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Chase Brown Chase Brown Looks set for No. 2 role
Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 4:01 PM
Brown appears primed to work as the top backup to Zack Moss following the 2024 NFL Draft, Paul Dehner of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The Bengals didn't select a single running back across 10 picks in this year's draft, so even if the team brings in a handful of talented UDFAs, Brown looks like a notable winner for fantasy purposes. He flashed across 12 appearances as a rookie last season, and while Moss' experience with a large workload and on third downs may make him the favorite for the No. 1 role, Brown's short-area burst could make him an effective complementary option. If Brown can put together a solid offseason and push for increased touches, he could be an interesting late-round sleeper in 2024 drafts. |
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Zack Moss Zack Moss Looks secure as lead back
Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 3:53 PM
Moss retains his position atop the Bengals' backfield depth chart following the 2024 NFL Draft, Paul Dehner of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Moss inked with Cincinnati as a free agent back in March, and though the team will certainly add some UDFAs to the mix, he has to be considered a huge winner for fantasy after the Bengals opted not to spend a single draft pick on the running back position. Coming off a breakout season with the Colts, Moss looks primed for a high-volume role considering his experience between the tackles and on third downs, while Chase Brown could act as a more explosive complement out of the backfield. Both could be intriguing fantasy sleepers in 2024 drafts. |
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Ja'Marr Chase Ja'Marr Chase Fifth-year option picked up
Wed, Apr 24, 2024, 12:03 PM
The Bengals have elected to pick up Chase's fifth-year contract option.
Analysis: With the expected move, Chase will remain under contract with Cincinnati through the 2025 campaign. This past season, the 2021 first-rounder recorded a career-high 100 catches (on 145 targets) for 1,216 yards and seven TDs in 16 regular-season games. The 24-year-old is thus poised to remain QB Joe Burrow's top pass-catching option for the next couple of years, and in that context Chase remains a top tier fantasy option at the wide receiver position. |
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Logan Woodside Logan Woodside Back in Cincinnati
Tue, Apr 23, 2024, 2:44 PM
Woodside signed a one-year contract with the Bengals on Tuesday.
Analysis: Woodside was selected by Cincinnati in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft and will return to the team after stops with the Titans and Falcons. The Toledo product has made spot appearances in 13 games over the past four seasons, completing 4 of 7 pass attempts for 34 yards and an interception. |
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Jake Browning Jake Browning Signed through 2025
Tue, Apr 23, 2024, 9:17 AM
Browning signed a two-year contract with the Bengals on Tuesday.
Analysis: Undrafted back in 2019, the QB spent two years on Minnesota's practice squad and then two seasons on Cincinnati's. Browning finally got his shot in 2023, winning the No. 2 QB job for the Bengals and eventually replacing an injured Joe Burrow (wrist) for the final seven and a half games of the season. Browning played surprisingly well down the stretch, with 15 total TDs (three rushing) and seven turnovers (all INTs) while leading all qualified passers in completion percentage (70.4) and ranking fifth in yards per attempt (8.0). The 28-year-old's status as an exclusive-rights free agent this offseason essentially locked him into staying with the Bengals, and the two-year deal now sets him up to be a restricted free agent after 2025. His solid performance in 2023, combined with 2-3 more years of team control, could make Browning a trade target for QB-needy teams, though there haven't been rumblings of interest this spring. |
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Tee Higgins Tee Higgins Expects to remain with Bengals
Sun, Apr 14, 2024, 2:50 PM
Higgins stated at his youth camp Sunday that he anticipates playing for Cincinnati in 2024, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Higgins received the Bengals' franchise tag in late February, and a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN in early March indicated that the wideout had requested a trade. However, Higgins now appears to have had a change of heart, as his comments Sunday suggest that he's planning to suit up for Cincinnati during the 2024 campaign. It's not clear if that means progress has been made between the player and organization in reaching the long-term extension that Higgins has reportedly been seeking. |
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Trenton Irwin Trenton Irwin Back with Cincinnati
Fri, Mar 15, 2024, 11:32 AM
Irwin has agreed to a one-year deal to remain with the Bengals, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: The report notes that Irwin's deal with the Bengals is worth $2 million. With the 28-year-old back in the fold and Tyler Boyd a free agent, Irwin should have a chance to compete with Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones for WR snaps behind behind Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins (assuming he remains with Cincinnati) this coming season. In 16 regular-season games in 2023, Irwin caught 25 of his 32 targets for 316 yards and a TD. |
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Tanner Hudson Tanner Hudson Sticking with Cincinnati
Fri, Mar 15, 2024, 8:58 AM
Hudson is re-signing with the Bengals, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Hudson spent much of last season on Cincinnati's practice squad but eventually emerged as the top pass catcher at tight end amidst a disappointing season for free-agent acquisition Irv Smith (who has since moved on to Kansas City). The Bengals signed Mike Gesicki and re-signed Drew Sample earlier this week, ensuring Hudson will again have to fight for his playing time. Sample figures to do a lot of the blocking, likely leaving Hudson and Gesicki to compete for slot work and playing time in obvious passing situations. |
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Joe Burrow Joe Burrow Facing changes on offense
Thu, Mar 14, 2024, 11:35 AM
Burrow (wrist) is slated to enter the 2024 season with a revamped skill-position group, with Joe Mixon set to be traded to the Texans, Zack Moss inking a two-year deal as his replacement, and numerous shifts in the receiving game, Ben Baby of ESPN reports.
