The unofficial online home for fans of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(04-25-2020 01:28 PM)Cat-Man Wrote:  Wondering if the pick of DE Kareem was a knee jerk reaction? I heard they liked the C Biadasz but it could be that Dallas trading in to take him caught them off guard?

Nah, they've been working almost exclusively on the Draft for a long time now. They may have been hoping Biadasz slipped to them, but I'm sure they knew he could be picked and were evaluating what to do in that event.

Quote:Someone mentioned on a Bengals board I follow that this may show that the Bengals feel better about their line than the fans/media. Or it could mean they plan to be active and possibly pick up a veteran who may get cut and can help them NOW instead of a year or two down the road. Which is not a bad philosophy if they plan on putting Burrow out there day 1. You don't want him out there with a bunch of young guys.

Plus, although unlikely, they still have the option of trading Dalton for an O-lineman.

I do think the first take is correct and the second might be as well. They obviously saw enough in Hopkins at C to give him a nice contract so they think they are solid there and quite possibly very good. Also Jonah was the best tackle in last year's class so they like the future at LT. I can get on board with those takes. Apparently they loved what they saw from free agent Fred Johnson in the last few games and think he could takeover RT from Hart. Either way they think it's covered with a decent T backup in place - but I'm not sold yet. At RG they added Xavier from free agency and that seems reasonable that he's at least serviceable. They also think Jordan improved a bunch over the course of last year and is ready to hold down LG. Plus they still have Billy Price for interior backup and it's pretty much now or never for him. So I can see where they are coming from. But it's also true there's basically 2 proven guys at this level in Hopkins and Xavier and 3 "we think/hope"s in the starting lineup so yeah that's the one position I was hoping we'd get more help in although this Kansas OT from R6 might have potential.

And like you mentioned, a lot can still happen by trade or by free agency as the season nears - heck we don't even know if there will be a season. The 49ers just picked up Trent Williams for a 5th this year and a 3rd next year for example. I'm not up to speed on all the ramifications, but the Bengals could have some money available to spend if they unload Dalton or pick up somebody else's salary cap casualty.

From CBS Sports...

Quote:The Bengals will release quarterback Andy Dalton, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday morning. Dalton, the team's starting quarterback since 2011, asked for his release, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Dalton expressed frustration after the Bengals didn't trade him before last year's deadline. Dalton had been benched in favor of rookie Ryan Finley eight games into the season. Five months later, Dalton had come to grips with the fact that he may be back in Cincinnati for the 2020 season, despite the fact that the Bengals selected former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick.

"I truly believe they want what's best for me, but I understand it's a business, and you know how that goes," Dalton told NFL.com's Michael Silver earlier this month. "With the first pick, if they take a quarterback like everyone expects, that could trigger something. There's even a scenario where I go back there."

According to Schefter the move will save the Bengals $17.7 million off the salary cap.

Zac Taylor, who is entering his second year as the Bengals' head coach, did not rule out keeping Dalton on the roster for the upcoming season when asked about Dalton prior to the NFL Draft.

"Everything's on the table, and that's the truth," Taylor said. "Given the circumstances going on in the world right now, it doesn't make sense not to keep our options open. (Bringing Dalton back is) something to consider."

While he still considers himself to be a starting-caliber NFL quarterback, Dalton understands the current climate as it relates to the market of available quarterbacks that includes former league MVP Cam Newton and former Ravens Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Joe Flacco.

For a multitude of reasons, 2019 was not a banner year for Dalton and the Bengals. With a makeshift offensive line and with multiple injuries at the receiver position, Cincinnati stumbled to an 0-8 start, which prompted Taylor to bench Dalton in favor of Finley. But after losing their next three games, the Bengals decided to go back to Dalton, who led Cincinnati to their only two victories of the season.

While he never won a playoff game, Dalton managed to accomplish a considerable amount of things in Cincinnati. The 35th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Dalton helped lead the Bengals to two AFC North division titles and five straight playoff appearances. In the process, Dalton, who posted a 70-61-2 regular season record as Cincinnati's starting quarterback, was selected to three Pro Bowls while moving past Carson Palmer and Boomer Esiason as the franchise's second all-time leading passer. He is the franchise's all-time leader in career touchdown passes (204), fourth quarter comebacks (20) and game-winning drives (24), according to ESPN's Field Yates.

