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Tag: cincinnati bengals

  • Ja’Marr Chase Returns to Practice as Bengals Prepare for the Patriots

    Ja’Marr Chase Returns to Practice as Bengals Prepare for the Patriots

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – Ja’Marr Chase has been at almost every Bengals practice this offseason. Whether it’s engaging with his teammates or cheering them on, his presence amidst all of the contract issues has shown his true dedication to this team.

    After watching Justin Jefferson and Cee Dee Lamb cash in, Ja’Marr Chase still put on the pads and laced up his cleats to prepare for the New England Patriots in week one. And that tells you all that you need to know about his commitment level. He’s been a participant at both Monday and Tuesday practices this week and the national media has taken notice.

    Even still, Bengals fans and beat writers alike paid close attention to both Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb. Those two players were seen early on as barometers for what a potential deal might look like for Ja’Marr Chase. Jefferson’s contract was finalized earlier this year. But it took until Monday for Lamb’s payday to come through. He and the Cowboys agreed to a four-year, $136 million deal. This makes Lamb the second-highest-paid receiver in the NFL behind Jefferson. It is yet another domino to fall in a summer dominated by talk of extensions for some of the best pass catchers in the league.

    There is no need to panic until Ja’Marr Chase makes it clear that he won’t play for the Bengals until his demands are met. Justin Jefferson set the market for wide receiver contracts, and CeeDee Lamb cashed in as well. The dust from those major deals will soon settle and the cards will all be on the table between Chase and the Bengals. The team knows how much Chase wants, and Chase can see how his peers are being paid. This sort of certainty can bring a perspective to the discussions that might make a reasonable deal all the more probable.

    And that certainty would be crucial for the Bengals and their fans. Having Chase’s contract in place prior to week one would give all parties the ability to solely focus on the product that is on the field and to work on getting back to the Super Bowl. That is a golden opportunity for a team that has struggled in the worst way to start prior seasons and the Bengals absolutely have to take advantage of it.

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    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

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    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • The Latest on the Myles Murphy Injury & The Bengals-Colts Game Thursday Evening

    The Latest on the Myles Murphy Injury & The Bengals-Colts Game Thursday Evening

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – The last preseason game of the year is always one of the most interesting to watch for die-hard fans because of the players fighting to fill out the last few roster spots. Surely Bengals fans are rooting hard for Maema Njongmeta, the rookie linebacker out of Wisconsin, who has made some great plays so far and even leads the team in tackles. On the other end of the spectrum, it’s fair to wonder if this might be the end of the road for former second-round pick Jackson Carman.

    In addition, Joseph Ossai should get important snaps in the contest given the injury to Myles Murphy that he suffered in the joint practice on Tuesday. In addition, Dax Hill and DJ Turner have had an epic camp battle to determine who will start at the second cornerback spot opposite Cam Taylor-Britt. So it will be interesting to see if both continue to see snaps in order to declare a winner for the job, or if one of them sits out because the decision has been made. Either way, if one of them takes the field against Indianapolis those reps will be well worth watching.

    Whomever takes the field on Thursday night at Paycor Stadium it will no doubt be an informative night, and most importantly we will move one week closer to the return of Cincinnati Bengals football.

    Speaking of Myles Murphy, Cincinnati Bengals fans got a bit of good injury news on Wednesday with respect to Myles Murphy. Murphy left with a leg injury during Tuesday’s practice with the Colts which left fans plenty nervous. However, James Rapien and Mike Garafalo broke the news that the Bengals defensive end would only miss a few weeks, and that he’d avoided any major injury:

    And though it’s not any official confirmation by the Bengals, Maxwell Murphy, who is Myles’ brother, tweeted that it was an MCL sprain. He assured fans that they’d see the former first round pick in time for Cincinnati’s week 2 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs:

    In today’s game, a team cannot have too many defensive linemen that can get after the opposing quarterback. And in his second season Muphy will be a big part of that effort. But for at least week 1 against the New England Patriots, it will be the trio of Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, and Joseph Ossai at defensive end. Hubbard and Hendrickson have dealt with their share of injuries in the offseason as well but both appear to be on track to play in week 1, as Hubbard practiced this week for the first time:

    Here is how to watch Thursday night’s final Bengals preseason game:

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    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • The Bengals Battle in the Windy City

    The Bengals Battle in the Windy City

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – Although the score might not have borne it out, the Cincinnati Bengals’ reserves played their tails off against the Chicago Bears starters on Saturday. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was riding high ready to make his first start in front of a raucous Soldier Field crowd of 59,829 fans. But the Bengals defense held him and the explosive Chicago offense to three straight three and outs.

