HEADLINES

Cincinnati Bengals News & Rumors

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/27/23

December 27th, 2023 at 6:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s post-holiday practice squad adjustments:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Activated from practice squad IR: LB Levi Bell

AFC North Notes: Browns, Browning, Steelers

December 27th, 2023 at 1:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

In between the Browns going public with Deshaun Watson‘s season-ending injury and the team signing Joe Flacco, GM Andrew Berry gave his top two front office lieutenants an assignment. Berry asked assistant GMs Glenn Cook and Catherine Raiche to independently rank the veteran QB options, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, while doing the same himself. Although this process produced different second- and third-place finishers, Flacco ranked first across the board. Kevin Stefanski reaching out to ex-Vikings coworker Gary Kubiak on Flacco also helped the veteran’s cause, Breer adds. Flacco’s OC with the Ravens in 2014, Kubiak spoke highly of the former Super Bowl MVP. One of Flacco’s best seasons came under Kubiak in 2014, helping the latter become the Broncos’ HC.

After years as a backup, Flacco has taken the reins in Cleveland and has the team on the cusp of its second playoff berth over the past 20 years. Out of football until November, Flacco is now interested in playing next season. The Browns are interested in Flacco staying in Cleveland to do so.

Here is the latest from the AFC North:

  • Jake Browning took a step back in a Bengals Week 16 loss, but coming into that Steelers matchup, Joe Burrow‘s backup had been highly effective. The fifth-year veteran, who had never taken a regular-season snap until this year, still carries a 72% completion rate and an 8.5-yard average per attempt. Browning, 27, moved up from third-stringer to backup this year, with the Bengals letting Brandon Allen walk in free agency, and Outkick.com’s Armando Salguero notes he is interested in seeing what is out there for him in free agency. A 2024 free agent, Browning would at least generate appeal as an intriguing QB2. Teams have been burned by signing backups to be starters in recent years — as the additions of Brock Osweiler (Texans) and Nick Foles (Jaguars) have most famously shown — but this is a rather valuable position. Browning finishing the season strong will only up his price for 2024.
  • Patrick Peterson made his first start at safety in Week 16, intercepting Browning. Replacing Minkah Fitzpatrick in a depleted Steelers secondary, Peterson views the move as something that could extend his career. Aiming to play through at least the 2025 season (which would be his 15th year), the All-Decade cornerback said the move could be a prelude for his future. “I feel like this is a great move for me at this stage of my career,” Peterson said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Joe Rutter. “We have good corners who can be a cornerstone for this team. This could be my second career.” The Steelers had some safety work in mind when they signed Peterson to a two-year, $14MM deal. It will be interesting to see how Peterson, 33, is used moving forward. Steelers have Keanu Neal on IR and Damontae Kazee suspended for the regular season’s remainder.
  • Browns linebacker Anthony Walker underwent arthroscopic knee surgery recently, per ESPN.com’s Jake Trotter. The veteran defender missed Week 16 and is week-to-week. Walker suffered a torn quad tendon last year, ending his season after three games, but re-signed with the Browns and has started 12 games this season. Pro Football Focus ranks the ex-Colts draftee 32nd among off-ball ‘backers this season. Walker is not on IR, but he joins a growing number of unavailable Browns defenders. Ogbo Okoronkwo, Grant Delpit and Rodney McLeod are out of the mix as well. Delpit is on IR but could return in the playoffs, while Okoronkwo remains on the active roster despite a torn pec.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 26th, 2023 at 8:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Panthers, Cardinals and Commanders continued their losing ways in Week 16, the Patriots’ effort in Denver shook up the top of the 2024 draft. New England has dropped from second to fourth in the ’24 order.

In a strange spot in which Broncos fans and and undoubtedly many Pats supporters wanted the Russell Wilson-driven comeback to succeed, Chad Ryland‘s 56-yard game-winning field goal dropped New England out of the No. 2 spot, injecting doubt about the team’s ability to nab a top-flight QB prospect without trading up next year.

The Bears (via the Panthers) remain atop the table, holding a one-game lead on the Cardinals. Carolina closes its season with two games against eight-win teams — the Jaguars and Buccaneers. Arizona will face Philadelphia and Seattle, and with Carolina’s strength of schedule at .522 and Arizona’s at .561, the draft-order tiebreaker reaffirms the Bears’ placement on the doorstep of entering a second straight offseason holding a No. 1 overall pick. The Justin Fields matter remains an important big-picture NFL topic, but GM Ryan Poles is close to having his pick of the 2024 QB prospects.

