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The other teams in the division are beefing up on CBs, in part to slow down Burrow. Meanwhile, the Bengals are sitting on plenty of salary cap space but seem interested in doing very little to improve themselves through trade or free agents still available. From The Athletic: Cincinnati BengalsCould the Bengals add another veteran at guard? The battle at both guard spots runs deep. Veterans Cody Ford and Lucas Patrick were competing on the right side during OTAs, with rookie Dylan Fairchild and Cordell Volson largely in the mix on the left. New offensive line coach Scott Peters sounds content with those battles, and there hasn’t been a clamoring to add another body to the mix. However, with veterans such as Brandon Scherff, Dalton Risner and Will Hernandez all still available and the Bengals owning an abundance of cap space, would they add a more proven starter to the mix and let the others compete for the remaining spot? I’d say it’s unlikely, but a move they should be considering. — Paul Dehner Jr.

You mean their record is better than a combined 1-11 in the first 2 games of the season for the last 6 years? Must be nice.

The Athletic - What we learned from each team in offseason workouts. Cincinnati BengalsThe Bengals found exactly what they were looking for in second-round pick Demetrius Knight Jr. The linebacker was slotted into the starting spot alongside Logan Wilson immediately and brought stability despite this being his first time on an NFL practice field. He’s older (24) with more experience, which made his addition look and feel more like a free-agent signing than draft pick. Players view him as a future leader of the defense already and with all captains gone from last year’s group, defensive coordinator Al Golden is on the hunt for exactly that. — Paul Dehner Jr.

Travis Hunter signed his contract today. So Shemar Stewart is the only unsigned 1st rounder left. Mims was the last 1st rounder to sign last year, but I can't what the date was last summer when an agreement was reached.

Stewart will be the last 1st rounder to sign this year, just as Mims was the last to sign last year. Seems to be a trend developing.

I get that overall, but a talented 25 year old rookie linebacker is a safer bet than it would be for many other positions.

You answered your own question here before you even asked it...

Jury is still out on Murphy, but they picked up the 5th year option on Hill because of how well he played at CB before his unfortunate knee injury. Maybe Hill should have been a CB all along.

Paul Dehner - The Athletic: Knight Jr. deliveringIf picking one winner from the rookie class, linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. would be running away with the title. The 24-year-old second-round pick opened eyes across the locker room with how quickly he blended in and became a stabilizing force next to Logan Wilson. The Bengals have him starting, and his leadership as a more mature player entering the league was exactly what the defense sought. He’s been used in different spots — blitzing off the edge, stacking behind the line — in any way defensive coordinator Al Golden has wanted to tinker. Golden sought versatility from the position and Knight is bringing it. “Just consistent energy,” Golden said. “I love his approach to the game. He makes everybody around him better. He’s a live wire. He just enjoys the game, and he’s got a grateful heart.” It was even mentioned in the locker room how Knight already feels like a leader of this defense for the next generation. His maturity and drive make it like the Bengals added a linebacker in free agency instead of the draft. That’s a large reason why they had him valued much higher than the public perception.

I hate the Ravens, but you have to give them credit. They never stop trying to improve. That's a really strong secondary.

Iosivas is now up to 220 pounds. Geoff Hobson article excerpt: The guy puts on about 15 pounds over the offseason and finds out he's better than ever at 220. "I think it's helping me," Iosivas says. "I'm stronger out of my breaks. Quicker. I can put more power into the ground so I can push off faster. People's bodies are built differently. When I put on the weight, it was beneficial to me. Not detrimental. I'm still fast. If I'm the same speed, but heavier, who cares? Run through some tackles."

Doesn't 5th rounder Chase Brown count? Hope we haven't forgotten how productive he was after he finally became the featured back. I think Chase Brown is an ascending star.

Talking about taking full advantage of his franchise QB window while it's still open. The AFC is way tougher than it was several years ago. Teams like the Texans, the Broncos., Chargers getting much better. Teams that also have franchise QBs - KC/Baltimore/Buffalo - are making strong personnel moves to keep pace with each other... ...meanwhile the Cincinnati Bengals put in new player lockers and added an indoor practice facility...it ain't the same

Josh Newton turned out to be a really good 5th round draft pick. Got a potentially great one in the 5th round the previous year too.

Supposedly Dallas came within an eyelash of taking Stewart with pick 12. They finally decided to go OL instead.

