Bengals News (10/31): Rough deadline drama

CBS’ La Canfora: Brown family members vacationed in Switzerland as Bengals failed to trade
The CBS Sports NFL reporter who quoted an anonymous general manager over the weekend as saying it was “a waste of time to call (the Cincinnati Bengals)” in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline criticized the Bengals on Wednesday for their inactivity as contenders pursued A.J. Green and others, in addition to the timing of benching long-time starting quarterback Andy Dalton.

Ryan Finley is ready to roll and has the unwavering confidence heading into his first start.
The Bengals like the 6-5 Finley’s feel in the pocket and that could be a strength as the offensive line continues to work through personnel shifts. (Update: right guard Alex Redmond is probably out, but John Miller is expected back after out the last two games. Andre Smith figures to be back at left tackle after missing the last three.) Taylor talks about how effective Finley is working his way back up into the pocket and stepping up and Callahan likes the way he can complete balls with different arm angles.

A.J. Green is targeting a Week 10 return against the Ravens.
Green also opined he wants to sign a multi-year deal with the Bengals, insists he has no idea where the trade stuff came from (start with teams that were miffed they couldn’t get a first-rounder for him and then go down your roster of agents) and is glad he didn’t get dealt.

A.J. Green and Andy Dalton are the 12th most prolific scoring duo in NFL history.
Green and Dalton. Together. According to Elias, they are the 12th most prolific scoring duo of all-time with 58 touchdown connections. The most in Bengals history. More than Carson Palmer to Chad Johnson. More than Boomer Esiason to Eddie Brown. More than Ken Anderson to Isaac Curtis. All but five of Green’s touchdowns have come from his 2011 draft soulmate.

A.J. Green looks to return Week 10 against the Ravens.
Rookie quarterback Ryan Finley went through his first practice as the starter on The Paul’s turf and it just so happened to be the first practice of the season wide receiver A.J. Green took reps with the offense. Green reported he even caught a ball, a slant-in, from Finley. Green’s goal is to have his first full practice a week from Wednesday and to play his first game against the Ravens at PBS a week from Sunday if all goes well with the ankle.

Bengals Sign Mabin, Place Glasgow On Reserve/Injured
Mabin (6-2, 200), a third-year player out of the University of Iowa, has spent time on both the active roster and practice squad this year for the Bengals. He played in Game 4 at Pittsburgh (no statistics) and was inactive for Game 5 vs. Arizona. He was originally a college free agent signee of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017, and also spent time with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. He has played in 21 career games (one start), and has 18 tackles, a pass defensed and a forced fumble.

Chasing No. 1 - Five NFL teams in 'race' for top draft pick in 2020
How the Bengals can hurt their chances for No. 1 pick: The Bengals could find some success with rookie quarterback Ryan Finley, who will take over as the starter for the final eight games of the season. Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said the team wants to win now despite how it might affect the odds of landing the No. 1 pick. Cincinnati kept its best players as the trade deadline passed.

Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green wants long-term deal 'or let me go'
The 32-year-old Pro Bowler, who has not played this season, is currently in the final year of his four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals. Green has missed the Bengals' 0-8 start to the season because of an ankle injury he suffered during the first practice of the preseason.

Bengals QB Andy Dalton calls timing of benching 'unfortunate'
In his first comments since the Bengals announced the nine-year veteran was going to be replaced as the team's starter, Dalton said the news delivered just before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline limited his ability to explore potential options to stay on the field this season. Two days after the Bengals lost to the Rams in London and fell to 0-8, coach Zac Taylor informed Dalton of the decision to go with rookie Ryan Finley as the team's starter.

Rookie QB Ryan Finley ready to prove himself as Bengals' starter
The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback stepped out of the tunnel of Paul Brown Stadium and onto the field to lead the offense through a cool and rainy practice. For the first time since Cincinnati drafted him with a fourth-round pick in April, Finley was at the helm.

Andy Dalton calls out Bengals over timing of benching, was hoping to get traded before deadline
In his first interview since being benched, Dalton definitely didn't sound happy about the decision. For one, the Red Rifle called out the Bengals for the timing of the benching, which came just hours before the NFL's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline. Dalton, who rarely says anything that's even remotely controversial, made it clear that if he was going to be benched, he would have liked it to happen well before the deadline so that his agent could've worked out a possible trade to get him out of Cincinnati.

A.J. Green addresses uncertain future with the Bengals, reveals how he'd handle the franchise tag
Green has yet to play this season after suffering an ankle injury over the summer, but he is nearing a return, having taken part in team drills for the first time all season on Wednesday. When healthy, Green is one of the league's top receivers and has been since he entered the league back in 2011. But he's also halfway through the final year of his contract and he'll be 32 when next season begins. As the Bengals hit the reset button, there's a very real and convincing argument to be made that Green no longer fits the Bengals' timeline.

Around the league

David Johnson (ankle) not expected to play vs. 49ers
Johnson was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday after missing the first two practices on a short week. It's the same ankle injury that kept him out of the Cardinals' road game in New Orleans this past Sunday while being deemed a game-time decision all week.

Frank Gore, Adrian Peterson matchup 'really special'
"Two future Hall of Famers, no doubt," Redskins interim coach Bill Callahan said Wednesday via team transcript. "[I have] a lot of respect for Frank Gore and what he has done and accomplished throughout his career. I feel great about [Peterson] meeting that challenge. There's going to be a game within a game, let's face it. Those are two prideful, professional athletes that want to do really well and I know they've got a lot of respect for one another.

Matthew Stafford won't let illness break start streak
When Stafford starts on Sunday it will be his 136th consecutive start in the regular season, which is sixth all-time among quarterbacks and his 135 is now second among current streaks behind ironman Philip Rivers (216).

Nick Bosa among October's Players of the Month
Bosa's incredible four weeks has been exciting to watch, and has set up the young DE for a chance to end October by making some history. On Halloween night, Bosa will line up across from a Cardinals O-line that has allowed the sixth-most sacks (27) and, if he adds at least three more, he'll surpass NFL legend Reggie White for the most sacks by a rookie in his first eight games, per NFL Research. Just another example of how scary Bosa has been in a month known for nightmares.