    The Bengals backups on defense proved so effective that Williams remained in the game well into the second quarter. He eventually showed everyone just how much of a special athlete he is, throwing a dot after an amazing scramble and then running for a spectacular touchdown of his own.

    There’s no doubt that Williams has all of the potential in the world to be a superstar in this league, but Bengals fans should take a lot of pride in the way that their team contained the rookie and the rest of the Bears offense in the first half. Especially considering that after starting their backups, towards the middle/end of the game Cincinnati was putting players on the field that will likely have little chance of making the 53-man roster, which undoubtedly added to the lopsided 3 – 27  score.

    The Bengals offense, on the other hand, really felt the absence of its key players and struggled all day. Logan Woodside looked good at times but held on to the football a bit too long on two plays and took some massive hits, one of which led to a floating interception for the Bears. Woodside finished 17-25 with 132 yards and 2 interceptions. The running game also struggled to get going, finishing with 82 total yards at just 3.3 yards per carry. Perhaps the biggest worry for the Bengals was their 11 penalties for a staggering 123 yards, but there is still plenty of time to work those issues out before week 1 on September 8 at Paycor with the New England Patriots.

    In the end this was a game where the first half told the true tale of the depth and effectiveness of this team, especially on defense. The fact that our backups held an explosive offense like the Bears in check for so much of this game is something to be celebrated. Maema Njongmeta lead the defense once again with 8 total tackles as well as 1 tackle for loss. Bengals rookie Kris Jenkins had a great bull rush that led to a sack, in a great bounce-back game after he had a difficult time last week against Tampa Bay.

    Another bright spot was Evan McPherson, who hit a 54-yard field goal and made it look silky smooth. The Bengals reached an extension with their clutch kicker to the tune of 3 years and $16.5 million. McPherson made it look like he was worth every penny on Saturday and having such a clutch kicker will no doubt pay dividends this year.

    Some other interesting notes in this one: Jermaine Burton had 1 catch for 19 yards. Trayveon Williams did run hard and also had 2 catches out of the backfield for 19 yards of his own. Williams looks poised to lock up the third running back spot as well. And after numerous injuries and setbacks in college, rookie tight end Erick All had his first reception today, hopefully the first of many for a kid who has worked so hard to get back to football action.

    An important rule for preseason football games is not get too excited about wins, and just as important to not rush to the gloom and doom after a loss. There was plenty that did not go to plan on Saturday that the Bengals can fix. At the same time, it would be beyond foolish to draw any sort of condemnation of the team after their starters all took the day off, and their backups (at least on defense) looked up to the task. The key is to make it through with as few injuries as possible, learn from mistakes, and prepare for week 1 against the Patriots. And the Bengals checked all those boxes today.

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    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Missing in Action: The Ja’Marr Chase Saga Continues

    Missing in Action: The Ja’Marr Chase Saga Continues

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – Just as soon as the Bengals thought they’d solved one issue at wide receiver by signing Tee Higgins, they found themselves staring down the next one in what to do about Ja’Marr Chase’s own contract concerns. As soon as Chase proved on the field that he was one of the top receivers in the National Football League, pundits and fans alike knew that this moment coming. The writing was on the wall that the Bengals were going to have to find a way to pay both him and Joe Burrow, and the price was going to be more than a king’s ransom.

