Bengals News (6/6): Joe Mixon set to remain in Queen City

Bengals expected to keep RB Joe Mixon
If cut, Mixon would save the team roughly $10 million, but the draft cemented the idea as unlikely. The Bengals added Chase Brown in the fifth round, but he’s in line to compete with Trayveon Williams for the right to back up Mixon, not take over the backfield.

Bengals LG Cordell Volson Has A New Fan In His New Left Tackle: 'Pro Bowl Potential With Size And Mental Makeup'
"He's got that Pro Bowl potential with his size and mental makeup," Brown says of Volson after one of the voluntary practices before next week's mandatory minicamp. "I think he really uses his height to his advantage. His mindset and his length are two things that are really going to separate him in the long run.

Rookie RB Chase Brown's Routine Anything But As Bengals Note His NFL-Ready Approach
"I'm a routine person," says Brown, who set his alarm an hour later Thursday morning because the schedule began an hour later. "I know how important consistency is. When I didn't do things consistently, those little losses would add up and that's what changed me. The little wins. Setting yourself a schedule, going through a schedule chronologically. Just doing what you say you're going to do on a daily basis. And those little things, the little wins turn into big things and big wins and at the end of the day, you see improvement in yourself."

A Team Meeting In Zacland, Where Less Is More For Bengals
"Very efficient information dispensed and there isn't a lot of faffing around," says center Ted Karras, one of his captains who has played more NFL games than anyone on offense. "I would put Zac as the best scheduler I've ever been around."

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow Holds Inaugural Golf Fundraiser for Foundation
The event was sold-out and raised money for Burrow’s foundation, which aims to help families struggling to make ends meet by giving them resources to address youth mental health and food insecurity.

How attendance at OTAs for Jonah Williams doesn’t mean much: Bengals Tuesday morning briefing
Williams is returning from offseason surgery, and while he was expected to be fully cleared before June, he hasn’t had the offseason workload that others on the team have had. With just over two weeks left in the Bengals’ offseason program before a month break, there’s not much to take from Williams’ arrival back with the team.

Why Bengals coach Zac Taylor continues to alter his team’s offseason program
The Bengals are being really thoughtful about how they’re handling their offseason program. Last year, coming out of the Super Bowl against the Rams, and facing the shortest offseason in NFL history, Zac Taylor made the decision to lop two weeks off the team’s program to give his players extra rest. It worked so well for everyone last year that Taylor decided to do something not identical, but awfully similar this year.

Bengals not sure how to handle new kickoff rule yet or if it will have desired result
NFL owners passed the rule on May 23 with Rich McKay, chairman of the NFL's competition committee, telling NFL Network, "The kickoff play for us has been a play that has had a lot of changes for us over the years, all really driven by health and safety. The concussion rate on the play has gone up. It's gone up because the ball is being returned more by kicks that are being hung inside the 5-yard line. College made this rule change in maybe 2018 or 2019. We looked at their data and said, you know what, this is the right thing to do now."

Bengals monopoly on receivers shows in advanced stat - A to Z Sports
Nick Shook of NFL.com listed the top 10 receivers from the 2022 season, but the formula is unique. Using Next Gen Stats' catch rate over expected (CROE) metric, Shook came up his rankings by factoring in separation from the nearest defender, depth of target, and speed after figuring out which receivers consistently hauled in passes that weren't expected to be completed.

Around the league

'Madden NFL 24' cover reveal: Five players who deserve consideration
Surely it can't be Patrick Mahomes again, right?! The reigning AP Most Valuable Player has been chosen twice in the last four years. EA Sports should instead consider turning to Hurts, the quarterback who finished second to Mahomes in both Super Bowl LVII and MVP voting and has the talent to go toe-to-toe with Mahomes for years to come. Not only did Hurts throw for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns against just six interceptions last season, but he also rushed for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns. He made a compelling case to become the face of this year's game by putting up the video game-like numbers Madden players strive for.

Chargers coach Brandon Staley says contract negotiations with QB Justin Herbert are 'ongoing'
"They've done such a great job of taking care of us and my message really hasn't changed," Herbert said, via Thiry. "It's been an honor to be a part of this team. It's great to come to events like this and whatever happens, happens and it's out of my control at this point."

Next Gen Stats' top 10 pass catchers by CROE of 2022: Surprise at No. 1!
We're diving into what feels like the most controversial top-10 ranking of this annual series: pass catchers who most often exceeded expectation. The criteria remains the same as it did a year ago. In order to qualify, a pass catcher (running backs not included) had to reach the following benchmarks in the 2022 NFL season: 50 targets, 50 receptions and 300 routes run.