Based on A.J. Green’s recent Instagram story, it appears that former Bengals corner Adam Jones has decided to retire. We appreciate all he gave as a player to the Bengals.
It appears that former Bengals CB Adam Jones has retired
Based on A.J. Green’s recent Instagram story, it appears that former Bengals corner Adam Jones has decided to retire. We appreciate all he gave as a player to the Bengals.
Preseason Game 1 Recap: Cincinnati Bengals vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Not a bad start for the Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, a good one. A very good one.
Cincy opened the 2017 preseason with a 23-12 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night. It was a welcome sight to see the Bengals back on the field, and while the team never truly pulled away from the visiting Bucs, they didn’t disappoint either.
Quarterback Andy Dalton and the offense were Merlot-smooth on the first drive until the last play. Dalton completed four of five passes for 38 yards and AJ Green had two receptions for 21 yards. Granted, the drive ended when Dalton threw an interception to Vernon Hargreaves III at the 1-yard line, but it was Cincinnati’s only turnover of the game.
Vontaze Burfict is in his contract year, and he’s already playing like it. He notched two tackles and looked super quick. The defense as a whole allowed 330 yards and one first-half touchdown. But there was no glaring weakness and no big injuries. All in all, it’s reason to get excited about the things to come in 2017.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Player of the Game
This one may surprise you – the kickers. Randy Bullock (field goals of 54 and 49 yards) and fifth-round draft pick Jake Elliott (45) showed plenty of leg strength and accuracy. Even better, there were no misses. If last night’s refs were waving their arms side to side on those field goals – which happened waaaaay too much last year – then the game gets a lot tighter and the players play that way. Which is not what you want when you’re down by a score at the two-minute warning.
What This Means Going Forward
Don’t get us wrong … there were some causes for concern last night. Andy Dalton threw an interception at the 1-yard line on the opening drive. The offense didn’t score a TD until the third quarter, when the first stringers were already on the sidelines talking about which clubs they would hit after the game. The D gave up several third-down conversions.
But we’re happy. Like, cue-the-Pharrell-Williams-song-and-get-some-Minions-dancing happy.
The offense moved well on its first possession before Dalton’s pick. Rookie running back Joe Mixon ran six times for 31 yards and caught an 11-yard pass, showing that he’ll give the backfield a boost. The offensive line gave Dalton enough time to find his receivers. Backup quarterback Jeff Driskel went 8-9 for 97 yards with a touchdown pass and scrambled for an 18-yard score. Josh Malone, the third-round pick out of Tennessee, also nabbed a nifty catch in the back of the end zone in the fourth quarter.
The Cincinnati Bengals also did not look short for defensive ends. Carl Lawson and Jordan Willis each had two QB pressures. Willis also collected his first sack. Free agent signee Chris Smith (from the Jaguars) was disruptive in the second half. Adam Jones, who is suspended for the season opener because of his January 3rd arrest, broke up two red-zone passes that forced Tampa to settle for a field goal in the 1st quarter.
Next up – Saturday, August 19th vs the Kansas City Chiefs. We can hardly wait.
Bengals Free Agency News – Dre In, Whit and Zeit Out
Well – good news and bad news in free agency so far.
Bad news first – the Cincinnati Bengals lost their two best offensive lineman to other teams on Thursday. Andrew Whitworth inked a 3-year, $36 million deal with the LA Rams.
Kevin Zeitler went even bigger (with a smaller team). KZ will spend the next 5 years with the Cleveland Browns, and get 60 million bucks for it. It’s kinda sad that the Bengals didn’t even make an offer for him. But it’s also not surprising – the Cincy brass traditionally doesn’t place a lot of value on offensive guards.
Given this departure of talent, it’s a good thing that quarterback Andy Dalton is under contract. Otherwise, he might blow town now that the two best players are gone from a line that allowed 41 sacks last season.
So, will the Bengals try to snag some bodies from the free agency field to replace the Whitworth-Zeitler protection agency? Or will they look to the draft to get some big uglies? Some names to remember include Minnesota Vikings (and former Bengal) OT Andre Smith, LSU C/G Ethan Pocic, and Western Kentucky’s OT/G Forrest Lamp. Keep an eye out for them.
Now, The Good News
Dre Kirkpatrick signed a 5-year, $52.5 million contract Thursday. His presence is almost as big a gain to the secondary as Zeitler and Whitworth are a loss to the O-line. He provides stability to the defensive backfield and was a big reason why the Cincinnati Bengals tied for fourth in the NFL last year with 17 interceptions. Many wonder how or if this move will impact the future of CB Adam Jones, who has had off-the-field trouble.
Overall, this didn’t feel like a good day for Cincinnati. Losing Whitworth and Zeitel hurts no matter who the team signs to replace them. Getting Kirkpatrick is good and there are still plenty of quality players out there to be signed or drafted. But it still feels like a step back. And for a team that entered 2016 with playoff expectations and finished 6-9-1, any step back can be bad. Real bad.
Will the Bengals have back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2007-08? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.
Who Stays and Who Goes for Who Dey? – Part II
Last week, the Bengal Boys gave their first thoughts on which Cincinnati players would still be on the roster next fall and which ones would become free agents. Now we examine the next two on our list. Do they have enough – or have they done enough – to suit up for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017?
Will the Cincinnati Bengals Keep These Free Agents?
4. Dre Kirkpatrick (defensive back) – Dre K had arguably his best season as a pro in 2016. He notched 46 tackles and 3 interceptions. The Cincinnati Bengals gave him the fifth-year extension before last season and Dre showed enough improvement that, we think, he should receive a long-term deal. Furthering our case is the fact that, with Adam Jones staring at a possible suspension because of his January 3 arrest and William Jackson III being an unknown commodity, the Bengals will want all the secondary stability they can get. Re-sign (yep or nope): Yep
5. Kevin Zeitler (offensive guard) – Zeitler, like Kirkpatrick, was a first-round pick in 2012 and is probably the best guard to enter free agency this season. Also like Dre, we think the Bengals will want to keep him around for the sake of unit continuity. The Bengals averaged 110.6 rushing yards per game this season – not bad, but it won’t wow anybody. Zeitler is only in his sixth year as a pro and is worth the $9 million or $10 million it may take to keep him. Our guess is that the Bengal bigwigs will. Re-sign (yep or nope): Yep