    That’s why Chase’s “hold in” was not entirely surprising to anyone who’d been closely following the team in the years since he was drafted 5th overall in 2021. He is in the final year of his rookie contract (with a club option for 2025 to the tune of 21.8 million) and wants the security of a long-term deal. After seeing Justin Jefferson sign a 4 year, 140-million-dollar contract (with over 110 million potentially guaranteed) it is understandable that he wants to be paid around the same range, especially given that Jefferson was drafted a year before Chase. As of now, the talented Bengals receiver is set to make $1 million in base pay with a total of $4.8 million in guaranteed money this season.

    Although it was understandable that Chase might excuse himself from participating in Bengals preseason games and practices, fans could at least take comfort in the fact that he was present and with his teammates as they worked. That all changed on Tuesday as he was completely absent from the team’s activities. For their part, Zac Taylor and the Bengals tried to downplay the situation as much as possible. Taylor said that “we’ll take it one day at a time, I don’t have any comment beyond that” and that the situation was “day to day.” Neither side has publicly weighed in beyond one or two sentences at a time, but the tension underlying the situation is plain for all to see.

    Ja’Marr Chase is a superstar that the Bengals cannot afford to let walk, and they know it. Although these contractual issues are something of a distraction, the situation with Tee Higgins demonstrates that when push comes to shove, players want to be on the field rather than at home bickering about money. Chase is likely no different, and though he may be making a statement now, it’s almost a certainty that he will be in the orange and black week 1 against the Patriots.

    Make no mistake, it is unfortunate that Chase is missing important reps in camp and a chance to get in sync with a healthy Joe Burrow. Honestly, there may be some lag in that connection to start the season, though I hope that is not the case. But other key pass catchers are healthy and progressing well, including Tee Higgins. Ja’Marr Chase is such an elite athlete that he’ll be in game shape in the blink of an eye, and if it takes him a second to get back to where he was, Higgins and company will be right there. And never forget the ability of Joe Burrow to make any receiver a star at any given moment given his arm strength and accuracy.

    As of right now there is no need to sound the alarm. But still, it’s a drama that fans can’t help but keep at the front of their minds and computer screens. And the sooner it’s finished the better it will be for all parties.

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    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Going Camping! Four Captivating Storylines to Watch as the Bengals Start Camp

    Going Camping! Four Captivating Storylines to Watch as the Bengals Start Camp

    Photo of Rookie Jermaine Burton running a route at Bengals’ Minicamp, Courtesy of the Bengals on X.

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – As fall approaches the inevitable excitement for the return of Bengals football grows to a fever pitch. The start of that excitement usually begins with the commencement of training camp, which begins this week. There are plenty of interesting storylines to track as the Bengals ramp up for their season opener on September 8th against the New England Patriots. Here are just a few:

    Joe Burrow’s Health

    Any conversation about the Bengals understandably begins and ends with Joe Burrow. His preseason injury disrupted the beginning of the team’s 2023 campaign and his injury against Baltimore in week 11 nearly spelled the end of it.

    All of that is thankfully in the past and the Bengals franchise quarterback has looked smooth and focused in the limited preseason action that we’ve seen so far. Physically his hand appears strong and Burrow’s throwing motion is solid. Keeping him in good health is a top priority not only during the season but also throughout camp and during Cincinnati’s preseason games. The trick is that those concerns are also balanced against the need to get Burrow on the field as much as necessary to build the cohesion of the offense.

    No, he does not have to, nor should he, play large chunks of the preseason. But this camp will be important because the more he can connect with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and sharpen their timing and communication now, the faster the Bengals can hopefully find success once the season starts. Early injuries have hurt this team in the past and that’s been evident in their record over the early part of the season. Last year they started 1-3, in 2022 it was 2-2. But with both Burrow and Higgins completely healthy, watching them get in sync during camp will be a great thing to watch for.

    Dax Hill’s Position Switch

    When the Bengals drafted Dax Hill with the 31st overall pick in 2022 it was as a safety. There was a lot of hope that the promising young man out of the University of Michigan could eventually step into the shoes of Jessie Bates. However, the plan hasn’t necessarily come to fruition in the way that we all thought.

