Trey Hopkins

Bengals Release C Trey Hopkins

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.

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

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

Bengals Sign OL Trey Hopkins To Extension

Trey Hopkins is sticking around Cincy for the foreseeable future. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Bengals have signed the center to a three-year extension. The three-year pact is worth $20.4MM, and Hopkins will receive a $4.5MM guaranteed roster bonus.

The 2014 undrafted free agent out of Texas struggled to see the field during his first few years in the NFL. He spent his rookie campaign on the injured reserve with a leg injury, and he spent the majority of the 2015 and 2016 seasons on the Bengals’ practice squad.

Hopkins finally got a chance to contribute in 2017, as he started 12 of his 13 games at right guard (he also missed four games due to a knee injury). He started nine games at various positions in 2018, including center and both guard spots. He received a second-round restricted free agent tender from the Bengals this past offseason.

This year, Hopkins has settled into the starting center role, starting all 15 games for the Bengals. The 27-year-old will presumably have the same role in 2020, with ESPN’s Ben Baby opining (on Twitter) that former first-rounder Billy Price will play offensive guard moving forward.

“I didn’t think I would ever be in this situation,” Hopkins told Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. “I started as an undrafted free agent just making sure I at least made the team. It’s nice having a little bit of security.

“It’s nice to be wanted. I’m in a place where I’m comfortable. I feel like I’m valued. I think I can contribute and help the team.”

Bengals Notes: Price, Green, Dennard, QBs

After losing starters Clint Boling and Jonah Williams this offseason, the Bengals will have another new first-stringer up front. They are set to bench center Billy Price, a 2018 first-round pick, for veteran Trey Hopkins, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic tweets. This marks a setback in Price’s development. The Ohio State alum struggled as a rookie, playing in only 10 games and grading as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-worst full-time center. A sixth-year UDFA who has made 21 Bengals starts over the past two seasons, Hopkins fared better in 589 snaps in 2018. He graded as PFF’s No. 21 snapper and will parlay that into a Week 1 job.

Additionally, Price’s former Ohio State teammate, fourth-round rookie guard Michael Jordan, will be Cincinnati’s left guard starter. Should an injury befall Hopkins, Jordan or starting left guard John Miller, Dehner adds (via Twitter) Price will return to center.

Here is the latest out of southwest Ohio:

  • Darqueze Dennard is expected to begin the season on the Bengals’ reserve/PUP list, according to Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. The recently re-signed cornerback underwent knee surgery before re-upping with the Bengals. While the team knew Dennard would need surgery after re-signing him, it is certainly a bad sign when a player on a one-year deal will be out at least six regular-season games. Dennard signed for $4.5MM in March.
  • A.J. Green will join Dennard in being out for the start of the season, and it’s uncertain when the perennial Pro Bowl wideout will return. But Hobson adds the Bengals will still attempt to extend Green, who is entering his age-31 season. The Bengals already extended Tyler Boyd. Earlier this offseason, Green expressed a desire to stay in Cincinnati after his 2019 contract year. But that was before he suffered an ankle injury that is expected to keep him out of multiple September games.
  • While Green recovers, a rookie UDFA will take his place. Damion Willis will start alongside Boyd, Zac Taylor said (via Dehner, on Twitter). Willis was part of Cincinnati’s initial post-draft free agent class, signing with the team out of Troy. He has certainly enjoyed a standout preseason.
  • Ryan Finley has commandeered the Bengals’ backup job, and the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Tyler Dragon expects this to push Jeff Driskel off the roster. Driskel has run into hamstring trouble and was making an attempt to show versatility by lining up at wide receiver recently. The former sixth-round pick started five games last season.

Bengals OL Trey Hopkins Signs RFA Tender

Bengals offensive lineman Trey Hopkins has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, the club announced today. Hopkins will now be paid 3.095MM for the 2019 season.

Hopkins was one of 15 NFL restricted free agents to be tender at the second-round level, and he’s the fourth — following Steelers guard B.J. Finney, Broncos defensive tackle Shelby Harris, and Raiders cornerback Daryl Worley — to officially sign his tender. There was no rush for Hopkins to ink his tender, as RFAs have until April 19 to work out offer sheets with other clubs. However, it was always unlikely that any NFL team would have been willing to sacrifice a second-round pick in order to land Hopkins.

