Bengals News (3/4): New target

Bengals Scouts Revise The Script For Next Draft Phase
Each universe has its own date when COVID shuttered its world. For the Bengals, it's March 12. Tee Day. That's the day before the NFL shut it down and the Bengals were able to finish off a two-day visit with Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins at his pro day that verified they were in the right place.

Bengals re-sign long snapper Clark Harris to a one-year contract extension
Harris, a 13th-year player in 2021, has served as Cincinnati's long snapper since mid-2009. He has made 1699 career deep snaps for the Bengals without an unplayable delivery. He enters the 2021 season having played in 184 career games for Cincinnati, one shy of Anthony Muñoz (185) for sixth-most in team history.

Cornerback Jalen Davis Re-Signs With The Bengals
Davis, a second-year player out of Utah State University, originally was a 2018 college free agent signee of the Miami Dolphins and later spent time with the Arizona Cardinals. He joined the Bengals' practice squad midway through last season and played in six games, recording four tackles. For his career, he has played in 11 games and totaled 10 tackles, a sack and a FF.

Bengals face an expensive question on Carl Lawson
With Lawson, sacks don't tell the whole story. The tape and the analytics explain why Lawson will be an appealing target should the Bengals not use the franchise tag on him -- and how an improved Cincinnati defense could lead to more sacks in 2021.

Cincinnati Bengals Should be Interested in Las Vegas Raiders guard Gabe Jackson
Multiple veteran offensive linemen are going to be released in the coming days because of the reduced salary cap in 2021. The Bengals are one of the few teams that will have plenty of room to make multiple additions to their roster in free agency.

NFL free agency: Cincinnati Bengals announce two roster moves
For now, this is the Bengals simply knocking out some of the easier deals before focusing on the difficult stuff ahead of the market opening on March 17. That means fans will have to wait and see what happens with major names like William Jackson and Carl Lawson.

Cincinnati Bengals get offensive in 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft
After spending most of the year running for his life, Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a major knee injury late last season. After taking Burrow No. 1 overall last year, the Bengals made Burrow their franchise player. However, they did not do a great job of putting him in a position to succeed. That simply must change this offseason.

Analyst Voices Concerns About Oregon Offensive Tackle Penei Sewell
Protecting Burrow may sound easy, but Cincinnati has struggled to draft quality offensive linemen in recent seasons. Most analysts believe Oregon tackle Penei Sewell could be a generational prospect and would instantly improve the Bengals' offensive line.

Around the league

Browns GM doesn't view Wentz deal as cautionary tale for QB Baker Mayfield
"The quarterback position is in my mind the most important position in professional sports,'' Berry said Wednesday, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "And until you have a baseline of winning-level quarterback play, it's really difficult to win and make progress in the NFL, and oftentimes if that position isn't productive or isn't solidified, it can feel a lot like operating in neutral.

Best/worst-case scenarios for 15 NFL QBs facing uncertainty in 2021
It wasn't always this way. The QB position has typically been a place of relative calm in the NFL. But lately, we've seen a wave of changes at the game's most important position. Some franchise stalwarts have aged out of their jobs, while teams seem less precious about their incumbents and more willing to take swings at an upgrade.

Vikings GM Rick Spielman anticipates 'tough' decisions to get under salary cap
With the salary cap expected to drop significantly this season, the Vikings sit along with a plethora of other clubs over the projected figure -- even after releasing Rudolph. Minnesota GM Rick Spielman said Wednesday his team will need to be more imaginative than ever.

Saints terminate contracts of TEs Jared Cook, Josh Hill
"Jared consistently displayed the playmaking skills that attracted us to him as a free agent two years ago," coach Sean Payton said in a statement. "He made a lot of big plays for us and was a positive influence on his teammates. Jared is a consummate professional who is dedicated to his craft and we wish him the best of luck in the future."