Great job as always, Griever. I was able to help you last year, but trying to embed these X posts has become nearly impossible to me. Maybe it's easier to do on a phone than it is on my desktop, I dunno.

I'm afraid you are right here...the Bengals aren't going anywhere. I feel so bad for Joe Burrow. He wants to win rings...just hard to imagine him doing it under present ownership.

Yeah, it is always the player agent's fault... ...according to the Brown/Blackburn family.

Delusional? Have you forgotten what Chase Brown was doing once he finally got a real opportunity last year? Here is an excerpt from a Paul Dehner article dated last December: Ask Burrow, however, what has elevated Cincinnati’s attack over the last five weeks as the team is averaging 33.4 points per game and you won’t hear the name of anyone in that group. “I think Chase Brown has played a big role,” he said. “Whenever he gets the ball in his hand he makes somebody miss, creates an explosive play. He’s been unbelievable.” People might not realize it, but since fully taking over the running back role for injured Zack Moss in November, Brown has ascended to become one of the most productive backs in football. In fact, take the other-worldly production of Saquon Barkley out of the equation and Brown tops the list. RB scrimmage yards over last 5 games Player Team Total Yds Touches Yds/rush Yds/rec Saquon Barkley Eagles 819 118 6.4 13.4 Chase Brown Bengals 617 116 4.3 8.6 Alvin Kamara Saints 611 126 4.2 7.4 Bijan Robinson Falcons 588 121 4.4 7.1 Josh Jacobs Packers 531 104 4.1 14.5 Derrick Henry Ravens 520 100 4.9 11.8 Joe Mixon Texans 513 116 3.7 9.9 Jahmyr Gibbs Lions 507 89 4.8 10.5 He’s second among all running backs in yards from scrimmage over that span, but if you open that up to all skill position players, the only other one he trails is his Griddy-ing teammate, Chase. Brown has gone three consecutive games with 100-plus scrimmage yards and at least 10 yards per reception. He’s forced 13 missed tackles catching passes in the last five games, five more than any other back.

I doubt Stewart would have spoken publicly like this had not Hendrickson not done it first. While I'm on the side of the players in both instances, none of this public sniping helps with overall roster morale.

I wish I understood why they are doing this with Stewart... "Something very simple to fix. It's kind of disappointing."

And on and on it goes...

Jay Morrison article: CINCINNATI – Germaine Pratt deserved better from the Cincinnati Bengals, but that just makes him a member of a club that is far from exclusive. Jessie Bates, DJ Reader and Andrew Whitworth are just a few of the former players who will be waiting to greet Pratt at the door. The Bengals finally released Pratt today, ending five months of inevitability. Pratt’s play dropped off considerably in 2024 despite leading the team with 143 tackles. His missed tackles, poor angles and slower pursuit played a role in the overall defensive disaster that cost the Bengals a playoff berth and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo his job. With Pratt due to count $8.2 million against the salary cap in the final season of the three-year, $20.5 million extension he signed following the 2022 season, keeping an aging, slowing, declining linebacker never was in the plans. But the Bengals waited another five months to stamp the transaction, costing Pratt a chance to find a new home in free agency. You could make an argument for at least wanting to see how the draft played out, but the Bengals landed linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. in the second round and Barrett Carter in the fourth round. Instead of cutting Pratt after that, the team relocated his locker, shoving it into a corner near the defensive backs to make room from Knight and Carter, the latter of whom is in Pratt’s former space. Prior to the draft, the Bengals didn’t just cost Pratt in free agency. They cost themselves. Their inability to get the Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins extensions done before the start of free agency blew up whatever plan might have been in place, resulting in them not addressing some obvious positions of need. Cutting Pratt saves $5.85 million in cap space which could have been used to add more help in March. Pratt requested a trade in February, and perhaps that’s why they strung him along for so long, hoping another team would have an injury at the linebacker position that would jolt them into pursuing a deal. But that was the only way a trade was going to happen because the rest of the league knew the split was coming, so whatever teams might be interested in Pratt were willing to wait until the light finally went on in the Bengals front office. Pratt deserved better.

Come on, after all that Joe and Ja'Marr did to help Tee get the extension, they would both hit the roof if Higgins got traded. It goes beyond just having a potentially good replacement around. It' more of a brotherhood thing with Joe, Ja'Marr and Tee. Not that Tobin ever gets involved in big trades anyway. Just not his style.

With the way the Bengals tiptoed through free agency, you might have thought they were prepared to pay Hendrickson 50M per year.