Hopkins joined the Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2014, but didn’t see regular action until the 2017 campaign. That year, Hopkins started 12 games at right guard that ranked among the NFL’s bottom-12 teams in both run- and pass-blocking, per Football Outsiders. He initially lost his starting job at the outset of the 2018 season, but eventually played nearly 60% of Cincinnati’s offensive snaps while seeing action all along the interior offensive line.

Although he earned a better grade from Pro Football Focus than rookie first-round center Billy Price, Hopkins isn’t expected to take over at the pivot in 2019. In fact, with Clint Boling installed at left guard and free agent addition John Miller taking over on the right side, Hopkins won’t have a starting role at all. Instead, he’ll serve as a valuable depth on a front five that will be tasked with protecting Andy Dalton and clearing lanes for Joe Mixon next season.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/19

Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions:

RFAs

Second round tender:

Tendered at original-round level:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Bengals Place A.J. Green On IR

A.J. Green‘s season is officially over. Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (via Twitter) that the star wideout has been placed on the injured reserve. The team has promoted offensive lineman Trey Hopkins from the practice squad to take Green’s roster spot.

A.J. GreenIt appeared that Green was going to make his return from a hamstring injury last weekend, but the organization abruptly announced that the wideout would miss the contest. This caused a bit of drama in the locker room, as Green and his teammates were preparing for the receiver to take the field for the first time since mid-November. Reports indicated that ownership made the decision to keep Green out of the game in an attempt to prevent any further injury.

Despite the fact that the “rug got pulled out from under” the squad, Green denied reports that he was unhappy with the organization. Still, the wideout wasn’t spotted at the Bengals facility this week. ESPN.com’s Bob Holtzman reported that it’s “rare” for an injured player to be absent for so long.

Green finished the 2016 season with 66 receptions for 964 yards and four touchdowns. It was the first time in the 28-year-old’s six-year career that he didn’t finish with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Despite the career-low numbers, Green was still selected as a Pro Bowler for the sixth time.

Hopkins joined the Bengals as an undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2014. The 24-year-old offensive guard was active for the Bengals Week 1 matchup against the Jets, but he didn’t end up taking the field. Hopkins could make his NFL debut this weekend.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/16/16

Friday’s minor moves:

  • The Bengals have made a couple of practice squad transactions, signing offensive lineman Trey Hopkins and cutting cornerback Tony McRae, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). The Bengals cut Hopkins on Thursday, but his time away from the organization didn’t last long. McRae has spent time with both Oakland and Cincinnati since the ex-North Carolina A&T defender went undrafted during the spring.
  • The Bills have signed linebacker Bryson Albright to their practice squad, per Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link). Albright has shuffled in and out of the Buffalo organization since it signed him as an undrafted free agent from Miami of Ohio on May 2.
  • The Saints have waived offensive tackle Ryker Matthews from IR with an injury settlement, tweets Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate. Matthews, who signed with the Saints this year as an undrafted free agent from BYU, landed on IR on Aug. 1 with a knee injury.

Bengals Claim KeiVarae Russell Off Waivers

The Bengals have claimed rookie defensive back KeiVarae Russell, according to Rand Getlin (on Twitter). The Chiefs surprised everyone in the football world when they released the third-round rookie earlier this week. To make room, the Bengals cut guard Trey Hopkins. KeiVarae Russell (vertical)

[RELATED: Chiefs Restructure Justin Houston’s Contract]

Getlin reported yesterday that it was a “special teams numbers game” that led to Russell’s release. It’s fair to say that there is some agent-driven spin involved in that take. While there may be some truth to that, it’s extremely rare to see a third-round pick released in September. Any way you slice it, the selection of Russell was a failure by the Kansas City front office.

Russell racked up 60 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and six pass deflections in his final season at Notre Dame. The cornerback ran a 4.43 second 40-yard-dash at his Pro Day, helping to solidify his draft stock in the spring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC North

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers