HoosierCat

As expected, the Bengals are finally getting serious about Hendrickson, making a series of offers in the runup to camp. https://www.wlwt.com/article/trey-hendrickson-cincinnati-bengals-contract-progress-2025/65463198 I would guess it's because vets are scheduled to report tomorrow. I'll repeat what I said a while back: they will sign him to a new deal that gives him most or all of what he wanted, and that they could have done six months ago and avoided all this drama, because that's how they roll.

Yeah, it's way early this year. It's usually in the first week of August.

Some initial roster moves, both expected. Placed TE Erick All Jr. on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list Placed C Seth McLaughlin on the Active/Non-Football Injury list

Done. 80% guaranteed. https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nfl/cincinnati-bengals/news/and-then-there-was-one-bengals-agree-historic-rookie-contract-2025-draft-pick/d7f90db1ec8d52d9969671ff

From Ari Meirov on twitter:

Ha ha other NFL teams are so stupid! They have just one GM. But not the Bengals! If one is good, then THREE must be awesome! https://www.cincyjungle.com/2025/7/18/24470113/bengals-front-office-moves-promotion-assistant-general-manager-trey-brown

Who could have seen this coming, amirite?

According to the dna test I did, I’m about 60% Irish/northern England, 30% southern France/Bavaria, and most of the rest is Scandinavian. So I too have a drinking trifecta!

Speaking of 2025 opponents, former Bengals and current Browns DB Tony Brown is now The Ap3x. https://substack.com/home/post/p-167486344

You get to retire?!?! Man, must be nice. Pretty sure I’m gonna die at work…

The rich get richer, and the taxpayers get soaked-er.

Lap and Parrish this time. https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/lapham-parrish-to-be-inducted-into-cincinnati-bengals-ring-of-honor/PER7HKLRTNAJZBAO5V7KH56LQE/

This will make Mike's day, I'm sure.

He has one job…

Good convo with Dehner on the survey and more here. https://www.golongtd.com/p/substack-live-inside-the-cincinnati

New fan survey out and the verdict is in: everything sucks and ALL IS LOST!!! https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6485298/2025/07/15/bengals-2025-franchise-survey-results/ Highlights: FO sucks Tobin sucks Zac sucks We are never gonna win a SB Franchise going in the wrong direction This offseason sucked Organization hates its fans Seriously it’s pretty bad. Fan confidence has collapsed across the board.

Bengals kick the tires on another DT. https://www.cincyjungle.com/2025/7/15/24468182/cincinnati-bengals-free-agency-workout-kyon-barrs-2025-training-camp-roster

So here’s a breakdown on the situation worth reading from Breech over at cbs. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/back-to-school-back-to-the-draft-shemar-stewart-could-exploit-loophole-in-chaotic-rulebook-to-burn-bengals/ A couple points that really haven’t been discussed before. The first, money. Second, could he go back and play another year in college? Maaaaaaybe. That would be something to see.

I want Knight in camp, especially if Stewart is going to sit out. The last thing this team can afford is for its top two picks to both miss time.

Obviously Stewart's holdout has grabbed the spotlight, but it might be worth noting that Knight isn't signed either, like most of the rest of this year's second-round picks. I think a Knight holdout would be worse than a Stewart holdout at this point. Knight got raves in offseason works earlier this year and he is already pretty much locked in as the starter opposite Wilson. Meanwhile, Stewart was looking like much more of a rotational piece in the d-line, at least to begin with. Hopefully some other team can come up with a creative solution to the issue. Gawd knows it won't be the Bengals.

Meanwhile in Cleveland... Seems like there's another report of crap behavior coming out of Cleveland every few days. When this happened in Cincy we were branded for years as a franchise full of thugs and criminals. I wonder when that starts happening to Cleveland? (Spoiler: never, of course.)

YOU CAN’T STOP THE SAMPLE!

It’s the organization in a nutshell. When the Bengals FO reaches the playoffs, they’re like Crewman Guy in Galaxy Quest: they’re just jazzed to be on the show. Faced with actually having to win, they crumble. If only there was some tentacled alien Katie could bang…

Nope, no DEs yet. Well, ok, we have DEs but not, like, good ones. But hey, Myles Murphy laid off the Cap'n Crunch, so you never know...

So if Army ever visits my neck of the woods I know what to cook.