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B.J. Hill

Bengals Make Three Waiver Claims

September 2nd, 2022 at 9:55am CST by Adam La Rose

SEPTEMBER 2: To no surprise, the Bengals are indeed re-signing Allen, Thomas and Williams now that they have the open roster spots to do so, per a team announcement. Cincinnati is also placing safety Tycen Anderson and tackle Isaiah Prince on IR.

AUGUST 31: The Bengals have made some notable additions in the aftermath of yesterday’s roster cutdowns. Per the waiver wire, they have claimed tight end Devin Asiasi, guard Max Scharping and defensive tackle Jay Tufele.

[RELATED: Bengals Expected To Sign TE Howard]

Asiasi came to New England with significant expectations, given his draft status and the organization’s success at the position. The third-rounder made just 10 appearances in his first two seasons, though, recording only a pair of receptions. The Patriots made a substantial free agent investment in Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith last offseason, limiting his future with the team. In Cincinnati, he will face steep competition for playing time from Hayden Hurst and, in all likelihood, O.J. Howard.

Scharping is in a similar situation to Asiasi in terms of being an underwhelming high draft choice yet to finish their rookie contract. A 2019 second-rounder, the 26-year-old started 33 of the 48 contests he appeared in with the Texans, moving from the left to right guard spot this past season. Regardless of where he lined up, the Northern Illinois alum graded out in the mid-to-high 50s with respect to PFF rating, leaving him on the roster bubble. Scharping’s vacated spot is likely to be filled by A.J. Cann; he will challenge for a backup role behind top free agent addition Alex Cappa with the Bengals.

Tufele, meanwhile, has seen the least playing time of the new trio. As a rookie last season, he made just four appearances in Jacksonville, totaling two tackles. His PFF pass rush grade of 77 indicates some upside on third downs, which dates back to his time in college. Moving on from the USC alum so soon may have come as a surprise, though the additions of Folorunso Fatukasi and Adam Gotsis along the d-line were likely to significantly lessen his chance of seeing significant playing time with the Jaguars. The Bengals lost Larry Ogunjobi in free agency, but re-upped B.J. Hill, whom Tufele will look to provide depth behind his new home.

The defending AFC champions will return many of the members of last season’s team, but these additions could prove effective at areas of relative need. Among the cuts necessary to accommodate the new arrivals is veteran quarterback Brandon Allen. The 29-year-old signed a one-year deal for the third consecutive offseason to remain in Cincinnati.

For now, Allen’s departure leaves the Bengals with only Joe Burrow under center. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets, however, that Allen “will be back.” Cincinnati is also parting ways with safety Michael Thomas and running back Trayveon Williams.

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.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/4/22-1/5/22

January 5th, 2022 at 11:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Tuesday and Wednesday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

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 Chargers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jared Cook, LB Damon Lloyd (remains on IR)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Giants To Trade B.J. Hill To Bengals For Billy Price

August 30th, 2021 at 12:31pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve got another trade to report! Not too long after the Bills dealt Darryl Johnson to the Panthers, the Giants and Bengals have pulled off an interesting swap. New York has agreed to trade defensive lineman B.J. Hill, head coach Joe Judge announced to the media on Monday.

Right after Judge said Hill would be traded, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that it was to the Bengals for offensive lineman Billy Price. The Bengals will also get a conditional seventh-round pick in the deal, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News notes in a tweet. In a follow-up tweet, Rapoport notes that Price has been a “key name” in trade talks recently, and that the Giants were searching for O-line depth.

Price wasn’t the only Bengals lineman on the block, as Albert Breer of SI.com tweets that Cincy also had discussions about guard Michael Jordan. He adds that the Jaguars joined the Giants as teams calling around about interior offensive line help this week.

A former first-rounder, Price was the 18th overall pick back in 2018. Cincinnati declined his fifth-year option this past offseason, meaning he’ll be a free agent after this season. The Ohio State product never lived up to his draft status, and could benefit from the change in scenery.

