HoosierCat

Yeah a little clarity at RT would be nice. I don’t expect we will get any before the draft, though.

Oh, I’d go even further re Joe’s coming cap hits. If I’m the Bengals I have to assume I’ll be using the tag for three straight years if I can’t get a deal. At this year’s prices that would be $32 million in 2025, $38 million in 2026 and something in the 50s in 2027 probably. So the Bengals are already looking at paying Burrow something like $160-170 million over the next five years. That’s already more than half way to a deal. They can get this done and I agree it’s far from team-wrecking.

So Todd and Mel did an alternating pick three rounds. Todd is up at 28: I’m sorry but this would be a ridiculous reach. It’s amazing how many mocks are like this one, perfectly normal up until the Bengals pick, then something stupid. Oh and this means passing on DEs Murphy and McDonald, S Branch and CB Turner. Seriously, fuck off, Todd. At 60 it’s McShay again: I don’t hate this, but if OT is still important enough to the Bengals to spend a second rounder on, why reach for a corner at 28? Just take Harrison or Dawand, both of whom were available back then? Then you could have swept up Cam Smith here. And Todd rounds it out at 92 with: Arguably the best pick of the three but overall I don’t like this draft much at all.

Doesn’t sound like Collins is in the house but Taylor told the media that his rehab has been progressing normally with no setbacks, so there’s that. He is still not expected to be ready by opening day, tho.

Not for nothing, but Katie needs to get on the ball. Joe ain't gonna get any cheaper.

Yup. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/36214854/source-eagles-qb-jalen-hurts-agree-255m-deal

Yeah it would be a big relief to me too.

These are voluntary so I don't know if they count toward the limit or not.

Schefter: Eagles and Jalen Hurts reached agreement on a five-year, $255 million extension, including $179.304 million guaranteed, per source. Hurts becomes the highest-paid player in NFL history in a deal negotiated by Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports Group and Eagles’ GM Howie Roseman.

Chido says he expects to be 100 percent by the opener.

Is it still hurt from being asked to change positions.

OTAs start today. Maybe we’ll be able to get some updates about things like Chido’s rehab, Collins’ knee, Jonah’s butt, etc.

Only thing this is a sign of is that Sample had no interest from any other team. Guy knows the players, knows the coaches, knows the system, injuries happen, camp bodies are needed, and apparently anyone can be on the taxi squad now so no reason not to keep him around.

Just to pass the time, interesting quasi-mock from Miller and Reid over at ESPN. They make two picks for each team, one based on need and one on BPA. Their Bengals selections: I don’t know anyone else who had Jones ranked that high so I’d have to question best value there. But that said I would take either guy.

If most impact is the top priority, then on offense I would argue its RB. TE would be nice but Burrow has plenty of targets and they just spent big on OL with Brown. On defense it would be pass rushing DL/edge. CB is always good if there’s a guy there.

Yeah, that tracks with estimates the Bears had for a new (enclosed) stadium in Arlington Heights, $2 billion. And just to add the other end of the calculation, the wcpo story pegs the cost of extending the life of, and upgrading, PayJoe at about $700 million. Any way they go it's going to be a metric shit-ton of money. It seems to me that a dome or retractable roof stadium (like Lucas Oil over in Indy) makes the most sense. But that's easy for me, non-resident of Hamilton County, to say. I'm not the one who has to pay for it.

Super Mega PayJoe Sports Palace en route? County wants to know how much a whole new facility would cost. https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/building-new-bengals-stadium-isnt-completely-out-of-the-question-in-cincinnati-commissioners-say

I looked into it too but his RFQ specified that payment was only in Vijay Singh NFTs so I passed.

Sanders is a phenomenal talent, but I think that ship may have sailed with the Pratt re-signing. Mel has him going 8 picks into the second here. I like Kancey over Bresee too, and oddly so does Mel, who ranks him just above Bresee on his top DL list. Even odder, Mel ranks Achane right above Charbonnet, too, and gives us the latter despite the former still being available. Don’t know what’s up with that. My larger problem is that the pick after Charbonnet is Jaquelin Roy, who is almost as promising a DL prospect as Bresee. And between 28 and 60 TE, OT and CB get picked clean in Mel’s mock. Going for any one of those in the first, Roy in the second and best RB available in the third seems like a better strategy here. I know, hindsight is 20/20 and all that, but still…

Mel goes two deep. First he makes TJ and Shula happy: Kancey, McDonald, Harrison all still on the board here as options. They go over the next few selections. At 60, Mel probably pisses everyone off with this: I’m not convinced Charbonnet brings anything not already on the Bengals’ roster. That said, if you wanted to just dump Mixon and his salary and plug in a rook, you could do it here I suppose.

Just for the record, some rumors started to circulate today about a Higgins extension getting done, announcement imminent, yadda yadda yadda. Sourcing is obscure so I wouldn't give it much credence, but there is is, anyhow.

Given how late they pick you’ll probably be fine.

Who’s gonna throw to him?

Hobson hates you all and wants you to know it.

Well, see, that’s because you like interacting with people. I think people suck (present company excepted). The less I have to deal with other human beings the better.