News Bengals Team Notes

[Cincinnati Bengals]

Can you guess this Bengals QB in today’s in-5 trivia game?

Think you can figure out which Bengals player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!

Hey Bengals fans! We’re back for another day of the Cincy Jungle in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.

If you can’t see the embedded game and you’re using Apple News, click this link.

Previous games​

Friday, June 27, 2025
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games​

NFL in-5
MLB in-5
MMA in-5

Cincy Jungle in-5 instructions​

The goal of the game is to guess the correct Bengals player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.

Who Dey!

Source: https://www.cincyjungle.com/2025/6/28/24457702/sb-nation-bengals-daily-trivia-in-5

 

[Cincinnati Bengals]

Can you guess this Bengals running back in today’s in-5 trivia game?

Think you can figure out which Bengals player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!

Hey Bengals fans! We’re back for another day of the Cincy Jungle in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.

If you can’t see the embedded game and you’re using Apple News, click this link.

Previous games​

Saturday, June 28, 2025
Friday, June 27, 2025
Thursday, June 26, 2025

Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games​

NFL in-5
MLB in-5
MMA in-5

Cincy Jungle in-5 instructions​

The goal of the game is to guess the correct Bengals player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.

Who Dey!

Source: https://www.cincyjungle.com/2025/6/29/24458214/sb-nation-bengals-daily-trivia-in-5

 

[Cincinnati Bengals]

Hendrickson ranked among top-10 edge rushers by PFF

Dec 22, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) runs onto the field before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Contract dispute aside, there’s no doubting Hendrickson is among the NFL’s best edge rushers.

This is the point of the offseason when rankings start to get formulated. These rankings can change based on developments throughout the offseason, but it’s never too early to start the debates on which players are the best at their key positions.

Pro Football Focus has been doing their position rankings, and they revealed their edge rusher rankings.

Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson checks in at No. 7 on the list. I’m sure there are many Bengals fans who will seriously wonder how six edge rushers can be ranked above Hendrickson, considering he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season and has 35 over the last two seasons.

PFF’s criteria for its edge rusher rankings are “A comprehensive approach, factoring in career trajectory, advanced metrics, and in-depth film evaluation.”

Here is what PFF’s Ryan Smith has to say about Hendrickson:

“The 2024 season was the best of Hendrickson’s career. He led the NFL with 17.5 sacks and tied Myles Garrett for the league lead with 83 total pressures, his fourth consecutive season with 70 or more. His 20.0% pass-rush win rate tied Nick Bosa for the third-best mark in the league.”

There’s no doubt that PFF recognizes that Hendrickson is among the game’s best at edge rusher. He’s a menace off the edge. When he gets going, as we saw against Kansas City, Las Vegas, and Pittsburgh last season, it is very difficult to slow down a player like him who goes hard-core, 100% on every snap.

The six edge rushers ranked ahead of Hendrickson are Maxx Crosby (Raiders), Aidan Hutchinson (Lions), Nick Bosa (49ers), T.J. Watt (Steelers), Micah Parsons (Cowboys), and Myles Garrett (Browns).

Source: https://www.cincyjungle.com/2025/6/29/24437711/trey-hendrickson-top-10-edge-rushers-pff-nfl-bengals

 

[Cincinnati Bengals]

Who will have the better NFL career: Dax Hill or Myles Murphy?

Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images

The jury is still out on these former first-round picks of the Bengals.

While there have been many factors in the Bengals’ failure to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, the shortcomings of two first-round picks certainly aided in that.

2022 selection Dax Hill was drafted to be a Jessie Bates replacement, but after three seasons, Hill is now trying to make his mark at cornerback after a disastrous stint at safety. While he had some good moments as a corner last year, he missed more than half the season due to an ACL tear, a challenging injury for a defensive back to recover from. And there were still enough issues at corner to wonder if he’s capable of being a quality starter there.

Then there’s Myles Murphy, the team’s 2023 first-rounder who’s looked more like he belongs in the Jordan Willis/Will Clarke/Margus Hunt/Dontay Moch group of failed Bengals edge draftees than someone worthy of a first-round selection. Zero sacks and three hits in 215 pass-rush attempts by him last season really make you wonder if he’s capable of even being a decent backup in this league.

Alas, when it comes down to it, which of these two former high draft picks will have the better pro career? Sound off in the poll below and in the comments!

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cincinnati Bengals fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Source: https://www.cincyjungle.com/2025/6/...-have-better-nfl-career-dax-hill-myles-murphy

 

[Cincinnati Bengals]

Can you guess this Bengals defensive end in today’s in-5 trivia game?

Think you can figure out which Bengals player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!

Hey Bengals fans! We’re back for another day of the Cincy Jungle in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.

If you can’t see the embedded game and you’re using Apple News, click this link.

Previous games​

Monday, June 30, 2025
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Saturday, June 28, 2025

Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games​

NFL in-5
MLB in-5
MMA in-5

Cincy Jungle in-5 instructions​

The goal of the game is to guess the correct Bengals player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.

Who Dey!

Source: https://www.cincyjungle.com/2025/7/1/24459556/sb-nation-bengals-daily-trivia-in-5

 

[Cincinnati Bengals]

Actions speak louder than words

Stripe Hype

There are a lot of things you can say, but you have to execute.

The Cincinnati Bengals are in the business of saying a lot of things, but not necessarily executing them. They know exactly what to say to please people, but they don’t always fulfill those obligations.