Analysis: Burrow will have to cope with more than just a new-look backfield, though it remains to be seen whether Moss can adequately fill Mixon's shoes, even after he proved so productive filling in for Jonathan Taylor at the start of last season. Tyler Boyd is currently a free agent, while explosive tight end Mike Gesicki is poised to ink a one-year deal with the Bengals, giving Burrow a replacement target in the middle of the field. Perhaps most important, though, is the fact that Tee Higgins has requested a trade, as Jared Goffinet of Fox 19 Cincinnati reports. That situation may not resolve in the near future, and further changes on offense could still occur in free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft, but in any scenario, Ja'Marr Chase will remain the pillar of this receiving game. For his part, Burrow is expected to be cleared for full contact by mid-May, as he continues his recovery from Nov. 27 surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist. |
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Chase Brown Chase Brown Opportunity knocks as Mixon traded
Tue, Mar 12, 2024, 2:38 PM
Brown bumps up to the No. 2 spot on Cincinnati's depth chart behind Zack Moss, with Joe Mixon in line to be traded to the Texans, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN reports.
Analysis: Brown earned a larger role in Cincinnati's offense during the second half of his rookie season, securing the No. 2 gig for himself during the final six games of the campaign, but he ended the year with just 44 carries for 179 yards, plus 14 catches for 156 yards and a score. Though Moss is coming off an impressive season in Indianapolis, Brown could offer him real competition for touches, depending on what other additions the Bengals make to the running back depth chart. |
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Mike Gesicki Mike Gesicki Joining Cincinnati TE corps
Tue, Mar 12, 2024, 10:18 AM
Gesicki is in line to sign a one-year deal with the Bengals, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Analysis: Per Schefter, Gesicki's pending deal is worth up to $3.25 million. The 28-year-old is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he caught 29 of his 45 targets for 244 yards and a pair of TDs in 17 regular-season games, while working in a New England TE corps that also included Hunter Henry and Pharaoh Brown. With Cincinnati, it's plausible that Gesicki (who caught 73 passes with Miami in 2021) could see an uptick in targets if he's able to earn steady snaps and develop a strong rapport with QB Joe Burrow (wrist). |
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Zack Moss Zack Moss Heading to Cincy
Mon, Mar 11, 2024, 9:21 PM
Moss agreed to terms on a two-year, $8 million contract with the Bengals on Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: Moss vaults to the No. 1 spot on the running back depth chart for Cincinnati, as the team also released Joe Mixon on Monday. The 26-year-old is cashing in after an impressive showing during Jonathan Taylor's absence from the Colts last season. He finished the 2023 campaign with a career-high 794 yards and five touchdowns through the ground to go along with 192 yards and two touchdowns across 27 receptions through the air. |
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Drew Sample Drew Sample Lands three-year extension
Mon, Mar 11, 2024, 12:14 PM
Sample has signed a three-year contract extension with the Bengals.
Analysis: Per Ben Baby of ESPN.com, the deal is worth $10.5 million. Sample is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he recorded 22 catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. While the 2019 second-rounder is back in the fold, Sample's potential workload and in turn fantasy upside in 2024 hinges on what other moves the Bengals make at the tight end position in free agency and the draft. |
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Trayveon Williams Trayveon Williams Staying with Bengals
Mon, Mar 11, 2024, 9:45 AM
Williams is signing a one-year contract to stay with the Bengals.
