Josh Tupou

2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker

Per an agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA, players with COVID-19 health concerns can opt out of the 2020 season. Initially, the deadline was believed to be Tuesday, August 4. Talks between the league and the union have pushed it to August 6.

Chiefs guard and medical school graduate Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was the first player to officially opt out. Scores of players followed.

Here’s the rundown, so far:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • T Brad Seaton

Tennessee Titans

  • OL Anthony McKinney

Washington Football Team

Free agents

Bengals’ DT Josh Tupou Opts Out

Bengals nose tackle Josh Tupou will opt out of the 2020 season, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). On the other side of the ball, offensive tackle Isaiah Prince has also chosen to sit out, per a club announcement.

Tupou appeared in all 16 of the Bengals’ games last year, including seven starts. This year, the Bengals were counting on him to once again serve as a key rotation piece behind defensive tackles Geno Atkins and D.J. Reader. They’re looking thin without him, especially after releasing Ryan Glasgow earlier this week. Tupou was set to earn $2.133MM in 2020. Now, that salary will be pushed into 2021 as his contract tolls.

Tupou and Prince are the first Bengals players to opt out of the season. In total, 30+ players have decided against playing, and many of those players are linemen. Given their body mass and the higher risk factor, that’s not a huge surprise. On the defensive side, Tupou joins a list that includes Eddie Goldman, Michael Pierce, Star Lotulelei, Kyle PekoEddie Vanderdoes, and John Atkins.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/20

Today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/16/20

Monday’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below. Deals will be updated throughout the day.

RFAs

Tendered at original-round level:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

  • Chiefs: TE David Wells

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/21/19

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

Oakland Raiders

Bengals Place DT Josh Tupou On IR, Sign DT Niles Scott

The injuries for the Bengals’ defense just keep piling up. The team placed defensive tackle Josh Tupou on injured reserve today, ending his season, the team announced via Twitter.

To take his spot on the 53-man roster, the team signed defensive tackle Niles Scott away from the Broncos’ practice squad. Tupou’s injury was a torn pec that he suffered in practice on Wednesday, according to Geoff Hobson of the Bengals.com (Twitter link). It’s the latest in a long string of defensive injuries for the Bengals, as several starters have already missed significant time this season.

A 2017 undrafted free agent from Colorado, Tupou was a deep reserve to start the season. However, he had begun playing heavy snaps in the past couple of weeks due to all the injuries. He played around 50 percent of the snaps the past couple of weeks as a run-stuffer inside, so it’s a pretty significant loss.

Scott is a rookie undrafted free agent who has bounced around a bit. From tiny Division III school Frostburg State, Scott originally signed with the 49ers and spent training camp with San Francisco. After a sting on the 49ers’ practice squad, he wound up in Denver, where he’d been until today. It’s always cool to see a D-3 guy get a chance, and he has a realistic chance to earn some playing time on this depleted Bengals squad.

Bengals Place WR John Ross On IR

The Bengals placed wide receiver John Ross on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. This brings an end to a frustrating year for the team’s first-round pick. John Ross (Vertical)

The speedy wideout appeared in only three games this year and did not catch a single pass. Injuries marred his freshman season in the pros, which is exactly what scouts feared in the spring.

Ross was lighting quick, but he had more red flags than a USSR medal ceremony. He tore his ACL and missed the 2015 collegiate campaign and also underwent labrum surgery after the combine. Clubs loved his 4.22-second 40-yard-dash time, but many viewed him as a one contract player and not as a long-term investment. Next year, he’ll work to prove those critics wrong.

At 5-7, the Bengals have less than a 2% chance of reaching the playoffs. They’ll face the Bears, Vikings, Lions, and Ravens, without their top pick in tow.

In related moves, the Bengals have promoted defensive tackle Josh Tupou from practice squad and signed linebacker Carl Bradford to the practice squad.

Practice Squad Updates: 11/27/17

Here are today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: DB Jacob Hagen

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bengals To Re-Sign DT Pat Sims

Pat Sims is back, and Bengals fans didn’t even get a chance to really miss him. After waiving Sims on Saturday, the Bengals are set to re-sign the defensive tackle, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. It is expected that defensive tackle Josh Tupou will be released to make room.Pat Sims (vertical)

Sims was ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Broncos with a calf injury, which perhaps explains the team’s crafty move to drop him and then add him again days later. In theory, the Bengals could have lost the 31-year-old to waivers since even vested veterans go on the wire after the trading deadline, but he went unclaimed in the 24-hour window. It is believed that Sims will be ready to go against the Browns this week, Owczarski hears.

Sims has made seven starts for the Bengals this season, but it will be interesting to see how he is used upon his return. Against Denver, second-year player Andrew Billings played 52% of the defensive tackle snaps against the Broncos. Meanwhile, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus indicate that Sims has been among the worst interior defenders in the league.