He was Cincy’s starter at center as a rookie, then moved to guard and only started eight games in 2019. This past season he was mostly a reserve, only starting one game. Hill was a third-round pick back in 2018, and also declined after his rookie year.

In his first pro season he had 5.5 sacks while starting 12 games, but over the past two years he’s had just two total sacks while being reduced to a rotational role. It makes sense for both sides, with each addressing an area of need.

East Notes: Zeke, Giants, McCoy

July 5th, 2019 at 1:20pm CST by Rory Parks

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott managed to escape a suspension for a potentially troublesome incident in May, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that if Elliott should even come close to violating the league’s personal conduct policy again, the punishment will be severe. Commissioner Roger Goodell gave everyone in the league office this week off, so Florio believes the only reason for Goodell to summon Elliott to league headquarters on Tuesday was to sufficiently scare him into staying on the straight and narrow. Goodell has been less harsh with players who run afoul of league policies in recent history, but if Elliott should put another toe out of line in the future, the commissioner will likely hand out a lengthy ban, and his decision to not suspend Elliott this time will help to justify such a measure.

Now for more the league’s east divisions:

  • There do not seem to be any starting jobs up for grabs along the Giants‘ defensive line, even though the presumptive starters are young and mostly unproven. However, with that youth comes a great deal of potential, and one of the keys to Big Blue’s immediate prospects is the realization of that potential. Third-year player Dalvin Tomlinson, second-year talent B.J. Hill, and rookie Dexter Lawrence are expected to open the season atop the Giants’ D-line depth chart, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes, and the addition of Lawrence allows Tomlinson to slide into a traditional nose tackle spot, to which he is better-suited.
  • In a separate 2019 positional preview piece, Schwartz examines the Giants‘ tight end group, which is headed by Evan Engram. Engram had a disappointing start to 2018, his second professional season, but when Odell Beckham missed the final four games of the season, Engram excelled and finished with some positive momentum. Now that OBJ is in Cleveland, New York will need Engram to show more of the same in a crucial year for his development. The club’s second TE, Rhett Ellison, is a favorite of HC Pat Shurmur, while returnee Scott Simonson will have to hold off C.J. Conrad — a UDFA who impressed this spring — and former Syracuse QB Eric Dungey, another UDFA who is trying to make the club as a TE/gadget player.
  • Vic Carucci of BNBlitz.com says it’s possible that Bills GM Brandon Beane and LeSean McCoy have adamantly pushed the notion that McCoy will be the team’s starter in 2019 in order to generate some trade interest. After all, the club does have a large stable of RBs, and McCoy, a 2020 free agent, appears to be nearing the end of his career. But Carucci says he has heard nothing to indicate that Buffalo is seeking to trade McCoy.
  • In the same piece, Carucci says he believes Levi Wallace will start for the Bills at cornerback opposite TreDavious White.
  • In case you missed it, we heard this morning that Cowboys edge rusher Randy Gregory will be applying for reinstatement shortly.
  • Also from this morning: the Giants may deploy safety Jabrill Peppers as their primary punt returner.

Giants Notes: Latimer, Receivers, Hill, Stewart

July 14th, 2018 at 11:01am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Wide receiver Cody Latimer has had an up and down journey since entering the NFL. He came into the league as a second round pick of the Broncos in 2014, but never really established himself as a receiving threat. He was immediately labeled a bust by fans and media, and was never really able to recover. Latimer was able to stick in Denver by becoming an elite special teams player, excelling on kick coverage units.

This past year, Latimer finally began to catch some passes. After never cracking 100 yards receiving his first three seasons, he racked up 287 last year along with two touchdowns. He averaged an impressive 15.1 yards per catch and parlayed that progress along with his special teams prowess into a one-year $2.5MM contract with the Giants. Now with New York, Latimer has already been making an impression. He’s reportedly done well during offseason workouts, and the Giants’ number three receiving job is now “his to lose” according to Matt Lombardo of NJ.com.

Latimer appears to have turned his career around, and looks likely to have the biggest offensive role in his career this upcoming season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent again this March, and if he shows well for the Giants, he should be able to cash in.

