Bengals News (5/31): Salute

NFL.com makes bold prediction for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals
Adan Schein, an NFL.com contributing columnist, made nine bold predictions for the 2021 NFL season this week. And one of his predictions centers around Burrow and the Bengals. Schein predicted that Cincinnati will win more games in 2021 than the Pittsburgh Steelers, their AFC North division rival.

Bengals' Joe Burrow eyeing level up in return from injury: 'I'd like to be more explosive' in 2021
There's great news pouring out almost daily regarding the status of Joe Burrow. As the Cincinnati Bengals begin to look forward to mandatory minicamp in June, they do so having seen the return of the 2020 first overall pick to the field in OTAs after witnessing him suffer a gruesome knee injury in Week 11 that ended his otherwise impressive NFL debut. Burrow required reconstructive knee surgery after tearing both the ACL and MCL in his left knee, and while he's not yet 100 percent, he's close -- listed as "all systems go" for Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Behind the scenes of Joe Burrow's ACL recovery, where he is now
They knew their franchise quarterback, Joe Burrow, was isolated and immobilized far away, north of Los Angeles, in Santa Monica, with a torn ACL and MCL. They knew the sort of toll that could take on an athlete and figured, maybe, they could help. So they decided to Zoom him into those meetings with the other quarterbacks as the team played out the string. And maybe when we get September or October, Burrow will look back and find some sort of minute detail that he took from it and applied in returning to football.

Joe Burrow Hopes to Be 100% from Injury for Start Of Camp, 'Latest by' Bengals Opener
"Two-and-a-half years ago, I didn't know if I was going to be a starting quarterback anywhere in college," Burrow said. "And now, sitting where I'm at, I've gone through a lot of adversity that's helped put me in the position I'm in. This is just another bump in the road that I have to overcome. And I'm confident that I can, and I'm confident I've done it the right way so far."

Bengals: Geno Atkins will sign with Mike Zimmer, Vikings, says expert
While the Bengals did add to the interior of the defensive line multiple times this offseason, looping Atkins back into the rotation wouldn’t be the worst idea. It would probably be a pretty popular move with fans, too. Atkins’ market figures to heat up around training camp, if not right before the season starts.

Two Cincinnati Bengals Players Make Top 25 Under 25 List
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports released his top 25 NFL players under 25-years-old this week. The Bengals had two players on the list and a third that just missed the cut.

Around the league

TE Hunter Henry ready to become a 'complete Patriot,' meet expectations of playing in New England
"I enjoy this culture. I think it fits me really well, and I'm excited to just embrace myself in it and really just be a complete Patriot and what it means," Henry said last week, per Masslive.com. "It's just such a winning culture. There's a tradition here. There's a high level of expectation. So, I think a lot of us, even including myself, are very excited about trying to elevate ourselves to meet those expectations and this culture."

NFL community salutes fallen soldiers on Memorial Day
On Monday, teams and players from around the NFL posted tributes on social media to the servicemen and women who died while serving the country in the U.S. Armed Forces:

Steelers WR Chase Claypool would 'love' to see Julio Jones in Pittsburgh
And although Pittsburgh is already stacked at wide receiver -- with Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson and James Washington -- the second-year player out of Notre Dame would welcome Jones to the WR room.