Cincinnati Bengals News & Rumors

OL Notes: Ravens, Mekari, Dolphins, Brewer, Bengals, Brown, Giants, Neal, Patriots

After an overhaul of their offensive line this offseason, the Ravens appear to have landed on veteran Patrick Mekari as their starting right tackle to open the 2024 season. Though Baltimore has resisted making any formal announcements about their starting OL, offensive coordinator Todd Monken pointed toward Mekari starting to open the year, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Mekari is also listed as the team’s starting RT on their official depth chart after competing with rookie Roger Rosengarten for the job throughout training camp.

The Ravens used a second-round pick on Rosengarten this year and gave him plenty of chances to win a starting gig over the summer. He frequently took reps with the first-team offense in practice and played 86 snaps at right tackle in the preseason, but that may not have been enough to overcome Mekari’s consistency over the past few seasons. A sixth-year blocker, Mekari has stepped up at both tackle positions. He started at LT when Ronnie Stanley was injured in 2022 and rotated snaps at RT as Morgan Moses played through a torn pectoral in 2023.

Mekari’s experience (36 starts) likely played a factor in the Ravens’ decision. Baltimore traded Moses to the Jets in March and also allowed veteran starting guards John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler to leave in free agency, opening up three new spots along the offensive line. With Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele stepping into starting guard roles for the first time, the Ravens appear to be opting for a known quantity in Mekari over the unproven Rosengarten.

Here’s the rest of the news from offensive lines around the NFL:

  • Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that starting center Aaron Brewer will practice this week after recovering from a hand injury, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Miami added Brewer on a three-year, $21MM this offseason after starting at center for the Titans in 2023. His hand injury, producing a multi-week absence, has raised concerns about his snapping ability. But McDaniel seemed confident about Brewer’s readiness to start in Week 1.
  • The Bengals have landed on veteran Trent Brown to start at right tackle over first-round pick Amarius Mims, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. Mims has struggled with a pectoral injury throughout training camp, limiting his reps with Cincinnati’s first-team offense. The 18th overall pick did not practice on Monday, but did return in a limited capacity Wednesday. As Mims gets up to full speed physically and mentally, the Bengals will look to Brown, a nine-year veteran who signed a one-year, $4.75MM deal in March. Mims was seen as a developmental prospect during the pre-draft process, so it’s not surprising that the Bengals have opted for a conservative approach with a player they see as a long-term pillar of their offensive line.
  • Brian Daboll announced that Evan Neal will remain exclusively at tackle after the Giants toyed with the idea of trying him out at guard, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “We have enough guards,” said Daboll, “He needs to continue to work at right tackle.” The No. 7 overall pick in 2022 opened the past two seasons as the team’s starting RT, but injuries limited him to just 20 games. He also struggled to transition to right tackle after spending his senior year as a left tackle at Alabama. New York signed Jermaine Eluemunor on a two-year, $14MM deal this offseason. With Neal struggling to overcome his ankle injury early in camp, the ex-Raider took over the RT job.
  • The Patriots are working through multiple injuries along their offensive line as they put together their starting five before Week 1. Left guard starter Sidy Sow and Vederian Lowe, the latter having vied for a starting tackle job after playing LT and RT in 2023, are both nursing injuries. This potentially leaves rookie Layden Robinson as the team’s top option at RG come Sunday, according to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. The fourth-round pick impressed in training camp and even earned a few first-team reps in the preseason. Third-round rookie Caedan Wallace is expected to start the year as the Patriots’ swing tackle after training at both left and right tackle this summer.

Latest On Negotiations Between Bengals, WR Ja’Marr Chase

CeeDee Lamb‘s Cowboys holdout and Brandon Aiyuk‘s 49ers hold-in have both come to an end. Extension agreements have brought the wideouts back to their respective teams in advance of Week 1, turning attention to Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals.

The 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year has been eligible to sign a second contract throughout the offseason, one in which several big-ticket receiver extensions have been worked out. Chase’s former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson reset the market with a Vikings deal averaging $35MM per season. That pact includes nearly $89MM guaranteed, a figure which created a major gulf in terms of locked in compensation compared to Tyreek Hill‘s revised Dolphins contract. Lamb’s deal bridged the gap ($34MM AAV, $67MM guaranteed at signing), and it could pave the way for progress between Chase and the Bengals.

The 24-year-old’s camp slow-played negotiations earlier this summer in the view of the team, SI’s Albert Breer notes. Chase understandably waited until Jefferson’s agreement was in place, and while talks have taken place recently, nothing has appeared imminent. The fact that Lamb and Aiyuk have both worked out deals offers further clarity on the receiver market moving forward. While Chase is on the books for two more years, he is the Bengals’ top financial priority. Both team and player have been linked to waiting until next offseason to work out a deal, though.

Chase is healthy, but after skipping voluntary OTAs and attending mandatory minicamp, he has practiced on an infrequent basis during training camp. Head coach Zac Taylor said three-time Pro Bowler would be in place for Week 1, but he has since conceded this situation is evolving on a day-to-day basis. A new effort has been made by Cincinnati’s front office to hammer out an extension with Week 1 looming as an artificial deadline. The sides could reach an eleventh-hour agreement, but the absence of one would likely lead to extension talks being delayed until next spring.