Here’s more from New York:

  • Behind Latimer, the Giants’ receiving situation is less clear, writes Lombardo. He views Russell Shepard, Kalif Raymond, and Travis Rudolph as all being on the roster bubble, likely fighting for one spot. Whoever shows they can make the biggest impact on special teams may win the three way battle.
  • Defensive lineman B.J. Hill will be starting as a rookie, according to Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com. The third rounder from NC State has reportedly impressed this offseason, and Dunleavy is quite confident he’ll be starting on the outside of the Giants’ 3-4 defense. He calls Hill a “shrewd pick” and adds that while Josh Mauro will “enter the mix” when he returns from suspension, for now it’s Hill’s job.
  • Dunleavy thinks the team wouldn’t have signed veteran running back Jonathan Stewart had they known Saquon Barkley would be available for them to draft at number two. The Giants apparently feared the Browns would take Barkley first overall, and signed Stewart as insurance. Now, instead of carrying the ball, Stewart’s “main role will be as a locker room leader and conduit” for GM Dave Gettleman, writes Dunleavy.
  • In case you missed it, check out another round of Giants notes from yesterday.

Extra Points: Pats, Seahawks, Texans, Giants

July 3rd, 2018 at 9:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although there was some mystery as to what substance caused Patriots wideout Julian Edelman to face a four-game performance-enhancing drug suspension, he didn’t question the results of the test itself in his appeal, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Instead, Edelman centered the appeal around the paperwork and documentation surrounding his failed test. In the end, the actual substance that triggered Edelman’s failed test doesn’t matter, as the NFL has the authority to ban players who test positive for unrecognizable substances. Edelman’s appeal was denied today, meaning he’ll miss the first quarter of New England’s 2018 campaign.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • While offensive guard J.R. Sweezy met with the Seahawks earlier this week, a signing may not occur any time soon, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Sweezy was earning $6.5MM annually on his contract with the Buccaneers, and given that he won’t earn anything close to that amount with Seattle, the veteran lineman could choose to wait for a better opportunity. The Seahawks, for their part, don’t need to rush, either, according to Condotta: Seattle’s offensive line is mostly set, and while Sweezy would offer familiarity after spending the 2012-14 seasons with the Seahawks, the club could give reps to its younger linemen before inking Sweezy down the road.
  • Given that starter C.J. Fiedorowicz was forced to retire earlier this year following a series of concussions, the Texans are hoping a “collective effort” will be able to replace his production at the position. “It’s was unfortunate that C.J. Fiedorowicz had to retire but we’ve been very fortunate having a good room, having a bunch of guys come to work, coming to get better,” Texans tight ends coach Tim Kelly told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “Really taking the coaching. I’m fortunate to have those guys in there and really coming in and working hard.” Ryan Griffin looks like the early favorite to start if only due to his experience (six seasons), but Stephen Anderson, rookies Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas, MyCole Pruitt, Matt Lengel, and others could also chip in.
  • Giants third-round defensive lineman B.J. Hill could become an immediate starter, according to Matt Lombardo of NJ.com. As of now, Hill is penciled one of New York’s starting defensive ends opposite Dalvin Tomlinson. The Giants are switching to a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator James Bettcher, but one of Bettcher’s hand-picked additions — ex-Cardinals defender Josh Mauro — is suspended for the first quarter of the 2018 season. While Mauro could certainly reclaim a starting spot when he returns, Hill could use the first quarter of the year to run with the job.

Giants Notes: Beckham, Webb, Hill, Riley

June 17th, 2018 at 7:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The next several weeks could be crucial in the Giants/Odell Beckham Jr. relationship. The superstar wideout said he intends to show up to camp on time, but this may not be a full-on pledge. Instead, it could be contingent on how extension talks — currently not going well — proceed. In an expansive piece attempting to gauge this situation, ESPN.com’s Bill Barnwell writes the presence of Dave Gettleman could make a significant difference in this process.