    Part of the need to switch Hill from safety to corner has been his struggles there, but also because of the emergence of Jordan Battle and the signing of Geno Stone from the Baltimore Ravens. With two solid players in the back of their secondary it allows more flexibility to get Dax Hill meaningful reps on the field, albeit at a different position. Moving positions doesn’t come without risks, though.

    Playing cornerback requires physicality at the line of scrimmage and with less space to operate it really puts a player’s speed and flexibility to the test. It’s a tough transition but if there is anyone who has the versatility to pull it off it is Dax Hill. But training camp is the place where fans and coaches will be able to see his progress at his new position and evaluate what he might bring either as a nickel or slot corner or to backup Cam Taylor-Britt or DJ Turner. In today’s NFL a team cannot have enough experienced defensive backs and however the Bengals can get their former first round pick on the field they should absolutely embrace those options.

    A Major Offensive Line Battle

    As discussed above, Joe Burrow’s health is the team’s paramount priority. Burrow has played behind patchwork offensive lines since he entered this league, and the world has seen the results. Bengals fans have suffered through the lowlight reels time and again, of their only hope for a Super Bowl running for his life or being crushed by pass rushers so gargantuan that it seems almost criminal to witness. Burrow has been sacked 148 times in his first 52 games played, which simply cannot be allowed to continue.

    This year 4 out of the 5 starting positions are likely set, but this week revealed some interesting news. On Tuesday the Bengals placed OT Trent Brown on the Active/Non-Football Injury list. Brown signed a one-year, $4.75 million contract with the Bengals in March of 2024 after his tenure with the New England Patriots and many had him pegged as the starter at right tackle given his prior experience. However, the future at the position almost surely rests with Amarius Mims, who the Bengals drafted with the 18th overall pick this season out of Georgia.

    With Brown’s absence, Mims will receive critical first-team reps during training camp. Fans and coaches alike will be able to see and evaluate his ability to play right away at a position that is critical for this team and to protect its most valuable asset in Joe Burrow. There was always a chance the right tackle position would turn into a heated battle between the veteran and the up-and-coming young rookie, but it looks like that battle will happen much earlier than we all expected, adding yet another layer of excitement in this year’s camp.

    The reason for Brown’s placement on the non-injury list hasn’t been made clear yet. Though Brown has his own significant injury history, this list is for issues that arise while players are away from their teams. Brown will not be able to practice until he’s activated from the list, but that activation can happen at any point this summer. So as of now, it’s a waiting game for Brown’s return, but until then, many eyes will be watching the progress of Amarius Mims.

    There were more than a few analysis that believed that Mims was a “project” when he was selected, given the lower amount of snaps that he played while at Georgia. Though Mims’ size and talent have the potential to make him into an all-pro type player, there are questions as to just how much time it would take to get there. Now, he has the chance to prove that he is ready now to start in this league, and show that the “project” is well ahead of schedule.

    A New Era At Running Back

    Joe Mixon had over 6,400 yards and 62 touchdowns during his 97 games with the Bengals in a career that included many great moments for the Orange and Black. He’s now with the Houston Texans and the man signed to replace him is Zach Moss. He played last year for the Indianapolis Colts and had 794 yards on 183 carries and reached the end zone 7 times. He will also be sharing at least some measure of his carries with Chase Brown, the Bengals’ 5th round draft pick in 2023. Brown had just 179 yards on the ground but showed an electric ability to catch the ball out of the backfield where he had 15 catches for 156 yards (an 11.1 average).

    Moss and Brown might not have the carry volume of Joe Mixon, but for his part Moss graded better in a key area that the Bengals need (just as they need with the offensive line): pass protection. Brown is also a much more significant threat to catch the ball out of the backfield and that aspect of his game will only get better as his time on the field increases. Their workload and fit into the Bengals offense will also be very interesting to watch as camp, and the preseason, get ramped up.

