Latest news with #JoeBurrow
Yahoo
3 hours ago
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Bengals crushed by earned reputation with major contract standoffs
The Cincinnati Bengals have modernized in a few ways, which many fans recognize. Joe Burrow's arrival has accomplished that. But the old-school reputation the Bengals very well earned over the course of decades is something currently being leveraged in a very public fashion during contract standoffs with first-round pick Shemar Stewart and All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. Advertisement So says Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated: 'Is Hendrickson taking advantage of the leverage created by Burrow's words and the spot the Bengals are in? He'd be smart to do that. Is Stewart piggybacking on the Hendrickson situation to get favorable contract terms? It wouldn't be the dumbest thing to do—though, as a rookie, it'll be vital that he's ready to go. Also important? That the Bengals, after their healthiest offseason in a few years, are ready to roll when they report to camp.' RELATED: Bengals, Shemar Stewart nuclear option includes 2026 NFL draft route Breer notes that, beyond the really obvious stuff from over the last few years, the Bengals left their comfort zone on the Ja'Marr Chase deal and made some scouting department shuffles after losing Christian Sarkisian. Advertisement But the Bengals will continue to lose the battle of public perception for the foreseeable future. Their history overshadows the fact that Hendrickson signed a short contract extension recently, is 30 years old, was granted permission to seek a trade and has walked back previous holdout threats. Cincinnati's history also, ironically enough, overshadows the fact that attempting to revise contract leverage, starting with Stewart, is another attempt at modernizing, considering some reporting says the language they want to insert is pretty standard for other teams. All of these are self-inflicted wounds. Some would call them growing pains for an organization trying to modernize. There will continue to be a lag between the team's more modern actions of late and actual public perception. Right now, players negotiating with the team are smart and within their rights to keep leaning into that leverage when possible. RELATED: Bengals standouts after mandatory minicamp includes surprises This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals crushed by earned reputation with major contract standoffs
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
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Key takeaways from Bengals OTAs
The Cincinnati Bengals are cruising through the offseason now that mandatory minicamp has concluded, and I'm here to break down what you've missed — just in case you haven't been paying attention. We'll start with the black cloud: Trey Hendrickson's very public contract dispute This back-and-forth has cast a shadow over everything else this offseason. The Bengals' defense allowed an appalling 434 points last year, dragging down Joe Burrow and an otherwise explosive offense and leaving the team with a disappointing 9-8 record. Advertisement Now, they're playing a game of chicken with the only proven pass rusher on the roster. Whether you're on Team Bengals or Team Hendrickson, there's no denying his absence is hurting the team. We're not done with contract issues The Bengals used their first-round pick on Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart, who could, in theory, take Hendrickson's place — if he weren't standing on the sideline alongside him. Stewart, too, is in a contract dispute with the front office and remains one of the few unsigned first-round picks from this year's draft. Guard overhaul under Scott Peters The Bengals cut Alex Cappa and restructured Cordell Volson's deal after both struggled to protect Burrow from interior pressure last season. They signed veteran G/C Lucas Patrick and drafted Dylan Fairchild out of Georgia. Advertisement Cody Ford, Volson, Matt Lee, Jaxson Kirkland, and others are all battling for roster spots, and it remains unclear who will start next to Ted Karras in Week 1 — or whether this revamped unit will be an improvement over last year's. All in on offense While new defensive coordinator Al Golden works to rebuild from the ashes of the 2024 squad, the Bengals appear all-in on their offense. Burrow is healthy, and he's surrounded by Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — arguably the NFL's top WR duo — for at least the next few seasons. The plan for 2025 looks simple: score early, score often, and force opposing offenses into one-dimensional, catch-up mode. Hopefully, it works better this time than it did a year ago. Al Golden ushers in a new era of defensive success — hopefully Golden takes over for Lou Anarumo, now in Indianapolis, after the Bengals' defense played a leading role in keeping them out of the playoffs last year. Other than the rookies and a few rotational free agents, the 2025 defensive personnel looks very similar to 