Bengals News (3/11): Possible protection

Bengals legend Ken Anderson believes LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is a natural fit in Cincinnati
Ken Anderson, the NFL's first 70-percent passer in the Super Bowl Era while becoming the Bengals all-time leading passer, has a history of being accurate and he believes he's on the mark when it comes to LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.

Joe Burrow is probably doing homework on the Bengals, too
Tucked into some details about the Bengals and Burrow is the idea the Heisman Trophy-winner is asking other teams about the Bengals, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer:

Cincinnati Bengals free-agent target profile: Bryan Bulaga
Quietly, Bulaga has never had a great attendance sheet. He’s played in a full 16-game season just three times — including last season. He played in 14 games in 2018 and five in 2017. Even so, last year he graded at 77.8 at Pro Football Focus and 75.0, numbers about in line where he has typically graded. He was called for six penalties last year, down from eight the year prior. It doesn’t look like he’s regressing much — but he has to be healthy.

Joe Burrow will only solve one of the Cincinnati Bengals’ many problems
The Bengals suffered through an awful 2019 that saw longtime starter Andy Dalton get benched (on his birthday!) amidst a two-win season. Cincinnati was bad on both sides of the ball, giving up 34+ points four times and scoring 34+ points only once. Dalton can be released this offseason without any lasting damage to the Bengals’ salary cap, and his imminent departure should set the stage for a massive rebuild in southwest Ohio.

Raiders to Spend Big on Defense, Target Bengals LB: Report
Las Vegas has holes all over the defense, but linebacker is without question the team’s biggest area of weakness. Only one linebacker from last season is still under contract and it seems really unlikely anybody is getting re-signed. The Raiders will almost certainly address the position in the draft, but they will also be players in free agency. Per Caplan, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther could want to reunite with a familiar face:

Bengals blanked as NFL awards compensatory picks in 2020 draft
The NFL announced the distribution of picks Tuesday. The Bengals have gone a bit away from their historical approach of leaning into the compensatory process. That figures to continue this offseason as evidence continues to mount that the team wants to be more active than usual in free agency.

Bengals 2020 offseason player profile/projection: Jessie Bates III
CINCINNATI (WKRC) - 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 have taken look at offensive players and specialists under contract first then followed by offensive players who will be free agents and now defensive players:

Around the League

Alvin Kamara 'back to 100' percent after playing at 75
Alvin Kamara basically carried the Drew Brees-less New Orleans Saints to a Week 3 win in Seattle in Teddy Bridgewater's first start. Kamara shed tacklers like he was taking off a raincoat and tossed aside defender after defender. The running back compiled 161 of the Saints 265 yards and scored twice.

Rivers tried to get Austin Ekeler 1K 'every which way'
Rivers' final outing for the Chargers before leaving Los Angeles will stand as a defeat to the eventual Super Bowl champions -- the rival Chiefs. It will also stand as a telling tale of the gunslinger's commitment to his teammates even in the face of a lost season.

Graham Glasgow not expecting to re-sign with Detroit
"I'm bummed that I'm not able to stay cause I love Michigan and I love the Detroit area, Ann Arbor," Glasgow told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press this week. "I've been here for almost about a decade now and it's awesome and I really, really like the guys in the locker room and I think we have a good team and a good group of guys. So in that regard, it sucks. But you don't play football forever, so I think that being able to go somewhere else and make some money is an exciting thing."

Robby Anderson: Jets 'definitely want me back' in '20
"I think they definitely want me back," Anderson said, per ESPN. "I truly do want to be back with the Jets. I love Sam (Darnold). I love my teammates, Jamal (Adams) and all those guys. I feel like there's unfinished business there that I've been trying to get done since I got there. I would hope to finish out the mission, all in all, but it's a business."