Bengals News (2/18): Andy Dalton destination

Steve Bartkowski: Joe Burrow should ‘pull an Eli Manning’ to avoid Cincinnati Bengals
Former NFL quarterback Steve Bartkowski, the first overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft, offered advice to Heisman Trophy winner and likely 2020 NFL Draft No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow of LSU, according to star-telegram.com’s Drew Davison, telling Burrow to “pull an Eli Manning” so that he doesn’t end up with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Joe Burrow says Bengals have No. 1 draft pick, but he has 'leverage'
"I do have leverage," the former LSU quarterback said, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, during a reception in Fort Worth in which he accepted the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top college quarterback. "[The Bengals] have their process and I have my process. We haven't even gotten to the [NFL] combine yet. There's a lot of things that happen leading up to the draft and a lot of information gathered."

NFL draft: Tyrann Mathieu doesn’t see Joe Burrow turning away Bengals
We’ve heard rumblings of Burrow’s competitive spirt and embracing a challenge like turning around the Bengals. It especially helps that he’s from the area and it would be a homecoming of sorts.

Joe Burrow, family address Cincinnati Bengals speculation
“At this time last year, the reality was, ‘Hey, we hope you have a good enough year to be drafted in the middle rounds,’” Jimmy said. “If you have a great year, maybe move up the draft board. We would have never envisioned him making the rise that he did.”

Cincinnati Bengals: PFF says Bengals worst chance to go worst to first
Still, it’s an interesting topic to think about now after San Francisco’s run. Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus ranked the eight last-place teams in order of which franchise has the best odds of finishing in first place next season — the Bengals finished dead last:

Bengals 2020 offseason player profile/projection: Kevin Huber
This offseason will be an important one for the Bengals as they try to rebuild the roster following a 2-14 finish in 2019, which marked their fourth straight losing season. With the free agency signing period set to begin on March 18, Local12.com is going to take a daily look at a player on the roster leading up to that date and where they stand contractually heading into the 2020 season and where they may fit on the 2020 roster. We will look at players under contract first followed by players who will be free agents:

Peter King would pick Andy Dalton to start for Pats if Tom Brady goes
The idea Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton could end up on the New England Patriots in place of Tom Brady is one of the more popular offseason theories so far.

NFL mock draft: Joe Burrow to Bengals in RJ’s first 2020 mock draft
This could be a prime spot to trade down to a team in need of a quarterback, which would allow the Giants to grab an offensive tackle later in the first round and pick up additional capital. If the Giants stay here, Simmons makes sense.

Around the league

Ten wide receivers worth pursuing in free agency/2020 NFL Draft
When healthy, Green is one of the best at his position even at 32 years old (the age he'll be at the start of the 2020 season). In his last 16-game season (2017), he had 1,078 receiving yards and eight TDs. Teams in search of a WR1 would be foolish not to consider paying the seven-time Pro Bowler, especially if his recent injury history results in a lower market price than you'd expect for a player with his resume. I know some people are down on Green after he missed all of last season, but I'm confident he can still can beat any cornerback in the game.

Cardinals agree to 3-year deal with OT D.J. Humphries
Humphries' trajectory is pointing upward after an inauspicious start to his career. A first-round pick in 2015, he quickly found himself buried on the depth chart and was a healthy scratch for his entire rookie season. Injuries limited him to just 27 games over the next three years.

Tomlin: 'No hesitation' that Big Ben will play Week 1
"Man, he looks great, but he's not doing anything," Tomlin said during an appearance on ESPN's First Take on Monday. "He looks awesome, man, but he hasn't been asked to do anything as it pertains to his rehabilitation. The process day-to-day is going great but we're not at a significant crossroad and it's going to be a number of days before we are."