With three 1,000-yard seasons on his resume (despite missing five games in 2022), Chase is positioned to become of the league’s top earners at the receiver spot. Some around the league think moving him to the top of the pecking order will be necessary, an investment which would be particularly notable given the Bengals’ reputation for frugality. The team broke with tradition in committing guaranteed money beyond Year 1 for quarterback Joe Burrow, and the same will be necessary in Chase’s case regardless of where his deal ends up in terms of annual value.

Cincinnati’s regular season (expected to be the final one with franchise tag recipient Tee Higgins in the fold) begins on Sunday. Whether or not Chase practices again between now and then could depend on the status of contract talks, something which no longer involves waiting on comparable situations to be sorted out.

Bengals Have “Intensified” Efforts To Extend Ja’Marr Chase

After participating in some light practices earlier in the week, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase observed practice from the sideline over the past few days. This tactic appeared to be a resumption of his training camp hold-in, with the wideout continuing to seek a lucrative contract extension. With Week 1 rapidly approaching, it sounds like Chase’s efforts may be working.

[RELATED: Latest On Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase]

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bengals have “intensified” their efforts to extend Chase in recent days. The organization’s goal is to get the wideout back on the practice field for the start of next week, and there’s some optimism within the building that the two sides can find common ground.

As has been noted throughout this saga, Chase’s two remaining years are a hurdle in negotiations. Fowler adds some more context, noting that the Bengals are wary of guaranteeing too much money when they still have the former first-round pick locked in through the 2025 campaign.

From a total-value perspective, it sounds like the Bengals are more than willing to meet Chase’s demands. Per Fowler, the organization is willing to pay Chase more than $30MM per season, although it was already assumed the front office would have to promise this AAV considering six wideouts are now at or above that threshold. We heard recently that multiple teams expect Chase to actually top Justin Jefferson‘s $35MM AAV, but it sounds like Chase’s guarantees would trail Jefferson’s $88MM-plus in guaranteed money.

Chase appeared to have abandoned his hold-in earlier this week, with the wideout attending practice. Zac Taylor was pretty definitive that his star wideout would be available for Week 1, but things took a turn as the week went on. Chase attended practices on Wednesday and Thursday but was spotted wearing street clothes, and Taylor was quick to walk back his previous comments.

Taylor’s declaration could end up being correct. However, it sounds like the two sides still have to overcome their contract staring contest before next Sunday.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/29/24

PFR’s practice squad rundown, signaling we are indeed close to games that count, begins Thursday. Here is how teams began to handle their 16-man P-squads.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Slovis went to camp with the Colts, joining the team as a UDFA this year. Houston placed Case Keenum on IR and released Tim Boyle, who is now the Dolphins’ P-squad QB. Slovis, who played at USC, Pittsburgh and BYU in college, is now the Texans’ de facto third-stringer.

Shelley has 11 career starts — with the Bears and Vikings — on his resume. He joined the Raiders last year but ended up with the Rams, playing in 11 games as a backup. The Giants have spent time searching for a cornerback answer, having not been too satisfied with their Cor’Dale FlottNick McCloud CB2 competition. New York did not make any waiver claims at the position Wednesday.

Reagor, who played for the Patriots last season, is back after being released earlier this week. The former Minnesota first-rounder played in 11 New England games last season, returning a kick for a touchdown. Latu joins the Browns after being a 49ers cut. The 2023 third-round pick missed all of last season with an ACL tear. Jefferson is back with the Bolts hours after being released.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/24

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys 

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Keandre Jones, S Ben Nikke

Schlottmann suffered what Brian Daboll called a long-term injury. Elaborating on the injury Schlottmann suffered in practice Wednesday, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes the veteran backup O-lineman will rehab a broken fibula. The injury is expected to shut down the free agency addition for at least two months. No surgery is on tap for Schlottmann. The Giants considering him for activation may depend on their injury situation, as teams only have eight regular-season IR activations. The Giants have seven presently, as they used a summer IR designation on linebacker Matthew Adams on Tuesday.

Latest On Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase

AUGUST 29: Chase was again present for practice without participating on Thursday, as noted by Baby. Taylor declined to offer a firm timeline on when he expects Chase to return to team drills, meaning plenty of uncertainty remains over a situation which appeared to to be nearing at least a short-term resolution earlier this week.

AUGUST 28: The Ja’Marr Chase saga took an interesting turn today. After returning to practice earlier this week, the Bengals wideout didn’t participate in today’s session. Per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, Chase was spotted at the team facility wearing only street clothes. ESPN’s Ben Baby confirms that Chase did not practice with the team today. This development comes 24 hours after coach Zac Taylor said he expected his star wideout to practice fully on Wednesday and Thursday.

After staging a training camp hold-in in pursuit of a new contract, Chase seemed to abandon his stance this week. The receiver participated in lighter practices to begin the week, and Taylor even told reporters yesterday that his star player was expected to suit up for Week 1.