It is not clear if the Commanders will be interested in a quarterback in the first round, but they will have a new regime running the show. The last time Washington held a top-three pick (2020), it passed on Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert due to having drafted Dwayne Haskins in the 2019 first round. With Sam Howell struggling as of late, Josh Harris‘ next set of decision-makers may want to bring in their own prospect. The Cardinals could stand in the Commanders’ way, via another trade in the top three, but suddenly Washington could be a player for a 2024 first-round QB.

Ahead of Week 17, here is how the 2024 draft order looks:

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

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/25/23

December 25th, 2023 at 3:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Los Angeles Chargers

San Francisco 49ers

The Ravens designated Hamm for return on Dec. 4, making Christmas Day the linebacker’s activation deadline. Rather than activating Hamm to their active roster, the Ravens let his 21-day practice window close. A rookie UDFA out of Division I-FCS Lafayette, Hamm will end up missing his entire rookie season. The Ravens carried Hamm over to their 53-man roster after training camp, placing him on IR a day later.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/22/23

December 22nd, 2023 at 7:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are Friday’s minor moves around the league:

Cincinnati Bengals

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Commanders

Duggan was waived earlier this week when the Chargers elected to add Will Grier to their active roster. Duggan went unclaimed, to little surprise, leaving him free to re-join the Bolts in short order. The seventh-round rookie has yet to see regular season game time, and that will likely remain the case with Easton Stick and now Grier ahead of him on the depth chart. He will remain in the organization for the time being, however.

AFC North Notes: Burrow, Browns, Ravens

December 22nd, 2023 at 9:47am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bengals have grown accustomed to Joe Burrow missing considerable practice time. ACL rehab (2021), an appendectomy (2022) and this summer’s calf strain have kept the star quarterback off the field during extended portions of training camp. More of the same could be coming in 2024. Burrow is on the shelf for the season’s remainder due to a wrist injury, one the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway notes is a tear in the scapholunate ligament. This injury will call for a four- to six-month recovery timetable.

Burrow going down in mid-November will put his availability for the team’s offseason program up in the air. It has not yet been determined if Burrow will throw during OTAs or minicamp, per Conway, who adds the injury damaged a ligament in the middle of his right wrist. Burrow underwent surgery on Nov. 27 in Pennsylvania. Given Burrow’s history of offseason setbacks, it would not surprise to see the Bengals keep the NFL’s highest-paid player on the shelf until training camp.

While Zac Taylor will be back for a sixth season as head coach, the next Bengals offseason program could feature a new offensive coordinator given the NFL’s demand for offense-oriented coaches and fifth-year OC Brian Callahan‘s role in Jake Browning’s early work replacing Burrow. Here is the latest from the AFC North:

  • The Ravens already came to terms on an extension with Broderick Washington, but ascending defensive lineman Justin Madubuike is also believed to be in the team’s plans. Baltimore has an extensive history letting front-seven players walk in free agency and pocketing compensatory picks. Matt Judon, C.J. Mosley and Pernell McPhee are among the more recent examples here, but The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec offers that the fourth-year D-lineman is playing too well for the team to consider letting him go (subscription required). With the team looking for an interior rush presence for a while, Zrebiec points to a new deal or a franchise tag for the former third-round pick. Madubuike’s team-leading 12 sacks have bolstered a Ravens pass rush that again entered a season with questions. The Ravens, who did tag Judon before letting him walk a year later, would need to pony up at least $19.5MM to tag Madubuike.
  • On the subject of interior D-linemen, two of the Ravens’ AFC North rivals attempted to claim fourth-year DT Teair Tart this week. The Bengals and Browns submitted unsuccessful claims for the veteran nose tackle, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. The Texans claimed Tart, who follows Derek Barnett as a Houston D-lineman claim this season. Although the Texans are 8-6, the Bengals are positioned in the playoffs presently due to tiebreakers. That worked in Houston’s favor on the wire.
  • A recent report pegged Ogbo Okoronkwo as being out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, but the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot notes the Browns edge rusher has sought a second opinion and is not yet certain to be shut down. The Browns have not yet placed Okoronkwo on IR, pointing to a potential re-emergence. Although this season has featured three notable comebacks from pectoral tears (Avonte Maddox, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, DaQuan Jones), Okoronkwo suffering a tear, which Cabot indicates he has, would likely shut him down due to the timing of the injury. Maddox and Gardner-Johnson rehabbed from Week 2 maladies; Jones suffered his injury in Week 5. Okoronkwo avoiding a season-ending injury would obviously boost the Browns, who have seen a number of key performers go down with major injuries this year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/20/23

