Category: Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals

Li Ka-Shings Final Networth Left Us in Tears

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I don’t care who you are, there are going to be ups and downs and this game will get you sometimes, but we really feel confident that the person that he is will allow him to deal with everything that comes his way.

Bell can also play left guard. He looms as sub-starter material, notoriously filling in for Smith last season during a Week 10 tilt against the Falcons that saw Atlanta pass rusher explode for an extraordinary six sacks.

With David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga — mending from an ACL injury — penciled in at the tackle positions, Bell should see plenty of pine barring disaster.

Barkley and second-year running back Wayne Gallman worked on one-handed catches during a few minutes of downtime within the Giants’ first organized team activity. He also caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning during team periods of practice.

Hurdling defenders — as became his calling card at Penn State — likely will have to wait until tackling resumes in training camp, but what did Barkley have in store for Week 2 of OTAs?

The way you get fast on the football field is by the stuff you do in the weight room, Barkley said. Obviously you have to work on your running form, but you have to continue to get your legs stronger and work on your explosiveness.

Or more validation of his hands out of the backfield.

You really don’t think about it, Barkley said. I think actually when you start to think about it is when you actually drop the ball. It’s with repetition and catching the ball every single day and using your eyes (that it) just comes naturally.

Ravens want Joe Flacco, new wideouts to “work beyond practice”

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Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco missed all of training camp and the preseason last year due to a back injury and got off to a rough start in the regular season with six interceptions in his first four games of the year.

Saquon Barkley will be tempting, but with Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson Jr. in the fold, the Browns should think more about continuing their overhaul of the defensive backfield, instead. Jamar Taylor is a rising young corner, but free-agent addition T.J. Carrie is better suited for the slot, Damarious Randall is tabbed for safety and Terrance Mitchell is a depth player. Fitzpatrick can start anywhere in the secondary and make plays from Day 1.

The Broncos will think about quarterback, for sure, but Barkley would fill their more pressing offensive skill need and would be the best player available. Should a team such the Bills or Cardinals trade up ahead of them to draft Josh Allen, the Broncos won’t force the issue with Baker Mayfield. Allen’s availability would make things more tempting, but Barkley is the more logical choice as a player can help John Elway’s team win now with Case Keenum getting a lot of money to start at QB the next two years.

“He wasn’t in my doghouse. I don’t have a doghouse,” Lewis said. “I think he’s all the ability we wanted. That’s why we drafted him. He had to get fixed. We knew he was injured going in and he got nicked up a couple of times in his lower legs and the other shoulder was bothering him. He’s all fixed now.”

It’s true that Ross was dealing with injuries, but even when he was healthy the Bengals sometimes made him inactive simply because they didn’t think he was one of their 46 best players. That’s not what you want from a Top 10 pick.

Ross set the record for the fastest 40-yard dash in the history of the Scouting Combine, so there’s no doubt about his athletic talent. But it’s time for him to be known for something other than running fast in shorts and a t-shirt. This year, the Bengals need Ross to do something on the field.

Kyle Rudolph continues to produce and has two years left on his contract, but he also is coming off ankle surgery and turns 29 in November. Minnesota lacks another athletic pass-catching option behind him, and new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo saw what the Zach Ertz-Trey Burton combination did for Philadelphia last season. Kirk Cousins already is loaded with targets on his new team, but in Washington, he thrived most when two tight ends (Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis) were key threats.

Free agency roundup: Jets sign WR Charles Johnson

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The Jets are aiming for depth with their wide receiving corps, adding another journeyman with potential on Monday.

New York signed former Vikings receiver Charles Johnson on Monday, the team announced.

Johnson signed with Carolina a year ago, but was waived/injured three months later after undergoing knee surgery. Prior to his brief pairing with the Panthers , Johnson found his greatest success in Minnesota, catching 60 passes over three seasons for 834 yards and two touchdowns. His best season came in 2014, when he logged 31 receptions for 475 yards and those two scores.

4. The Pittsburgh Steelers signed tackles Joseph Cheek and Larson Graham , and center Parker Collins to one-year contracts, the team announced.

5. Though not a free agent, Giants tackle Ereck Flowers was not present at the team’s voluntary offseason program. New York signed tackle Nate Solder last month, who will presumably fill the left tackle role once owned by Flowers.

6. The Washington Redskins , who recently acquired former Browns and Chiefs backup quarterback Kevin Hogan via trade, waived QB Stephen Morris. The team announced the move Monday.

7. The Oakland Raiders re-signed five exclusive-rights free agents: linebacker Shilique Calhoun , linebacker/defensive end James Cowser , safety Erik Harris , offensive lineman Denver Kirkland and kicker Giorgio Tavecchio , the team announced. Oakland also released long snapper Andrew East.