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    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Tee Higgins ends holdout and signs Franchise Tender with Bengals

    Tee Higgins ends holdout and signs Franchise Tender with Bengals

    by Chris Ball

    Queen City Sports from Loveland, Ohio

     

    On Monday, Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins officially ended his holdout and signed his franchise tender. He’ll now make $21.816 million fully guaranteed for the 2024 season. Higgins played in 12 games last year and caught 76 passes for 656 yards and 5 touchdowns. His season high in receiving yards came on December 23 when he had 5 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown in a 34-11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent much of 2023 dealing with lingering rib and hamstring injuries but hopes to put those behind him next year and show that he is indeed a top receiver in this league.

    Photo courtesy of the Cincinnati Bengals on Twitter

    The impact of Higgins’s signing his franchise tender in June and reporting to Bengals training camp can’t be anything but beneficial. Having a healthy Joe Burrow throwing passes and working on the critical element of timing with one of his key receivers in July instead of August is absolutely critical to doing what the Bengals have often struggled to do in years past: start the season strong.

    They lost 3 out of their first 5 in both 2022 and 2023. Joe Burrow’s injury no doubt played a large role in that last year. However, having both he and Higgins healthy, in sync, and on the field ready to go for the first part of 2024 will be a welcome sight for all of Who Dey Nation.

    While there was never really a significant belief that Higgins would sit out the 2024 season, there was plenty of uncertainty about just when he would sign and/or report for offseason workouts. With those questions safely behind them, the hope is that the team can focus on their work on the practice field.

    Bengals Training Camp presented by Kettering Health kicks off on Wednesday, July 24. Training camp practices will take place at the Kettering Health Practice Fields located just west of Paycor Stadium. Practices will continue through August 20th. The Bengals first preseason game is on August 10th against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

    What do you think about Higgins’ extension? Let us know in the comments here or on Facebook, or drop us a line at the email below!

    _______________________

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Ohio Sports Roundup: Reds Take on Guardians, Kappa Extended, and the Cavaliers Search for a Coach

    Ohio Sports Roundup: Reds Take on Guardians, Kappa Extended, and the Cavaliers Search for a Coach

    by Chris Ball

    Queen City Sports from Loveland, Ohio

    The Cincinnati Reds After taking 3 of 4 from the Chicago Cubs the Reds split their series against the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians are 20 games over .500 and in first place in the American League Central Division and the Reds played them just about as tough as they have against the Dodgers and Phillies, two other division leading clubs. Against those three the Reds are 9-7 this year and have played some solid baseball in getting those wins.

    Perhaps the biggest story from the Guardians series was the continued hot bat of Jeimer Candelario. He hit 2 more home runs in the Reds 4-2 win over Cleveland on June 12 including what would be the game winner. His three run bomb in the bottom of the sixth inning gave the Reds a 4-2 lead that their bullpen would never relinquish. It also spoiled a great outing by Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee who still finished the game with 11 strikeouts in just 5.1 innings. Since May 27, Candelario is hitting .306 with 19 hits, 6 home runs, 12 RBIs and 8 runs scored.

    Other Reds batters are staying hot in June. This includes a surprising run by Will Benson, hitting .333 with a .967 OPS in his last 15 games. Jake Fraley in his last 15 is batting .293 while TJ Friedl has 3 home runs and 11 RBIs.

    Cincinnati next faces the Milwaukee Brewers tonight at 8:10 PM. The Brewers sit atop the NL Central with a 7 game lead over both the Reds and Cubs. If they can take this series on the road and claw back at least a game or two from Milwaukee, Reds fans will have plenty of reasons to be optimistic going forward.

    The Cincinnati Bengals

    The Bengals finished their mandatory mini camp this week. All of the major players were in attendance, including a few that were absent for the voluntary OTAs such as Ja’Marr Chase and Trent Brown. Tee Higgins has yet to make an appearance as he continues his holdout, but this was something all sides were clearly prepared for.

    The main storyline this week remained former first round pick Dax Hill and his reps with the first team defense while battling for a job at cornerback against DJ Turner. By all reports Hill, a former safety, looked very good at his new position. There remains a lot of optimism that he can be a quality starter at the position, even if his time at safety may be at an end. Hill was a versatile athlete at the University of Michigan and played both safety and cornerback there, and so that flexibility should serve him well as he tries to see the field as much as possible next year for the Bengals.