2024's — meaning it won't take long to see if coaching really was the problem. Advertisement Golden's full plans remain unclear, especially with Hendrickson and Stewart still absent. But frankly, it's going to be hard to be worse than last year's unit. Two players who drew good reviews in OTAs were veteran defensive tackle TJ Slaton and second-round rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. They may end up being the two biggest upgrades the Bengals defense gets this year, especially if Shemar Stewart continues to sit out and miss valuable development when training camp begins. Stadium upgrade plans Paycor Stadium's lease is quickly running out, and the Brown/Blackburn family is deep in negotiations with Hamilton County. Predictably, things in the Queen City are getting messy. Advertisement Expect this to get uglier before it gets resolved in the coming weeks. Not messing around During one OTA session, Burrow threw an interception on a pass intended for Mike Gesicki — one that Cam Taylor-Britt jumped for a pick. The corner, in need of a bounce-back year, wasn't shy about celebrating it. On the very next play, though, Burrow hit Chase deep, burning DJ Turner for what would've been a touchdown. That's the edge this team seems to have taken into the offseason. They took one on the chin last year and appear determined to prove it was an exception, not the rule. Spotlight on the front office The 2024 9-8 season will go down as one of the NFL's wildest statistical outliers. How many teams will you ever see with: Advertisement A quarterback posting 4,900 yards, 43 TDs, and 9 INTs, A wide receiver winning the Triple Crown, and A defensive end leading the league in sacks... Yet somehow miss the playoffs? The football world came down hard on the Bengals' front office this offseason — and deservedly so. Now, with public contract disputes and ugly stadium lease talks swirling, much of the goodwill earned from two deep playoff runs has been spent. All eyes are on the Brown/Blackburn family to right the ship. What were your biggest takeaways from OTAs? Let us know on Twitter and in the comments section! Who Dey!! More from
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bengals flail in the cellar of defensive projections...for now
There's a newfound hope for the Cincinnati Bengals that the defense will be improved enough in 2025 that Joe Burrow's offense can at least carry it kicking and screaming to the playoffs, if necessary. But when zooming out and looking at the moves the team made this offseason and how it all might come together, outsiders don't necessarily agree. Advertisement One prominent example is Kyle Soppe of Pro Football Network, who still ranks the unit 28th overall in offseason projections: 'Remember in 2022 when this looked like a franchise with balance and staying power? They were our 11th-best defense that season and trending toward the elite tier of the conference, but with 27th and 28th Defense+ finishes since, Cincinnati has looked more like a one-trick pony over the past two years than a legitimate threat to the top tier of the AFC.' RELATED: Bengals, Shemar Stewart nuclear option includes 2026 NFL draft route It's an earned rank, for now. The Bengals swapped out coordinator Lou Anarumo for Al Golden and will go with a sweeping youth movement across the unit. Advertisement Out are mainstays like Sam Hubbard, Mike Hilton and Germaine Pratt. In are rookies, including linebacker Demetrius Knight likely starting next to Logan Wilson. The team is content to roll with Jordan Battle and Geno Stone at safety again. And when it comes to pass rush, Trey Hendrickson is holding out, so is first-rounder Shemar Stewart and former first-rounder Myles Murphy remains a question mark. So does most of a boom-or-bust cornerback room. While just good enough isn't an admirable thing to shoot for, the Bengals hope that's what they can do. Ideally, that would mean ranking above the 28th spot. RELATED: Bengals standouts after mandatory minicamp includes surprises This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals flail in the cellar of defensive now
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
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AFC Contenders Can't Sleep on Bengals
AFC Contenders Can't Sleep on Bengals originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It's been a frustrating offseason for Cincinnati Bengals fans wishing that their front office could put one foot in front of the other until they found themselves at a contract extension for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson (or common sense for rookie Shemar Stewart). Advertisement Cincinnati is certainly not immune to criticism. But it's worth remembering the moments before the Bengals were eliminated from contention a season ago. They had won in Week 18, capping off a five-game winning streak to end the season. Before that Sunday's festivities knocked them out of the playoffs, AFC teams and their fans were uneasy. Cincinnati was the hottest team in football. Quarterback Joe Burrow was playing the best football of his career. And he was so close to bringing that momentum into the playoffs, where a franchise quarterback makes anything possible. Just about everything on the defensive side of the ball went wrong in 2024, and the offense was hit hard by injuries, too. Things don't need to go great for the Bengals to be poised for a massive rebound in 2025. They merely can't be cataclysmic. Subsequently, Pro Football Focus ranked Cincinnati as one of the most overlooked teams heading into the new season. Advertisement 'One of the biggest stories of the 2025 regular season was the Bengals finding ways to lose games despite continuous heroic efforts from quarterback Joe Burrow,' Dalton Wasserman wrote. 