Bengals News (7/2): Tough competition

Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan talks about Joe Burrow, offensive schemes and player development in the spring
Before summer vacation, Bengals.com re-convened with offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to talk a little ball. Callahan is so good at it, you just roll the ball out there and he expounds on scouting offenses other than LSU, putting Joe Burrow under center at times, the benefits of playing in a Sean Payton scheme and how he just wants Burrow to be himself while hoping other teams watch the Bengals and end up saying, 'Man, I want Joe Burrow, that's what I want."

Bengals spent big on defense, but is there a cornerstone player?
Cincinnati, a traditionally frugal franchise in free agency, committed $95 million to two free agents, former Texans defensive tackle D.J. Reader and ex-Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes. That was part of the spring overhaul that included upgrades at every level of a defense that was tied for the NFL's worst defensive yards per play in 2019.

Bengals, could reportedly ask fans to sign COVID-19 liability waivers
The NFL has maintained consistently that the regular season will go off as planned, albeit with some modifications. This waiver addition to proceedings comes after President Trump’s rally in Tulsa required attendees to sign a waiver.

Bengals mailbag: WR predictions, William Jackson, Carl Lawson in spotlight
A long list of unknowns surrounds the NFL season — and every other league attempting to restart in this country. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still attempt to answer your questions and hypotheticals.

Jake Dolegala is big reason Bengals haven’t brought on veteran backup
“With how successful I was in those last preseason games, I knew I could play at this level,” Dolegala said, according to Bengals.com’s Michael LaPlaca. “I know they are preseason games, but some of those guys end up being Hall of Famers. Once I got that call, I was like alright I made it.”

Bengals schedule remains an unknown after NFL shortens preseason
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert provided the reasoning: “Primary driver was the understanding that players will need longer to get into football shape. There will be a ~ 3-week acclimatization period between the start of camp July 28 and the first pod of preseason games.”

Pro Football Focus examines Bengals WR position battle
The Cincinnati Bengals made a splash in the NFL Draft by selecting Joe Burrow with the first overall pick. He will get a chance to lead the Bengals as the starting quarterback in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Cincinnati Bengals: Where does Who Dey land in NFL mascot rankings?
That means Who Dey ranks better than any other AFC North mascot, though the blip of criticism about the name seems pretty fair. All of the mascots ranked in front of Who Dey — such as Sir Purr in Carolina — have catchy names.

Around the league

Cam Newton's one-year deal with Patriots guarantees just $550K
With just $550,000 guaranteed, the deal is the dictionary definition of low-risk for the Patriots. If Newton gets to New England and isn't healthy, Bill Belichick can quickly cut bait for the smallest of salary-cap hits.

Scouting Trevor Lawrence: QB similar to Deshaun Watson
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence heads into the 2020 season as the face of college football. It's very possible he could pull off the CFB triple crown in the next year: win the Heisman Trophy and the national championship and then become the first overall pick in the NFL draft. I can't remember this much hype about a prospect at the quarterback position since Andrew Luck was entering his final season at Stanford in 2011. I recently had the opportunity to study three of Lawrence's games. Here's my First Look report:

NFLPA has not signed off on shortened preseason
Previously, the expectation has been that the NFL would cut the four-game preseason schedule to just two games, however, the NFLPA has yet to sign off and there are some within union leadership who continue to question whether it's a smart move to play any preseason games at all, Garafolo and Pelissero added.

Packers sign QB Jordan Love to fully guaranteed rookie deal
In a demonstration of the Packers' confidence in Love's future with the team, Green Bay signed him to a fully guaranteed four-year, $12,383,470 contract with a signing bonus of $6,566,160, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported. It's the first time the No. 26 pick has received a fully guaranteed deal under the current rookie contract system, Garafolo added.

Antonio Brown posts video working out with Russell Wilson
Roughly a week removed from NFL Network's Michael Silver reporting that the Seattle Seahawks -- along with the Baltimore Ravens -- were having internal discussions regarding signing wide receiver Antonio Brown, the seven-time Pro Bowler posted a video on his Instagram account of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Brown working out together.