Speculation has already begun as it relates to where Dalton will place next. Among the teams that may be interested in signing Dalton include the Patriots -- who did not select a quarterback during the draft -- and the Jaguars, whose offensive coordinator, Jay Gruden, served as Dalton's offensive coordinator in Cincinnati from 2011-13.

Dalton Done In Cincinnati

With the trade market pretty dead, I was kind of hoping the Bengals would keep Andy around another year. But per the article, the Bengals will save almost $18M against the cap (and presumably a similarly large amount in terms of cash) and given the uncertainties of the league right now, it's a no-brainer to cut him. Presumably this gives them some flexibility to pick up a quality vet (OL maybe!) that somebody else cuts for cap reasons or to front load some key extensions.

I'm not one of the many who under-appreciated Andy's performance for the Bengals. He had his flaws, but he was not the primary reason for most of the Bengals' losses. I wish him good luck and I hope he finds a nice landing spot where he has a chance to compete for the starting job. If so, I won't be a bit surprised if he wins the job and helps lead the right team to the playoffs (potentially including a playoff win or wins btw).

It's a shame that the Bengals couldn't get anything for him. I hope they didn't botch it. Maybe there was no market for him, or the Bengals wanted too much? We may never know, because AD isn't the type to spew sour grapes later like a Palmer. It's good that it frees up some cash. I was hoping that would mean to sign a FA lineman, but from what I read, they needed to cut him just to be able to sign all the draft picks. Unfortunately, from what I understand, they won't get a compensatory pick for him either because he was cut.

Nice reminder of how gutsy and class Andy Dalton was for the Bengals:

(04-30-2020 05:28 PM)Cat-Man Wrote:  It's a shame that the Bengals couldn't get anything for him. I hope they didn't botch it. Maybe there was no market for him, or the Bengals wanted too much? We may never know, because AD isn't the type to spew sour grapes later like a Palmer. It's good that it frees up some cash. I was hoping that would mean to sign a FA lineman, but from what I read, they needed to cut him just to be able to sign all the draft picks. Unfortunately, from what I understand, they won't get a compensatory pick for him either because he was cut.

The Dolphins sent Tannehill and a 6th round pick to the Titans for 4th and 7th round picks. The Broncos gave a fourth-round pick to get Joe Flacco from the Ravens. Sad that the Bengals couldn't get a 4th for Dalton. Plenty of good options they coulda picked up.

(04-30-2020 06:20 PM)dubcat14 Wrote:  

(04-30-2020 05:28 PM)Cat-Man Wrote:  It's a shame that the Bengals couldn't get anything for him. I hope they didn't botch it. Maybe there was no market for him, or the Bengals wanted too much? We may never know, because AD isn't the type to spew sour grapes later like a Palmer. It's good that it frees up some cash. I was hoping that would mean to sign a FA lineman, but from what I read, they needed to cut him just to be able to sign all the draft picks. Unfortunately, from what I understand, they won't get a compensatory pick for him either because he was cut.

The Dolphins sent Tannehill and a 6th round pick to the Titans for 4th and 7th round picks. The Broncos gave a fourth-round pick to get Joe Flacco from the Ravens. Sad that the Bengals couldn't get a 4th for Dalton. Plenty of good options they coulda picked up.

Sometimes, timing is everything. It's partially because of those deals that the available supply of QBs outstrips the current demand.
Burrow was the favorite from the moment the draft order became official, but the Bengals didn't have Dalton's replacement officially lined up until the Draft itself. However unlikely, there's a ton of what-ifs that could have left the Bengals scrambling had they dealt him last year or much earlier in the offseason (if teams were even interested in dealing for Dalton at that time.)

Sometimes these things work out (e.g. the Palmer trade) sometimes they don't (Dalton). I'm not going to get too worked up over the possibility they missed out on a 4th or 5th round pick.

Update: Dehner's excellent article on Dalton in The Athletic says that the Bengals were very close to making a deal with the Bears in March. But the deal fell through and the Bears ended up trading a 4th rounder for Nick Foles instead.

i kinda think the bengals didn't want to pay any of his salary

a healthy joey votto in '12 and a healthy andy in '15 or whatever it was, it's a cincinnati thing. oh i forgot about kenyon. those were primed to be the best years of their careers and not coincidentally championship caliber teams

Never was a huge Andy fan but I will say..

