Bengals News (2/18): Obvious Credentials

Looking at the Pro Football Hall of Fame credentials of Ken Anderson, Ken Riley and Isaac Curtis
They say numbers don't tell the whole story. Maybe they do in the Pro Football Hall of Fame cases for Ken Riley and Ken Anderson as the legendary Bengals seek a bust via the senior process for players retired more than 25 years. And with Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson this year's senior inductee, Isaac Curtis has a compelling case, too.

Bengals: Draft history that can be used to drive up price of 5th overall pick
By the time late April rolls around, there’s a good chance the Cincinnati Bengals are going to find themselves in a position where they desire to trade back. The front office likely has their sights set on either offensive tackle Penei Sewell or wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, but the probability that one of those two guys falls to them seems to decrease with each passing day.

PFF projects a Bengals free agency haul, including Joe Thuney
Pro Football Focus has de-facto general manager Duke Tobin and co. accomplishing it, however. The analytical powerhouse projected the Bengals to not only retain two of their own top players in William Jackson III and Carl Lawson but also net arguably the top offensive lineman to hit the open market: Joe Thuney.

Could Bengals seek Bradley Roby trade with Texans as fallback plan?
“However, this could be a great opportunity for a discounted trade given Roby’s situation in Houston, and perhaps a fifth-round pick wouldn’t be necessary to get this deal done, with Houston taking a sixth-rounder just to get anything back.”

Cincinnati Bengals Continue to Build Around Joe Burrow in Mock Draft 3.0
There are plenty of other great options if those two guys are off the board. Fans shouldn't expect Cincinnati to reach on an offensive tackle in the first round if Sewell isn't available. There's talk about Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater being in the same tier as the Oregon star, but I don't buy it.

D.J. Reader makes a mini Bengals free-agency pitch to J.J. Watt
Reader, like anyone else, saw that the Houston Texans released Watt ahead of free agency. And like pretty much any Bengals fan, he seems to have one thing on the mind — nudging Watt toward signing with the Bengals.

Bengals could fill needs among potential cap casualties
Timing has never been a hallmark trait for the Bengals organization, but that could be about to change in 2021. It’s going to be a buyer’s market with a drop in the salary cap looming and a dozen teams over the projected $180.5 million number. And the Bengals have the available cash to throw around for a second consecutive spring.

Around the league

2020 NFL rookie report card: Ranking each team's class, 1 to 32
Over the past couple weeks, NFL.com rolled out division-by-division files featuring grades for each team's rookie class, with Gennaro Filice and Nick Shook sharing the evaluation duties. Upon completion of this series, Filice and Shook had a meeting of the minds to officially rank every group, from 1 to 32. Here's the pecking order:

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert noncommittal on Ben Roethlisberger's future with team
Roethlisberger is due to count $41.25 million against the Steelers' salary cap under his current contract. Pittsburgh brass has previously noted that something would need to be done with the QB's contract to remain on the roster. Big Ben has sounded amicable to finding a solution that allows him to stay with the Steelers QB for an 18th season.

Jacksonville Jaguars announce primary uniform switch from black to teal
The shift to teal is the latest in a line of branding efforts made to remake the franchise's image and follows the club's turn to its current, simpler uniforms after forcing the garish, two-toned helmet sets onto the football world for five years. Teal was included in the team's most recent redesign, but as an alternate -- a Color Rush, back when that was an official thing -- that could only be worn occasionally.

Saquon Barkley: ACL tear 'probably the weakest moment of my life'
"When I hurt my knee, I'm not going to lie, that's probably the weakest moment of my life, especially in those first few days," Barkley said, via NJ.com. "I just couldn't control myself crying, asking 'Why me? Why me? Why me?"