Bengals News (6/8): Tee Higgins days as No. 85 are numbered

How A Familiar Face Helping Bengals Offensive Line.
"The ultimate teammate. My favorite teammate of all-time," said new center Ted Karras after Tuesday's voluntary practice. "A cultural, spiritual, emotional leader. Fitzy was like the turning point of growth for me … A catalyst about how it was like to be a man in the NFL … Connect with everyone. That's one of my strengths, but he was to the max."

Quick Hits: Dax Hill, Ja'Marr Chase, Vet DB Michael Thomas
It's nice when your first-round pick comes in as advertised. It's even nicer for head coach Zac Taylor that when safety Dax Hill takes reps with vets like safety Vonn Bell and veteran cornerbacks such as Mike Hilton, Chidobe Awuzie and Eli Apple, it's not all that hard for a rookie to get them lined up.

Bengals Roster: Realistic expectations for Eli Apple in 2022
With the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Eli Apple out of Ohio State. He didn’t live up to the expectations in the Big Apple (no pun intended), and by the end of his third pro season, had been traded to the Saints where he spent the next year and a half.

Bengals OTAs: Joe Burrow ran sprints, signed autographs for every kid
Maybe it’s not that unusual for a quarterback to do. But we’re talking about the guy who used his Heisman Trophy ceremony to promote a good cause and a guy who doesn’t go out of his way to take on national endorsements and such that might make sense for a player of his caliber.

Jessie Bates contract update: Bengals head coach Zac Taylor comments
“They want to be perfect,” Taylor said. “These guys have a very high standard for themselves and it's upsetting when something doesn't quite go their way and that's what you want to see as a coach, that frustration and the fuel to get it right on the next rep. That's where we want to be right now, the step we need to be taking is striving for perfection on every play and if it's not that way then it's below standard and that's where we want to be.”

Latest on Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins' Potential Number Change
"I'm going back to five," Higgins said at the time. "It's not that big of a deal, but I just felt like Chad (Johnson) has done so much for this organization and I just got a good feeling that his number is gonna get lifted one day and I just want to make a name for myself. I keep seeing on Twitter 'Ochocinco 2.0.' I don't want to be a 2.0. No disrespect to Chad, he's a great receiver, I just don't want to be a 2.0 for myself. I want to be a Tee Higgins 1.0, number five. Just go out there and make a name for myself for this organization."

Around the league

Broncos, Walton-Penner family enter into purchase-sale agreement to acquire team
The Walton-Penner family is now set to acquire ownership of the Broncos from the Pat Bowlen Trust, pending approval from the NFL's finance committee and league ownership. Per the Broncos and Walton-Penner joint statement, the agreement is also subject to "the satisfaction of customary closing procedures."

Which NFL players will level up in '22? CeeDee Lamb, Pat Surtain, Jalen Hurts top my GUARANTEED risers
"I'm just trying to take the next step," Pittman recently said, per the Indy Star. "Last year, I said that I was going to double every single category, and I did that. This year, I'm trying to build on that and become that definite receiver No. 1 that everybody talks about."

Next Gen Stats' 10 most explosive runners of 2021: Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson on the board
In order to qualify for this list, runners must have had a minimum of 100 carries in 2021 and at least 20 or more carries of 10-plus yards. From there, we examined the total number and percentage of 15-plus mph runs as the defining measurement of an explosive run. I'm looking for the runners who made significant gains most often, and these requirements provide clarity in such a task.

Steelers' Diontae Johnson not fretting other WR contracts: 'I try not to look at that or pocket watch'
"At the end of the day, I can only move forward and just control what I can control. I want to be here. I'm patient. I'm just going to keep working. My agent is going to do what he do in that situation, and I'm not going to focus on that."