December 20th, 2023 at 7:13pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

  • Designated to return from IR: OL Alex Palczewski

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 20th, 2023 at 1:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers’ Week 15 win over the Falcons brought the Patriots and Cardinals, who each lost, one game closer to the No. 1 overall pick. New England’s weaker strength of schedule provides keeps Arizona in the No. 3 spot, while Washington — weeks away from a likely full-scale reboot — has lost five straight to move into position for its first top-five pick since 2020.

Early reports have the Bears more likely to draft Justin Fields‘ replacement than trading a top pick once again, but the Patriots and Cardinals are still in the running for what could well be the Caleb Williams draft slot. Much less drama would emerge if New England claimed the top pick, as the Patriots would be expected to draft the top QB prize. Arizona landing atop the draft for the second time in six years could produce a derby, with Kyler Murray‘s contract difficult (but not impossible) to move for new GM Monti Ossenfort. QB-needy teams may well be hoping the Cardinals land one of the top two spots, however, providing a potential gateway to a trade-up for Williams or Drake Maye.

The Raiders’ 63-21 demolition of the Chargers slid them down six spots compared to their position last week. The Packers also climbed eight spots from their slot going into Week 15. Green Bay has not held a top-11 draft choice since it drafted B.J. Raji in the 2009 first round; that came on the heels of Aaron Rodgers‘ first season at the helm. Jordan Love‘s QB1 debut season could still produce a playoff berth, however, and the rest of the NFC and AFC wild-card races remain tightly bunched.

Here is how the 2024 draft order looks with three regular-season games to play:

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

Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase To Miss Time

December 18th, 2023 at 10:30pm CST by Ely Allen

With Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase dealing with a separated shoulder, the Cincinnati offense will likely be forced to play without him, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. After the star wideout underwent an MRI today, the team came away with the expectation that he will miss at least one game but could miss more.

We’ve seen Chase attempt to play through a minor injury in the past last year, when a hairline hip fracture was aggravated a week later and ended up keeping him out of four games as he missed five weeks. Perhaps, with that memory as fresh as it is, the Bengals have decided to take the cautious route.

With three weeks to go in the regular season, Cincinnati remains solidly in the playoff mix. At 8-6, the Bengals currently hold the sixth seed in the AFC, holding tiebreakers over the Colts, Bills, and Texans. The remaining schedule consists of trips to Pittsburgh (7-7) and Kansas City (9-5), as well as a home matchup with the Browns (9-5).

Since the Steelers are now planning to roll with their third quarterback this year, it makes sense that the Bengals would use this opportunity to rest Chase. They’ll likely aim to make sure they have their leading receiver back in time for key matchups against the Chiefs and Browns. Still, it sounds like the Bengals are worried Chase may need to rest for longer than a single week.

So far this year, the Bengals haven’t nearly had the extremely strong, three-headed receiving attack with Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd that they had last year. Without Chase, Higgins and Boyd will take on a larger role, something they have shown they are more than capable of in the past, but filling in as the third receiver will be Trenton Irwin who is currently a distant fourth receiver on the team.

Cincinnati will hope they won’t have to rely on that threesome for too long, though. By letting Chase sit this week, the Bengals are hoping he will be able to return in time to help them close out the playoff push.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/23

December 18th, 2023 at 8:33pm CST by Ely Allen

Monday’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

With regular starter Corey Linsley absent since Week 3 of the season, Clapp has served as the Chargers’ starting center this year. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, Clapp will spend the rest of the season on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury. With a next-man-up mentality, the team has called up Tom from the practice squad to fill his place.

With Cheeseman now out of Washington, the Commanders will have to work fast to find a replacement as they currently do not have a long snapper anywhere on the roster.

Load More Posts