Analysis: There was some discussion last offseason about Williams potentially replacing Samaje Perine as Cincy's No. 2 running back, but the 2019 sixth-round pick mostly continued to play special teams. Williams' 156 snaps on offense were easily a career high, but that equated to only 14.4 percent of the team total, whereas on special teams he took 64.2 percent of available snaps (294 overall). He has 77 touches for 381 yards and no touchdowns in 51 career games, and he'll likely be the third-string RB again in 2024. |
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Tee Higgins Tee Higgins Requests trade, per report
Mon, Mar 11, 2024, 9:25 AM
Higgins has reportedly requested a trade, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Analysis: The Bengals previously placed their franchise tag on Higgins, but Schefter indicates that the wideout is disappointed in the lack of progress toward a long-term contract extension and thus is seeking a new situation. It remains to be seen how amenable Cincinnati will be to his request, and it's still possible that the two sides move toward a resolution that would keep Higgins in the fold in 2024. However, the 2020 second-rounder's future with the franchise is up in the air as NFL free agency approaches. |
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Joe Burrow Joe Burrow Should be cleared in May
Mon, Mar 4, 2024, 9:39 AM
Burrow (wrist) said Sunday that he expects to be "cleared for full contact and everything" by mid-May, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Burrow also said he's able to lift weights "basically normally now" and has started throwing small medicine balls as part of his rehab. The QB had surgery Nov. 27 to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist, 11 days after suffering the injury in a Week 11 loss at Baltimore. Prior to that, Burrow had found his groove with multiple TD passes in five straight games, bouncing back strong after throwing just two TDs over the first four weeks of the season while dealing with a lingering calf injury from training camp. He anticipates being ready for his normal throwing routine at OTAs, though it sounds like he'll take it slow until then. |
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Jake Browning Jake Browning Tendered by Cincinnati
Wed, Feb 28, 2024, 8:05 PM
The Bengals tendered exclusive rights free agent Browning on Wednesday.
Analysis: Undrafted out of Washington in 2019, Browning made the first nine appearances of his NFL career last season, starting seven games following Joe Burrow's season-ending injury. Browning had the Bengals in playoff contention right up until the end of the season, finishing the year with a league-best 70.4 percent completion rate for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions, adding 27-127-3 as a rusher. He's the favorite to open 2024 as Burrow's top backup. |
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Tee Higgins Tee Higgins Officially gets franchise tag
Mon, Feb 26, 2024, 8:11 AM
The Bengals applied their franchise tag to Higgins (hamstring) on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: According to Rapoport, Higgins' franchise tag number is expected to fall around $21.8 million for the 2024 season, but the tag may merely serve as a placeholder as the Bengals work toward a long-term extension with the receiver prior to the July 15 deadline. If the two sides are far apart on an extension, the Bengals also could look to trade Higgins, who would be a highly-sought after receiver given the weak crop of free agents at the position. Higgins was limited to just 11 games in 2023 due to rib and hamstring injuries, but he once again was productive in his fourth NFL season with 42 catches for 656 yards and five touchdowns. He should be back to full health before OTAs get underway in the spring, if he isn't already. |
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Tee Higgins Tee Higgins Expected to receive franchise tag
Fri, Feb 23, 2024, 9:37 PM
The Bengals informed Higgins (hamstring) on Friday that he will receive the franchise tag, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: With the tag deadline still a week away, the Bengals have skipped negotiations for a long-term deal by letting Higgins know he will be franchised. A deal is still a possibility, but this is apparently the most likely route as of now. The 25-year-old battled injuries during his fourth season in Cincinnati en route to career lows in yards (656) and touchdowns (five). |
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Joe Mixon Joe Mixon Possible cap casualty
Mon, Feb 19, 2024, 2:59 PM
Mixon is a potential cap casualty this offseason, though it won't be surprising if he's back with the Bengals instead, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports.
Analysis: The same was said last offseason until Mixon renegotiated his contract in mid-July to lower his base salaries for 2023 and 2024 while adding some incentives. He's now scheduled for an $8.85 million cap hit in the final year of his deal, with the Bengals carrying $2.75 million in dead money for 2024 if the running back is traded or released before he's due a $3 million roster bonus March 18. The timing of the bonus at least means we should have some clarity early in the offseason, whereas last year there were rumors swirling around Mixon from January to July. Possibilities for 2024 include a trade, release, contract extension or simply keeping him under his current deal. He turns 28 in July, coming off a 2023 campaign with 1,410 yards and 12 touchdowns from scrimmage. |
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