OTA chatter

[Bengals1]

Looking ahead to the season and injury depth in the secondary, I was hoping not to see this:

"It sounds like the expectation for cornerback Chidobe Awuzie coming off his Halloween ACL is that he'll be able to play the Sunday after Labor Day in the Sept. 10 opener in Cleveland." (Dotcom article)

I don't understand, you're unhappy he'll be healthy enough to play by the opener...?

[stripesincarolina]

Looking ahead to the season and injury depth in the secondary, I was hoping not to see this:

"It sounds like the expectation for cornerback Chidobe Awuzie coming off his Halloween ACL is that he'll be able to play the Sunday after Labor Day in the Sept. 10 opener in Cleveland." (Dotcom article)

I don't understand, you're unhappy he'll be healthy enough to play by the opener...?

It says Week 2, not the opener. I was hoping he would be ready for Week 1 and be at full speed.

[Bengals1]

Looking ahead to the season and injury depth in the secondary, I was hoping not to see this:

"It sounds like the expectation for cornerback Chidobe Awuzie coming off his Halloween ACL is that he'll be able to play the Sunday after Labor Day in the Sept. 10 opener in Cleveland." (Dotcom article)

I don't understand, you're unhappy he'll be healthy enough to play by the opener...?

It says Week 2, not the opener. I was hoping he would be ready for Week 1 and be at full speed.

No, it says the expectation is that "he'll be able to play the Sunday after Labor Day in the Sept. 10 opener in Cleveland."

[Exile]

Coming in late on this, but as much as I agree that the front office could have / should have handled Jonah differently there, it's all the more impressive that his attitude now appears to be as good as it is. I don't know if that's a credit to him and his character, to our coaches and their ability to connect with players, or a bit of both, but glad to see it.

[4256 Hits]

Coming in late on this, but as much as I agree that the front office could have / should have handled Jonah differently there, it's all the more impressive that his attitude now appears to be as good as it is. I don't know if that's a credit to him and his character, to our coaches and their ability to connect with players, or a bit of both, but glad to see it.

I am guessing that being a FA after this season is the biggest reason. Ten of millions reasons to play well.

[stripesincarolina]

I don't understand, you're unhappy he'll be healthy enough to play by the opener...?

It says Week 2, not the opener. I was hoping he would be ready for Week 1 and be at full speed.

No, it says the expectation is that "he'll be able to play the Sunday after Labor Day in the Sept. 10 opener in Cleveland."

My bad, totally misread that. So yes, that would be great if that ends up being the case. Point being, I was hoping we would have all hands on deck and no lingering recoveries. I think that leaves Collins as the only question mark, correct? And with the depth we have there they can give him extra time if needed. Feels weird to say that about our Oline.

[Bengals1]

My bad, totally misread that. So yes, that would be great if that ends up being the case.

I've got enough on my hands worrying about Meat's mental condition. I can't handle your mental deterioration on top of that...

[Bengals1]

Are the Bengals planning to squeeze Joe Mixon to take less?
Posted by Mike Florio on June 18, 2023

From the moment the Bengals gave running back Joe Mixon 23 snaps in the AFC Championship and Samaje Perine 43, it has seemed that the Bengals have been thinking about moving on from Mixon.

The more accurate description could be that they’ll happily keep him, if he’ll move down his salary and cap number.

Writes Paul Dehner, Jr. of TheAthletic.com, regarding Mixon: “The endgame will be about whether or not he’s willing to realign his $12.8 million cap hit and $10 million in cash to the current state of the running back market. If he’s not, the Bengals will probably tap into the veteran backwaters that are currently overflowing with victims of the philosophical shift away from paying the position.”

That’s a long and winding way of saying the Bengals will ask him to take a pay cut or invite him to take a hike.

The question becomes when the Bengals will bring things to a head, if they indeed do. Once camp starts, the Bengals risk Mixon suffering a season-ending injury before he reduces his pay. The deeper a standoff lasts into camp, however, the fewer options — if any — Mixon will have elsewhere.

The Bengals need to identify the spots where they can save money, given that quarterback Joe Burrow is due to get a major second contract now, as is receiver Tee Higgins. Receiver Ja'Marr Chase will be due to get his own after the 2023 regular season ends.

Without Mixon, it’s unclear who would run the ball for the Bengals. Perine signed with the Broncos. The Bengals selected running back Chase Brown in the fifth round of April’s draft. Also on the roster are Chris Evans, Jacob Saylors, Calvin Tyler Jr., and Trayveon Williams.

Veteran alternatives to Mixon include Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, Kareem Hunt, Leonard Fournette, and Mark Ingram.

The best move for the Bengals would be to keep Mixon. Whether they can do it remains to be seen.

If they don’t, where he goes next could be very interesting. He turns 27 next month, and he’s still got plenty of tread on the tires and gas in the tank.