Bengals News (4/30): What Cincinnati missed during the 2020 NFL Draft

7 things learned about the Bengals 2020 draft class
Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor and Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin received high marks across the board from draft analysts and the national media. Joe Burrow being selected No. 1 overall drew a heavy dose of praise, but the following selections of wide receiver Tee Higgins, edge rusher Khalid Kareem, offensive lineman Hakeem Adeniji and linebackers Logan Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither and Markus Bailey were equally as admired.

Report: Bengals won Austin Calitro on waivers over four other teams
Just ask the Cincinnati Bengals, who announced the arrival of two waiver-wire adds this week. One, linebacker Austin Calitro, had several potential suitors interested, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

AFC Notes: Tunsil, Dalton, Ross, Bengals
Speaking of the Bengals, the draft also spelled bad news for receiver John Ross. Dehner writes that the selection of former Clemson receiver Tee Higgins at the top of the second-round “does pretty much confirm this will be Ross’ last year in Cincinnati.” The Bengals drafted Ross ninth overall in 2017, and his career got off to a very bumpy start. Injuries limited him to only three games and zero catches as a rookie, and he had only 210 yards in 2018. This past season he got off to a torrid start, racking up 270 yards and three touchdowns in the first two weeks of the season. He cooled off quickly after that though, and ended up missing another eight games due to injury. He finished with 506 yards in eight games, but the progress apparently still didn’t inspire much confidence within the organization. The Bengals will have to decide this week whether or not to pick up Ross’ fifth-year option for 2021, and Dehner makes it sound like that isn’t too likely.

What the Bengals didn't do in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the one thing they definitely got right
In the lead-up to the 2020 NFL Draft, we mapped out how the Bengals could pull off the perfect draft. Cincinnati did most of things on our list during the draft while putting themselves in a better position to compete in the always tough AFC North division.

Joe Burrow: 'My Goal' Is to Be Bengals' Starter After Being No. 1 Pick in Draft
"That's my goal," he told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network during an appearance on the RapSheet and Friends podcast. "I'm going to work really hard to get there. That first snap of training camp I'm going to walk into that huddle super confident."

Podcast: The Bengals' high draft grades and a look at the AFC North
I joined Mike 'Chico' Bormann and Jonathan Peterlin on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland to discuss the Bengals' draft, Joe Burrow, Andy Dalton's future and the AFC North. Listen to the podcast below.

Jason Peters could help solve the Bengals' offensive line issues
They signed eight free agents, including six projected starters. Transforming a 2-14 teams takes a lot of work and it doesn’t happen overnight. Despite significant upgrades on defense, there are still major question marks on the roster.

Around the league

Favre: Rodgers surprised by Packers' selection of Love
Rodgers should be familiar with this situation, because as the 24th overall pick of the 2005 draft, he was once in Love's shoes. Rodgers was selected to succeed Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. Now Rodgers is the Hall of Fame quarterback who's learned who the Packers hope will one day take his place.

Colbert: Steelers comfortable with backup QB situation
"What we really liked about how he handled his benching was he was positive, he worked harder, he stayed the course and when he was called upon in the Jets game, he played his best quarter and a half and unfortunately he got hurt," Colbert said of Rudolph. "A lot of times we find out a lot about ourselves when we're put in tough situations and Mason was last year and he responded both times in my opinion and we're very comfortable in where he'll be in year three but quite honestly we hope that Ben is out there the whole season."

Berry sees Beckham as 'long-term member' of Browns
With the latest round of Beckham trade rumors fizzling with the completion of the 2020 NFL Draft, Browns general manager Andrew Berry took the faceless antagonist to task -- even if he felt like he was repeating himself at this point -- in answering a Beckham-related question during a Wednesday appearance on Good Morning Football.

Adam Vinatieri, 47, wants to return for another season
The free-agent kicker told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero on Tuesday that he wants to return for a 25th season. However, the quarantine brought upon by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down his rehab following season-ending knee surgery. The future Hall of Famer is not sure he'll be fully healed by the start of the season.