The safety market has been stunningly slow in free agency this offseason. In Reid’s case, there also was concern that his decision to not stand during the national anthem before games might have affected his market.

The 26-year-old remains one of the top free agents left on the market, with the versatility to play deep or near the line of scrimmage. Last season, the 49ers experimented with Reid in a hybrid linebacker role, but he’s meeting with Cincinnati as a safety. If he lands with Marvin Lewis, the veteran would offer flexibility on the back end of the defense.

Yes, we believe the Kings have a decent shot at beating the Vegas Golden Knights, despite the latter squad’s dreamy season and higher position in the standings. Fantasy managers who agree should be all over L.A.’s forward duo of Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown — who hasn’t shown any sign of letting up in his impressive Renaissance campaign — along with red-hot center Jeff Carter, 60-point defenseman Drew Doughty and Stanley Cup-winning netminder Jonathan Quick.

Lions’ Quinn: Ebron’s release was only about money

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The decision to release Eric Ebron was strictly a financial decision, according to Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn.

The Lions let Ebron go earlier this month, hours before the start of the new league year, when the tight end’s $8.25 million contract would become guaranteed.

You know, the salary that came along with the fifth-year option was something that we weighed, you know, really up until the last minute, Quinn said. It was just one of those things that we knew was coming down the pike. We obviously had some trade conversations with a few teams that didn’t work out, and so it came down to about the last hour or so before that 4 o’clock deadline.

Luke’s a guy that we did a lot of work on, Quinn said. Think he’s got versatility to catch the ball, I think he has versatility to block on the line of scrimmage, off the line of scrimmage as a move blocker.

In Seattle, he’s had a bunch of tight ends kind of above him on the totem pole out there, including Jimmy Graham this year, so he’s a guy that we went back and watched film a couple years ago when he had more production, Quinn said. I think he’s more than capable of catching the ball, I think that’s one of his strengths, and he can run. So we’ll add him to the mix and kind of see how that goes.

Willson has caught 15 passes each of the past two seasons. His best year as a receiver was 2014, when he hauled in 22 balls for 362 yards and three scores.

Another guy in the mix will be Michael Roberts, who returns for his second season. A prolific scoring option at the University of Toledo, he was primarily used as a blocker in Detroit last season. The team is expecting more in 2019.

Mike’s a very unique talent in terms of his size, Quinn said. He’s got versatility to contribute in the passing game as a receiver, in protection, as well as his role last year was really probably one of our better blockers on the line of scrimmage.

Mike has a lot of work to do in the offseason, Quinn continued. We talked when the season was over. He knows kind of the things that he needed to work on. So, we’re excited about his future, but I think it’s really up to him to kind of take the next step because the talent’s there. He’s just going to kind of work to kind of take that next step.

On Wednesday, 49ers owner Jed York made it clear that Foster’s position with the club is tenuous, at best.

Odell Beckham has managed to steal the spotlight at an Annual League Meeting which features a long-awaited change to the NFL’s vexing catch rule.

The Giants aren’t shopping their superstar receiver, but they are keeping the phone lines open.

What would it take to land one of the sport’s most dynamic talents when the general manager in question doesn’t believe in quitting on such obvious talent

Robert Kraft on Drafting a QB:’Obviously at Some Point We Have To’

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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft knows the team will have to figure out a long-term answer at quarterback with Tom Brady turning 41 in August.

Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Kraft acknowledged during the NFL’s owners meetings that drafting a quarterback is something the Patriots need to consider:

The Patriots dealt Brissett to the Indianapolis Colts prior to the start of last season, and Garoppolo was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 30.

New England’s current quarterback depth chart features Brady and Brian Hoyer. There’s no indication Brady, even at the age of 40, is slowing down. He was named the NFL MVP last season after leading the league with 4,577 passing yards.

But for as much as Manziel needs to demonstrate to NFL teams that he’s improved as a football player, he also needs to show them that he’s a changed person. After all, Manziel didn’t just flame out of the NFL after two disastrous seasons because of his poor quality of play, though that certainly played a role. He primarily lost his job because of excessive partying and an alleged assault of his then-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, in January 2016 (the charges were ultimately dismissed after he reached a plea deal).

As he rehabs his image, Manziel’s agreed to numerous interviews during which he’s opened up about his demons. In February, he revealed that he’s getting treated for bipolar disorder and that he’s now sober. On Wednesday, as Manziel partakes in the spring league to continue his audition, Manziel continued to open up about just how low his life got during his downward spiral.

In a conversation with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, Manziel said that he questioned at one point if his life was worth living and revealed how a tearful plea from his mom helped him turn his life around.