Bengals News (3/1): Kicking off a competition

At Scouting Combine, NFL Power Bengals Court A Different Offseason: "We’re Going To Be Trying To Maintain Our Team"
"Roster building is cyclical. We're heading into a phase of our roster building that is going to be more focused internally than externally," Tobin said. "It doesn't mean we won't be looking for opportunities externally, but we won't be trying to build our team from the external UFAs (unrestricted free agents). We're going to be trying to maintain our team with the guys who have proven they belong and can effectively win for the Cincinnati Bengals. While we always look at free agency, it might be a little different mindset."

Combine Notes: Bengals Scouts 'Hitting On All Cylinders'
"I think our scouting department is hitting on all cylinders right now," Tobin said Tuesday. "I think they are confident in exactly what is going to play and play well for the Cincinnati Bengals currently. I think they know exactly what our coaching staff is looking for. I think they know exactly what Zac's culture is, how to emphasize that and just done a great job evaluating guys correctly and getting us in the right order. And we've had the good fortune of some guys falling to us. Sometimes we had to trade up, which I hate doing, but when you feel the need and know there is a guy there you have high regard for you go ahead and do that."

'Untradeable': Bengals brain trust on plan for Higgins as he enters final year of rookie deal
"If the numbers are outrages and it's clear the two sides won't see eye to eye," Dehner wrote, he posited the Bengals could do something similar to what the Tennessee Titans did during last year's NFL Draft, trading A.J. Brown to Philadelphia in exchange for a first-round draft pick used on another wide receiver, Treylon Burks.

Top reactions to Duke Tobin’s viral comments about Tee Higgins trade
Tobin didn’t hold back on the topic, with this sentence quickly going viral in the NFL community: “I’m not in the business of making other teams better. You want a great receiver go find your own.”

Duke Tobin unsure on Joe Mixon returning as Bengals weigh contracts: 'I don't have the answers'
"Joe has been a vital part of our team," Tobin said Tuesday at his NFL Scouting Combine news conference. "He's been a successful part of our team. Again, I'm not gonna predict the offseason because I don't have the answers. In the words of the great Kevin Malone (a character from The Office), 'I don't know.'"

Report: Cincinnati Bengals Defensive End Wyatt Hubert Coming Out Of Retirement
“After being retired for the last 6-7 months. I was able to sit back and let my body just relax and heal naturally from rest," Hubert said. "Now I am confident that I can go out and perform the way I was expected to when I was initially drafted into the NFL.”

Jamel Dean Free Agency Predictions: Landing Spots Include Bengals, Giants, and Lions
The Bengals were able to get the most they possibly could out of the Eli Apple experience, developing a defense that mitigated his weaknesses. But with Apple hitting free agency, the Bengals could replace him with Dean and pair him with Chidobe Awuzie. Like Dean, Awuzie is underrated in the public’s eye because neither forces turnovers at a high rate.

Bengals expect open competition at punter this offseason
Drue Chrisman took over for the veteran Kevin Huber last year and provided a marginal upgrade, but the numbers didn’t rank well leaguewide and some high-profile struggles in the playoffs stood out.

Bengals aren’t counting out names like Jessie Bates and Germaine Pratt
That includes Jessie Bates and Germaine Pratt, two players who remain big question marks because of projected big markets at a time the team wants to shift more money to the offensive side of the ball.

Around the league

Packers' Aaron Rodgers finishes retreat, addresses future: 'I don't want to drag anybody around'
"For everybody involved directly and indirectly, it's best for a decision earlier," Rodgers said on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast. "I feel really good about the conversations that are gonna be had, that have been had, with the important people in my life that help to orient me. But I'm not looking for somebody to tell me what the answer is. All the answers are right inside me, and I touched many of them -- and definitely the feelings -- on both sides during the darkness. I'm thankful for that time.

Chargers GM Tom Telesco says WR Keenan Allen isn't going anywhere: 'He’s our Andre Reed. He’s our Charlie Joiner'
"Keenan Allen, to me, he's our Andre Reed. He's our Charlie Joiner," Telesco said Wednesday on Good Morning Football when asked if the aging WR has a place on the 2023 roster. "He's an incredible football player. We have a great quarterback and we need weapons around him. There's never been any thought of that."

GM Howie Roseman on Eagles' success with push play: 'All I know is everything we're doing is legal and works'
The Eagles converted 90% of QB sneaks, with Hurts also generating six first downs in the Super Bowl on sneaks. The push play has been legal since 2005, but no team employed it with as much dominance as the 2022 Eagles. Philly's success has led to discussions about whether pushing a player should be illegal again.

GM John Lynch: 49ers could add veteran quarterback as Trey Lance, Brock Purdy return from injuries
"A lot of people want to talk about what we didn't accomplish with him," Lynch said. "What I know is we won a lot of football games with Jimmy. I admire, we admire his toughness, admire the teammate that he was. So I know everyone wants to talk about some discourse and all that, but I do believe that it's probably run its course. We leave with nothing but fond memories for Jimmy. Jimmy's gonna go play good football for someone."