    Another positive development for the Bengals this week was the extension they reached with center Ted Karras. Karras signed an extension that will keep with the team through the 2025 season. Early reports indicate that the next two years of his contract will pay him about 12 million. He’s started 36 games since joining the Bengals in 2022. Last year, according to PFF he was the 15th highest graded center and allowed 6 sacks  All numbers aside, Kerras is a team captain and has been a stalwart for the Bengals on the line for several years. Consistency and communication will be paramount for Cincinnati’s front five in 2025. Having a veteran back at the center position is absolutely essential to our success next year.

    The Cleveland Cavaliers

    The Cavaliers are a team with many substantial questions this offseason. The future of two of its key stars are up in the air in Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. But the decision that may be the most crucial of all is which coach will take the reigns in 2024 and beyond.

    The name that seems to have the most buzz over recent weeks is James Borrego the former Charlotte Hornets head coach. Borrego, a Gregg Popovich protégé and two-time champion as an assistant, has a 148-183 mark as head coach with Charlotte and Orlando. But he has many of the qualities that Cleveland is seeking to build the team around going forward, including the ability to build a dynamic offense built around dynamic players (such as Zion Williamson in New Orleans) and he is a coach that his former players have spoken very highly of.

    The Cavaliers are in no hurry to name a successor to JB Bickerstaff. But announcing a new head coach soon will likely be the catalyst that spells the decisions of both Mitchell and Garland. It’s possible that the future of Cleveland’s basketball team for the next several years to come will be defined by the decisions President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman makes in the next few weeks.

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    A new Loveland Magazine feature: The Queen City Sports Podcast by Chris Ball

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to LovelandSportsGuy@gmail.com!

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • The Tee Higgins Saga Continues

    The Tee Higgins Saga Continues

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – The Bengals and one of their key players fail to reach an agreement on a long-term contract. The franchise tag looms. Sabres rattle, there are questions of a potential holdout. And all the while Bengals fans wait and see.

    Sound familiar?

    It should for anyone who remembers the Jessie Bates contract episode from several years ago. The former Cincinnati safety signed a four-year, $64.02 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023 after spending 5 years wearing the orange and black. Bates and the Bengals attempted to reach an agreement on an extension after the expiration of his rookie contract but nothing materialized. The Bengals applied the franchise tag and Bates responded by skipping the team’s offseason workouts or the majority of training camp before rejoining the team in August. But in the end he took the field that season and performed well, setting a career high mark (to that point) with 4 interceptions. What’s more, he played his way into that sizable deal with the Falcons. The following year he instantly proved he was worth it, leading the team in tackles, passes defenses, and interceptions, and being named to the pro bowl on top of it.

    And this week, Bengals fans got a stark reminder of that process when Tee Higgins failed to sign his franchise tender after he, too, could not get what he needed in terms of a multi year deal from the team. Unfortunately, it appears that the negotiations did not go remotely well according to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway:

    “Tee Higgins camp was looking for an offer that was similar to the Michael Pittman deal with the Colts…

    His camp felt that the Bengals initial one time offer was so low that it couldn’t even move into a conversation about guaranteed money”

    As a reference, Pittman signed a three-year, $70 million contract extension with $46 million guaranteed with the Colts in March. Now, to be fair, an entire series of articles probably wouldn’t be enough to recount the issues with the Bengals’ front office and their treatment of potential free agents, what it means for now is that Tee will not be with the team for the foreseeable future. While this isn’t certainly isn’t a welcome sign, it doesn’t spell the end of Higgins’ time with the team. This includes Higgins himself who admitted that he’ll probably be wearing a Bengals uniform next year even after requesting a trade. In addition, missing offseason team activities in May (which many players skip anyways) doesn’t signal any sign of a longer holdout. There’s simply no need to panic so early, as the two camps have until July 15th to work out a long-term contract extension. After that, he would be locked into playing on the one-year franchise tag through the 2024 season, making $21.8 million doing it.