Things took a turn today. With the Bengals preparing for “a more traditional game week practice” (per Baby), Chase was on the sideline. Taylor later walked back his previous comments about Chase’s practice availability, noting that he likely spoke “too quickly” while declaring the receiver day-to-day (although the coach also acknowledged that Chase is completely healthy).

“I think every day is a new day. We’ll keep working through it,” Taylor said (via NFL.com’s Nick Shook). “I am not going to make any predictions to what tomorrow brings. At the end of the day, Ja’Marr is a great dude that means a lot to this team, and we’ll just continue to take it day to day.”

While the Bengals have continually expressed interest in extending Chase, the front office is in no rush to hand him a lucrative new contract with two years remaining on the current deal. Chase doesn’t have a whole lot of leverage besides protecting his health and staying off the practice field, but one of the sides will eventually have to blink if the receiver is going to play in Week 1.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These BengalsBrowns, Ravens and Steelers moves are noted below.

Baltimore Ravens

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Cincinnati Bengals

Signed:

Claimed:

Released:

Signed to practice squad:

Cleveland Browns

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

2024 NFL Waiver Order

Waiver claims can begin coming in at 11am CT. While the waiver order will depend on 2024 records in several weeks, teams’ 2023 finishes currently determine it. Here is how the waiver priority list stacks up heading into today’s round of claims:

  1. Carolina Panthers
  2. Washington Commanders
  3. New England Patriots
  4. Arizona Cardinals
  5. Los Angeles Chargers
  6. New York Giants
  7. Tennessee Titans
  8. Atlanta Falcons
  9. Chicago Bears
  10. New York Jets
  11. Minnesota Vikings
  12. Denver Broncos
  13. Las Vegas Raiders
  14. New Orleans Saints
  15. Indianapolis Colts
  16. Seattle Seahawks
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars
  18. Cincinnati Bengals
  19. Los Angeles Rams
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers
  21. Miami Dolphins
  22. Philadelphia Eagles
  23. Cleveland Browns
  24. Dallas Cowboys
  25. Green Bay Packers
  26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  27. Houston Texans
  28. Buffalo Bills
  29. Detroit Lions
  30. Baltimore Ravens
  31. San Francisco 49ers
  32. Kansas City Chiefs

Bengals Expect WR Ja’Marr Chase To Play In Week 1

Ja’Marr Chase does not have a deal in hand, but he is not expected to miss regular season time as a result of extension negotiations. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said on Tuesday the team’s No. 1 wideout is expected to play in Week 1.

“It’s been good just to have our full complement of weapons out there,” Taylor said (via the team’s website). “I think it gives you the visual of what it’s going to look and feel like for us. It’s been good to get him back in the mix the last couple of days. He’s looked great. Same Ja’Marr I’m used to. The plan will be to continue to practice with him.”

Chase had been engaged in a training camp hold-in, but he recently returned to practice. No updates emerged on the extension front Tuesday, although an agreement could still be reached in time for the start of the season. If that does not wind up being the case, the former Offensive Rookie of the Year will start the campaign while under contract for two more seasons.

The Bengals picked up Chase’s 2025 fifth-year option last year, a move which has him on track to earn $21.82MM that season. A long-term accord will cost much more, and while the Bengals have named the LSU alum their top remaining financial priority (since Joe Burrow‘s extension has been taken care of), the team appears to be willing to wait until next offseason to finalize a long-term deal. Chase himself is reportedly open to doing so, and today’s update would make it no surprise if he paused contract talks at least once the season kicked off.

The receiver market has seen another upward shift this offseason, with Chase’s former college teammate Justin Jefferson landing $35MM per season on his Vikings deal. That pact stood in a tier of its own for several months (especially in terms of guarantees) until CeeDee Lamb signed a Cowboys extension yesterday. That deal carries an AAV of $34MM and includes $100MM in guarantees.

A Chase deal will likely include similar terms, although a recent report stated that multiple teams around the league expect him to command the most lucrative receiver deal in history – something which would require surpassing Jefferson’s accord. Chase’s resume includes three Pro Bowls and one second-team All-Pro nod, and especially if Tee Higgins departs next offseason as expected, he will be Cincinnati’s top pass catcher by a wide margin. Regardless of if he has an extension on the books by that point, it appears Chase will have suited up for the 2024 campaign without issue.

Bengals Cut Roster Down To 53 Players

The Bengals utilized the following roster moves to get down to the required 53-man roster:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

  • CB Lance Robinson

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

No surprises in Cincinnati this evening. Ivey will start the year on PUP after he tore his ACL late last year. Murphy and Robbins will be forced to miss the first four games of the season, as well, but since they’ve been designated for return, they will have the option to return at some point in the season.

Woodside was unable to beat out Jake Browning for the honor of backing up Joe Burrow, who has missed a decent amount of time since getting drafted.

The Bengals retained all of their draft picks from this past April with all 10 making the initial roster. The undrafted group had a bit less luck, but Wisconsin linebacker Maema Njongmeta will enter the year on the active roster. Robinson was waived with an injury designation and may make a return via the IR.