'Burrow ranked second in the NFL in PFF passing grade, but the team's lack of balance around him on both sides of the ball prevented them from making the playoffs. 'Cincinnati lost seven of its 11 one-score games last season. The franchise was realistically only a handful of plays from having one of the best records in the league, even accounting for its plethora of flaws.' Burrow, once again, will be expected to perform like an MVP. With Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins back (and paid), the sport's most lethal passing-game trio is primed to explode again, especially with a below-average defense. Cincinnati is due for positive regression, both on defense and in one-score games, which Wasserman noted. Burrow can keep them in any game, and with better luck, he's bound to come out on top more often. Advertisement 'The AFC is loaded with contenders who have excellent quarterbacks,' Wasserman concluded. 'Burrow has proven time and again that he can beat any of them, including Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Cincinnati just needs to find him a little more help and execute better in big moments.' It's easy to see the Bengals in the playoffs in 2025. If fortune truly falls in their favor and they host a playoff game or two, no one would be surprised to see Cincinnati make a run. Related: Bengals Burrow Warns NFL That He Is Capable of More Related: Bengals Must Stop 'Distracting' From Contending This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Lucky' Bengals Found Gem in Sixth-Round RB
'Lucky' Bengals Found Gem in Sixth-Round RB originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Cincinnati Bengals struggled mightily rushing the football last season, ranking 30th with just 92.6 yards per game on the ground. Advertisement The passing ranked first, with Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase each leading the way in multiple categories. However, a more consistent run game will be important for Cincinnati to avoid being one dimensional and return to contention in the AFC. Despite this, they waited until their last pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to pick a running back. Thankfully, they found one that could make a serious impact that outweighs his draft positioning. Texas Tech workhorse Tahj Brooks was picked by the Bengals with the 193rd pick in the sixth round. He was the 19th running back off the board. Head coach Zac Taylor spoke about how the Bengals caught a break with his availability that late in the Draft. Advertisement 'For him to be there in the sixth round when we got him; we're really lucky that he fell to us at that point,' Taylor said, via the team broadcaster Dan Hoard. Brooks is coming off a historic career with the Red Raiders. Last season, he set Texas Tech's career rushing yards record, becoming the all-time leader with 4,557 yards over 56 career games played. Brooks is the only Red Raider in program history with multiple 1,500-yard rushing seasons over his career, according to In 2024, he registered 11 games with at least 100 yards rushing to set a program record. He had 23 such games in his career - another all-time best mark at Texas Tech. Advertisement He turned a program that was the poster child for the "air-raid" offense - that made Kliff Kingsbury and Patrick Mahomes famous - into a team that relied on a run-first bully-ball philosophy with Brooks in the backfield. As a late-round pick, he'll need to earn his place high on the Bengals' depth chart, but his extensive resume and durable production should allow him a solid chance to make the roster and see playing time. Despite the team's low numbers, second-year ball carrier Chase Brown emerged as a promising starter with 990 rush yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. That production came in a crucial time after Cincinnati traded longtime running back Joe Mixon to the Houston Texans before last season. Advertisement With Chase excelling in pass-catching looks in the flat and Brooks imposing his 230-pound frame in downhill rushes between the tackles, the Bengals could forge a dynamic run game this season to complement their aerial artistry. Related: AFC Contenders Can't Sleep on Bengals Related: Viral Photo Shows Interesting Bengals' Locker Room Signage This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