Famously known as a hard-line negotiator, alienating Steve Smith and rescinding Josh Norman‘s franchise tag in Carolina, Gettleman has repeatedly said he wants the Giants to be geared around their ground game more than they have been in the past. He authorized the highest running back draft pick since Reggie Bush and could have four new starting offensive linemen come Week 1. Barnwell suggests the Giants could use this season to see how Saquon Barkley impacts their offense rather than authorizing a wide receiver-record contract for Beckham before the season. This strategy certainly wouldn’t go over well with Beckham, and it could run the risk of a lengthy holdout, but the Giants would also have the franchise tag as a short-term option in 2019.

Here’s the latest on Big Blue coming out of minicamp.

  • After minicamp, Davis Webb has a big lead on Kyle Lauletta for the backup job, Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com notes. This would mark the 2017 third-rounder’s first time as the backup, with Geno Smith having held that job last season (save for Big Blue’s rough PR week in early December). However, Lauletta has impressed new OC Mike Shula. “He has a nice calmness about him,” Shula said of the rookie fourth-rounder. “If things don’t go exactly how they are drawn out on the board, his mind works pretty fast, so far, and he finds the next guy, gets through his progressions. He has a good feel for anticipation and touch, so I think he’s off to a good start.”
  • While Barkley and second-round pick Will Hernandez have moved into the Giants’ starting lineup, third-round pick B.J. Hill may be ready to join them. The rookie lined up alongside Damon Harrison and Dalvin Tomlinson in the Giants’ new 3-4 scheme at minicamp, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic (subscription required). The Giants don’t have a surefire competitor that would deprive the N.C. State-developed rookie of a viable path to a Week 1 start, so this will be an interesting situation once training camp begins.
  • Another surprise starter could come in New York’s secondary. The Giants are preparing to give Eli Apple another chance at cornerback opposite Janoris Jenkins and aren’t as talented at this spot as they were with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie also in the picture last season, but Duggan writes Landon Collins could have an interesting sidekick as well. Low-level UFA addition (and converted corner) Curtis Riley has a legitimate shot to start alongside Collins, per Duggan, after working extensively with the first unit in the offseason. Darian Thompson and Michael Thomas are among the others vying for that job with Riley, who played 11 games (no starts) with the Titans the past two seasons after entering the league as a UDFA in 2016.

Giants Sign Third-Round DL B.J. Hill

June 7th, 2018 at 6:02pm CST by Ben Levine

The Giants have signed another draft pick. ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that the team has signed third-round defensive lineman B.J. Hill. The rookie was selected with the 69th pick in this year’s draft.

The 22-year-old had four standout season at NC State, playing in a total of 48 games. His best year came in 2015, when he finished the campaign with 50 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. He earned an All-ACC honorable mention nod during his senior campaign after he finished with 55 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one forced fumble.

Veteran Damon Harrison is currently slotted in as the team’s starting nose tackle, but the 6-foot-3, 311-pound Hill appears to be his natural successor. For the time being, the rookie will compete with Robert Thomas, A.J. Francis, Jordan Williams, and Josh Banks for playing time.

Following the move, the Giants still have two unsigned draft picks: first-round running back Saquon Barkley and fifth-round defensive tackle R.J. McIntosh.

Falcons Working Out DT Prospect B.J. Hill

April 7th, 2018 at 11:25am CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons are seemingly eyeing defensive line help with one of their first two picks. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets that a “big Falcons contingent” is working out N.C. State defensive tackle B.J. Hill. The group includes coach Dan Quinn, general manager Thomas Dimitroff and assistant general manager Scott Pioli.

Hill, who played four seasons at North Carolina State, has bounced around NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah’s top-50 prospect rankings. After not appearing on the initial list, the lineman was listed 42nd in an early-March update. Earlier this week, Hill dropped to No. 50 on the list. Both ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay recently had the defensive tackle being selected among the top-60 picks.

Hill had a productive campaign in 2017, compiling 55 tackles and 2.0 sacks in 2017. His best season came back in 2015, when he finished with 50 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

The Falcons could use some reinforcement at defensive tackle, although the team is currently rostering four players at the position. Grady Jarrett and Jack Crawford are currently slated as the starters with Taniela Tupou and Joey Ivie on the bench.