Bengals News (7/22): Uncertainty early

First Day For Bengals Rookies Just Like All The Rest: Unsure What's Next
Oh, he does know he'll consume Zoom sessions with his coaches and fellow rookies from his new apartment in Northern Kentucky on Wednesday and Thursday. And then Wilson, the third-round pick, has to come back to the trailer in the Paul Brown Stadium players' parking lot on Friday for another Covid test for the rookies. Maybe on Sunday he can get into PBS for his first visit, physical and workout.

Cincinnati Bengals sign LB Logan Wilson, LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, OT/G Hakeem Adeniji and LB Markus Bailey
Wilson (6-2, 241), a third-round pick, spent the last five seasons (2015-19) at the University of Wyoming, with a redshirt year in '15. He started all 52 possible games during his career, and totaled 421 tackles, including 35 for losses and seven sacks, along with 17 pass breakups, 10 INTs (two pick-sixes), four FFs and four FRs (two returned for TDs). He had 17 career games with double-digit tackles, and three seasons of at least 100 tackles.

Bengals defensive line ranked among NFL's best
Adding the 26-year-old to a group that already had Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap and Sam Hubbard was an important step toward remaking one of the NFL's worst defenses. Pro Football Focus likes the moves the Bengals have made this offseason. They ranked Cincinnati's defensive line as the 10th best in the NFL.

Bengals RB Rodney Anderson plans to kneel during national anthem
The Bengals, alongside the rest of the NFL, changed course on this topic in recent months. Cincinnati was one of the slower teams to issue statements in the wake of George Floyd’s death, but pledged $250,000 to community initiatives. EVP Katie Blackburn later issued a statement in response to some “raw, uncut” player meetings staged by head coach Zac Taylor.

Ranking the Bengals' five best salary cap bargains: Cincinnati's young money on offense
The Cincinnati Bengals roster is an odd conglomeration of expensive veteran and cheap rookie contracts. After nearly two decades of consistency, the franchise hit the reset button and started over with first-time head coach Zac Taylor. The 2019 season was disappointing but their hardships may be short-lived as LSU national champion quarterback Joe Burrow rides into town.

Details on preventive measures Bengals will take opening camp
The Cincinnati Bengals will open training camp this month now that the NFL and NFLPA have begun to hammer out details like opt-outs, preseason games and coronavirus testing, though formal agreement has yet to take place.

Bengals believe Drew Sample can be an upper-echelon blocker
When the Cincinnati Bengals selected Drew Sample in the second round of the 2019 draft, they drew plenty of criticism. The roster had more glaring needs at linebacker and offensive line, along with other positions that certainly could have used some bolstering. To make matters worse, many believed the Washington tight end could have been had on day three, leaving fans and analysts alike scratching their heads.

Cincinnati Bengals: Making Ken Anderson's case for Canton
Organizations and their potential Hall of Famers often campaign to have their names considered for Canton in cases where they’re on the edge of earning the honor. This is part of the reason most franchises have a “ring of honor”, or something similar to it and it’s why so many are pushing the Bengals to establish one as well.

Around the league

NFLPA tells players there will be no preseason games in 2020
Union leadership shared this information with its players during a conference call one day after the league proposed a one-game preseason slate to the union, then followed that up later Monday with an adjusted offer that included zero preseason games. The NFL and NFLPA previously had been split on a preseason slate, with the league sticking to a desire to play half of a typical four-game preseason schedule before acquiescing this week.

Scouting Rashod Bateman: WR similar to Michael Thomas
The 2020 NFL Draft's wide receiver class was the deepest I'd seen at the position since I began scouting in 2003, and it looks like I'm going to be singing the praises of the next crop of receivers that enter the league, too. I was extremely impressed with the two wideouts we've already covered in this series -- LSU's Ja'Marr Chase and Alabama's DeVonta Smith -- and I feel the same way after studying Minnesota's Rashod Bateman. This has the makings of a golden era at the position. Here's my scouting report.

NFLPA: 59 players have tested positive for COVID-19
The total number was updated via the union's official website, which features a hub for the latest information on COVID-19 for all players. The change from 95 down to 59 was clarified in a tweet from the NFLPA in which it stated: "The previous number included all known positives across the league, including staff, and has now been updated to include only players."

Michael Bennett retires from the NFL after 11 seasons
"Retiring feels a little like death of self, but I'm looking forward to the rebirth -- the opportunity to reimagine my purpose," Bennett wrote on Instagram. "I would like to thank my wife and children, who have sacrificed so much for me to succeed. I'm looking forward to supporting them the same way they have me these past 11 years. I have never been more at peace in my life.

Raiders agree to terms with No. 12 overall pick Henry Ruggs
Ruggs vaulted up the draft board thanks to a pre-draft process that showcased his hyper-athleticism via an excellent NFL Scouting Combine workout and circulation of his highlight tape from Alabama and his high school basketball days. Las Vegas' selection of the speed demon as the first receiver off the board at No. 12 was vintage Raiders, opting for a player with a fantastic athletic ceiling when in need a home-run threat.