Andy Dalton=Class
And
Carson Palmer=Trash

(04-30-2020 08:32 PM)Lush Wrote:  i kinda think the bengals didn't want to pay any of his salary

Burrow is obviously coming in to be #1 and they definitely wouldn't and couldn't pay Dalton his full salary to be a backup. The very good Dehner article I mentioned above goes into a lot of detail but his take was that the Bengals worked very hard to do right by Andy throughout the process and that Andy, of course, was nothing but class in return.

Did get Daltons new team correct, went to school there and owns a house there, pretty easy...

Bengals schedule. I guess the NFL thinks the world wants to see Joe Burrow right out if the gate with them being the national TV game in Week 1. Two in prime time against division foes. Bye seems to be at a good time as well. 4 day turnaround between the first and second game will be tough with a rookie QB. Not much time to get over/learn from his first game mistakes.

Sun., Sept. 13, L.A. CHARGERS, 4:05 p.m., CBS
Thurs., Sept. 17, at Cleveland, 8:20 p.m., NFL Network
Sun., Sept. 27, at Philadelphia, 1 p.m., CBS
Sun., Oct. 4, JACKSONVILLE, 1 p.m., CBS
Sun., Oct. 11, at Baltimore*, 1 p.m., CBS
Sun., Oct. 18, at Indianapolis*, 1 p.m., FOX
Sun., Oct. 25, CLEVELAND*, 1 p.m., CBS
Sun., Nov. 1, TENNESSEE*, 1 p.m., CBS
Sun., Nov. 8, (BYE)
Sun., Nov. 15, at Pittsburgh*, 1 p.m., FOX
Sun., Nov. 22, at Washington*, 1 p.m., CBS
Sun., Nov. 29, N.Y. GIANTS*, 1 p.m., FOX
Sun., Dec. 6, at Miami*, 1 p.m., CBS
Sun., Dec.13, DALLAS*, 1 p.m., FOX
Mon., Dec. 21, PITTSBURGH, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
Sun., Dec. 27, at Houston*, 1 p.m., CBS
Sun., Jan. 3, BALTIMORE*, 1 p.m., CBS

twitter account is fake but interview seems real

With the NFL starting a little over a week away, there really hasn't been much talk on here about the Bengals or the NFL. I guess it's understandable with everything else going on, but the Reds seem to still get a lot of talk. Be that as it may, a few tidbits caught my eye the past few days in regards to the players that were discussed (in the media and on this board) who the Bengals would/should take #1 in this past draft:

Joe Burrow - Joe Burrow looked the part on Monday morning, as the media was allowed to watch the Bengals practice for the first time in 2020.
The 23-year-old brought the energy. He ran from one side of the field to the other after finishing his portion of a throwing drill, all while emulating the same routes that his wide receivers were running just a few seconds prior.
His passes were crisp and accurate. He threw with touch, but there was plenty of speed behind each pass.
Some were critical of Burrow's arm strength during the pre-draft process. He had plenty of velocity on each one of his passes. Burrow's stellar play has impressed multiple veterans on the team.

Tua Tagovailoa - The Miami Herald's local reporters claim that Tagovailoa has not done enough to inject himself into the starting conversation yet and that the Dolphins have not been tempted to let him work with the first-team offense as a whole. The fact that he has been cleared to play physically but the Dolphins are still hesitant to pull the trigger also points toward the fact that Fitzpatrick should start in Week 1, but it still remains to be seen how long he can hold the starting role before Flores opts to give Tagovailoa a shot.

Justin Herbert - The Los Angeles Chargers are turning to a veteran to lead them into the post-Philip Rivers era.
Tyrod Taylor will be the team's Week 1 starting quarterback ahead of first-round rookie Justin Herbert, coach Anthony Lynn announced Wednesday.
"Right now, Tyrod Taylor is our starter," Lynn said in a news conference. "Until someone step up and show that they can run this team, that’s the way we’re going in to it. Tyrod Taylor is our starter."

Chase Young - Defensive end Chase Young said last week that he was frustrated by a hip flexor injury that limited his time on the practice field this month, but things have started to move in a better direction.
Young has been back on the field in recent days, including Monday’s session at FedEx Field, and he said that he’s almost back to full strength.

It's cutdown day. I'm not sure of the Bengals budget, but they get first dibs on anybody they want to add. Hopefully they choose wisely.

Meanwhile, I thought this was a funny/interesting take: