson is competing with 2021 draft pick Demetric Felton and 2022 Draft pick Jerome Ford for playing time behind them. Since both Felton and Ford offer versatility to rush and receive out of the backfield, along with cheap rookie deals, it’s not out of the question to imagine Johnson on the outside looking in. In this case, the Browns may want to find a trade-partner to take Johnson and make sure they don’t completely waste the deal they awarded him weeks ago.
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Trae Waynes Generating Interest; CB Leaning Toward Retirement

By | at June 20, 2022 2:17 pm

Ahead of what would be his age-30 season, Trae Waynes is not exactly making hard plans to find another NFL gig. The seven-year veteran cornerback said he is retired, though no announcement has emerged.

The Bengals released the former first-round pick earlier this year, moving off a contract that did not work out. Cincinnati signed the ex-Minnesota starter to a three-year, $42MM deal in 2020, but Waynes missed all of that season. Last year, Waynes played in just five regular-season games due to injury. Although he played in each of the Bengals’ four playoff games, the team had replaced him in the starting lineup.

“It’s open, but I’m not really exploring anything, to be honest with you,” Waynes said, during an appearance on the Geary & Stein Sports Show podcast (via NFL.com), of playing an eighth NFL season. “Multiple teams have actually called. Honestly, in my head, I’m done. I’m not officially doing it just because I don’t give a [expletive]. But I’m retired, but it’s not like I announced it or anything.”

One of those opportunities came from the Eagles, who employ former Vikings DBs coach Jonathan Gannon as defensive coordinator and have ex-Viking safety Anthony Harris back as a projected starter. It does not look like anything will come to fruition here. The Eagles have since signed James Bradberry.

“I actually almost went to Philly to go back with JG and Ant. But at that point I was like, ‘I’m ready to be done,'” Waynes said. “Could I easily keep playing several more years? Yes. But I got a family, I want to be around with my kids more.”

Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer-era run of first-round cornerbacks began with Waynes, the No. 11 overall pick in 2015. He had not shown signs of durability issues with the Vikings, missing just six games in five seasons on his rookie contract. The Michigan State product started 53 games during his five-year Minneapolis stay. The Vikings let both Waynes and Mackensie Alexander join the Bengals in 2020, but Waynes wound up on injured reserve before the season began. A torn pectoral muscle felled him that summer.

Waynes’ 2021 re-emergence encountered resistance early. A hamstring injury forced Waynes to begin the season on IR, and he aggravated the issue after two October games. Waynes, 29, did not return until mid-December. The Bengals were deploying a Chidobe Awuzie–Eli Apple–Mike Hilton cornerback trio by the postseason, and Waynes did not play any defensive snaps in those four games. In Super Bowl LVI, Waynes played three special teams snaps.

“It didn’t feel like a Super Bowl to me because my time in Cincinnati has just been injuries,” Waynes said. … “That’s something that I never really experienced in Minnesota.”

“… I was supposed to play in the Super Bowl — well I played a little bit — but I was supposed to go in, but I ended up getting hurt again. … I told my wife this after the game, I was like ‘There’s nothing more frustrating knowing you’re supposed to be out there but you physically can’t because your body is just failing.'”

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Bengals Sign Cordell Volson, Finish Signing Draft Class

By | at June 14, 2022 8:55 pm

The Bengals have finished signing their draft class. The team announced that they have signed fourth-round offensive lineman Cordell Volson to his rookie contract.

The 6-foot-6, 315-pound lineman set a school record at North Dakota State University by appearing in 65 career games (including 41 straight starts). His consistency earned him a pair of Associated Press FCS All-America first team nods, and he also won four FCS national championships during his six years at the school.

At 23 years old, Volson was one of the oldest prospects in the draft; he redshirted his freshman season and opted to use his extra year of college eligibility in 2021. The Bengals ultimately used the No. 136 pick in the draft to select the offensive lineman, making him the 11th offensive tackle off the board. The rookie will join a long list of newcomers on the offensive line, but unlike some of those acquisitions (center Ted Karras, right guard Alex Cappa, and right tackle La’el Collins), there’s little chance Volson starts, at least to start his career.

With this signing, the Bengals have officially completed the signing of their draft class:

Round 1: No. 31 Daxton Hill, S (Michigan) (signed)
Round 2: No. 60 (from Buccaneers through Bills) Cam Taylor-Britt, CB (Nebraska) (signed)
Round 3: No. 95 Zachary Carter, DL (Florida) (signed)
Round 4: No. 136 Cordell Volson, OL (North Dakota State)
Round 5: No. 166 (from Cardinals through Eagles, Texans and Bears): Tycen Anderson, S (Toledo) (signed)
Round 7: No. 252 Jeffrey Gunter, DE (Coastal Carolina) (signed)

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