Now, don’t get me wrong, they’ve been a lot better, and I mean a lot better. Not only did they sign the face of their franchise, quarterback Joe Burrow, to the largest contract in franchise and NFL history, but they also signed star receiver(s) Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to multi-year deals. They also gave Burrow a little gift and signed tight end Mike Gesicki to a multi-year deal.

The only downfall is the defense. Unfortunately, that’s the problem child of this family.

One of the worst defenses in the league last year, they have a lot to improve on and a lot to fix. They did pick up a couple of free agents and drafted a few guys, but their main piece isn’t happy.

Along with Chase and Higgins, Burrow pleaded this offseason for his star defensive end, Trey Hendrickson, to also get his big payday. Burrow had several offseason interviews, subtly and directly, urging his team to re-sign Trey to a long-term deal.

Burrow continued to say Hendrickson deserved the new contract with market value. There definitely is some truth to that. The man led the league in sacks last season and was second the year before. However, he is still currently under contract and has been extended for an additional year. To sign those contracts is a two-way street.

For that, I understand both sides. Obviously, you can only control what you can control. You can’t control another man’s decision, unfortunately.

However, as a business, which every NFL team is, you should be smart enough to be open-minded and be able to negotiate correctly and appropriately. You get fans in the seats and give them what they want to see. The Bengals have it somewhere around 80-90% correct so far.

How do you get that number to 100%? You work with Trey and get some type of deal done. He said multiple times in interviews that this is where he and his family want to be.

One more small piece. You have to sign defensive end Shemar Stewart to his rookie contract ASAP. You can’t just call someone’s name in the first round and expect a rookie deal to be automatic. Possibly the biggest and most important positions that you’re lacking were the two empty spots in OTAs, thanks to the absences of Hendrickson and Stewart.

Obviously, the fans have heard the holdup is some type of contractual language. I’m not a contract expert or a business expert, but I am a fan expert. You have to complete Stewart’s rookie deal before training camp and allow the rookie to practice with his new teammates and establish synergy with them. The NFL is different from college, and if he doesn’t get any practice, he will be useless.

Now, am I completely panicked? No, but the Bengals need to hurry and hit the brakes before they go nosediving off the fan cliff. Work with each party, negotiate fairly and reasonably, and get each deal done before it’s too late.

Source: https://www.cincyjungle.com/2025/7/2/24450615/actions-speak-louder-than-words

 

[Cincinnati Bengals]

Chase Brown disrespected in RB ranking, but he will face a daunting schedule in 2025

Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Brown is better than this ranking, though he will face arguably the hardest schedule that any NFL running back will get this season.

The Cincinnati Bengals moved on from Joe Mixon, which left some fans concerned about how they would replace him. This concern was even more pronounced when Zack Moss was knocked out for the season.

However, those worries proved to be completely unfounded as after Moss went down, Brown went absolutely crazy, finishing the season with almost 1,000 rushing yards and 360 receiving yards. While those numbers don’t seem crazy, if you look at just his numbers from when Moss was down, he was phenomenal.

If you average his stats from Weeks 9-17 and then stretch those out across a whole season, he would end up with just about a 2,000-yard season combining rushing and receiving.

With such a strong finish to the season, it would be reasonable to see Brown as an ascending player and an easy top 20 running back in the league.

However, in PFF’s running back ranking, Mixon comes in at 25th in the league, behind multiple rookies and players like David Montgomery and Tyler Allgeier, who are fine players, but both had first round picks used to replace them. Trevor Sikkema had this to say about Brown:

“Brown earned a 73.8 PFF rushing grade and a 76.6 PFF receiving grade last season to give him three-down value for the Bengals. That combination of skill helped him produce the 16th-highest PFF WAR mark among running backs in 2024.”

Now, to be fair, a pair of this low ranking could be due to the Bengals facing an insane schedule in terms of run defenses. According to CBS Sports, the Bengals have the hardest strength of schedule when it comes to opposing run defenses. That’s to be expected when you play in a division with potentially three elite run defenses in Baltimore, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh.

With hopefully improved run blocking from whoever wins the competition at guard in 2025, plus improved play from Amarius Mims, the sky is still the limit for Chase Brown in 2026, and the best way to get his name higher on the PFF list is to prove them wrong with another strong season.

Source: https://www.cincyjungle.com/2025/7/...-strength-of-schedule-2025-cincinnati-bengals

 

[Cincinnati Bengals]

Bengals and Shemar Stewart have made no progress on getting a deal done

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The two sides recently tried to reignite contract talks, but they went nowhere.

Training camp is less than three weeks away, and the Cincinnati Bengals have yet to sign first-round pick Shemar Stewart.

Will both sides be able to reach an agreement before Day 1 of camp arrives? For now, it doesn’t appear anything is close to happening...

According to Tyler Dragon of The Cincinnati Enquirer, there has been no progress made on getting Stewart’s deal done after the two sides recently tried to reignite contract talks.

The Bengals and Stewart’s team discussed the rookie’s contract details last week but no progress was made, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The two sides haven’t spoken since.

It has been well-documented why Stewart and the Bengals are at an impasse due to the contract wording, as well as the wording in the participation agreement that could have gotten Stewart onto the practice field without signing his rookie contract.

Alas, unless either side budges, there’s a very real possibility that Stewart isn’t on the field when training camp arrives.

Source: https://www.cincyjungle.com/2025/7/3/24461231/bengals-shemar-stewart-deal-contract