Bengals News (7/23): Family remains important to Zac Taylor

Taylor-Made Roots
After all, Kathryn, his younger sister by 22 months, was known to march through the office of his head coach at Nebraska, Bill Callahan, to insist that he run one of her plays. It could have been Z Streak. Or the Quarterback Sneak. Or Trash Can. This is known in the family as Kathryn being Kathryn.

Countdown To Training Camp: Flying Under-the Radar
Let’s look at some under-the-radar players heading into training camp 2019. These are the guys who don’t get much publicity but, though they might not be big stars, help their teams win football games.

Countdown To Training Camp: By The Numbers
Pro Bowl selections needed by wide receiver A.J. Green and defensive tackle Geno Atkins for eight in their careers, second in Bengals history only to Hall of Fame left tackle Anthony Munoz’s 11.

Countdown To Training Camp: Can Dalton Return To Form?
Only Matthew Stafford has more fourth-quarterback comebacks. He’s got more wins than Cam Newton, Joe Flacco and Phillip Rivers, more passing yards than Russell Wilson and a better passer rating than Nick Foles. And with his tenth touchdown pass this season he’ll pass Bengals legend Ken Anderson’s club-record 197.

AFC North Watch: Mike Tomlin extension talk, Browns face distractions
And the AFC North figures to make plenty of noise the rest of the way. The Baltimore Ravens hope they’re contenders after reloading defensively and going with a new-look approach on offense. Pittsburgh is more of the same and Cleveland has more hype than arguably any team in the league. As for the Bengals, the hope is contention too despite a new head coach and injuries already.

Cincinnati Bengals: Expect a fight for top spot in the AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals rookie head coach Zac Taylor can expect a hornets’ nest in his first season in the Queen City. The AFC North could wind up being one of the most compelling divisions to watch in 2019. From top to bottom, the Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens are tightly bunched, at least on paper.

Bengals’ brutal schedule explains 6-10 projection for Zac Taylor
Unfortunately, this intersects with the beginning of a new era for the Bengals in an almost unfair fashion. In fact, the schedule had been the biggest talking point when it comes to adversity facing the Bengals well before Jonah Williams went down and Clint Boling retired.

8 Bengals with the most to prove during training camp
At these preseason events, many members of the team have plenty to prove. It starts at the top with a new coaching staff, though the pressure is on the players to prove themselves for a variety of reasons.

Around the league

1st-round pick Daniel Jones, Giants agree on deal
Quarterback Daniel Jones, the No. 6 selection in the 2019 NFL Draft and the presumed heir apparent to take the signal-calling reins from Eli Manning, agreed in principle with the Giants on his rookie contract on Monday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported per sources informed of the situation. The team later announced the signing.

Landon Collins refuses to refer to Giants by name
In a recent interview with the 106.7 The Fan, Collins was discussing his Madden 20 rating -- because to complain about such a thing is apparently in vogue in 2019 -- which obviously relied heavily on his play with his former team. During the conversation, Collins characterized the Giants as "the other team I was on."

Darius Slay to report to Lions camp Wednesday
On Monday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that defense tackle Damon "Snacks" Harrison said he would report on time.

Jets sign former Texan Ryan Griffin to fill TE need
However, the tight end's time in Texas came to an unceremonious end when he was cut on May 17 following an arrest during 2019 NFL Draft festivities in Nashville for allegedly breaking a hotel window and being charged with vandalism and public intoxication. The case was later dismissed.

Trent Williams not expected to report to camp
The issues with Williams goes back to a health scare suffered earlier this spring. Williams had a growth on his head that doctors had to remove. Coach Jay Gruden indicated when the left tackle skipped mandatory minicamp that Williams was upset that the team physicians didn't catch the growth sooner.