    Interestingly enough, Jessie Bates was asked about Higgins’ situation, given his experience and the fact that both men are represented by the same agent, David Mulugheta. His advice was certainly sage:

    “My thing for Tee is just, I mean, work on your craft, it don’t matter. If this is the contract year, I say it every time: Every year is a contract year. You should go out there and ball out and train like this is one of your last years to play.”

    This is yet another reason why concerns about a holdout are overblown: players derive no benefit from removing themselves from the NFL spotlight for an entire season. If it’s a monster contract that they seek, then Jessie Bates’ path is undoubtedly the correct one to pursue: take the field in your contract year, play your absolute hardest, and show the rest of the league that you are worthy of the money you’re asking for. You can’t do that from your couch holding out, and so the overwhelming consensus is that by the time this Bengals team takes the field in the fall, Tee Higgins will be there.

    While that may be comforting it is true that offseason workouts have tangible benefits, even for players line Tee who have played multiple years in the league. Missing them has at least some negative impact on timing with Burrow, with continuity and with chemistry. So while these absences aren’t harbingers of gloom and doom they are important from a team’s perspective, and to get the best out of every player.

    And we all know Tee wants to play his absolute best in 2024, as his recent training video shows.

    In 58 games over the course of his career, Higgins has 257 receptions for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns. But he has never been the number one receiving option for an entire season. Those numbers are solid and he is a good wide receiver. If he proves that he can put up the numbers of a superstar WR1 for the Bengals next year, it will only benefit all parties. And so the play here isn’t to be sour about Tee’s offseason decisions, but to root like hell that if this is his last season for the Cincinnati Bengals, that he makes it his best one ever.

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to LovelandSportsGuy@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Joe Burrow is Back!

    Joe Burrow is Back!

    Bengals Fans Collectively Rejoice As Their Franchise Quarterback Returns.

    by Chris Ball

    The Cincinnati Bengals will only go as far as Joe Burrow will take them, it’s an immutable fact, the same as the sky being blue and water being wet. This was why the entire city was likely cheering at home to see their franchise quarterback return from a torn scapholunate ligament on his throwing hand on November 16 of last year against the Ravens, which required surgery.

    Before that, Burrow had been hampered by a calf injury that severely impaired his movement and his ability to plant and throw the football. But when he got healthy he won four of his last five starts before eventually suffering his season ending hand injury against Baltimore. He finished the 2023 season with 15 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 66.8 completion percentage across the 10 games that he played in. During those contests where he was healthy, such as against San Francisco, Buffalo, and Houston he threw for a combined 978 yards, 7 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

    After the injury, though Jake Browning went on a heroic run, and deserves a significant amount of credit for his leadership and tenacity, the Bengals ultimately fell short of making the 2023 playoffs by a very narrow margin. However, having a backup like Browning on the roster is absolutely critical to the team’s ability to contend, given the nature of the league and the ferocity that modern defenses can unleash.

    The 2024 Bengals added significant pieces at positions of real need. This included the signing of Trent Brown and bringing in Zack Moss at running back, ending the Joe Mixon era in Cincinnati. They also signed Mike Gesicki, a solid pass-catching tight end that hopefully plastered over a glaring hole at the position that Bengals’ fans have been clamoring to be addressed for months.

    The team has stood tough and dealt with trade requests from disgruntled but important plyers Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson, doing all they can to ensure that both will be on the roster next year to help this team, even if it is for only one more year. Their draft strategy was a successful one, taking Amarius Mims to solidify the future at right tackle, Kris Jenkins to fill gaps at the interior defensive line, and Jermaine Burton to add the potential of an explosive playmaker at receiver given the departure of Tyler Boyd (and likely Higgins after next year).

    The front office has been busy ensuring that when Joe Burrow is completely healthy, he has the potential for a very solid team around him in terms of protection and offensive firepower. Losing a franchise quarterback as young as Burrow to two season-ending injuries has made Bengals fans understandably wary of getting their hopes too high, but its easy to forget all the pain and heartbreak seeing him take the field again and sling the pigskin, even if it is just an offseason workout.

    Bengals fans certainly hope that 2024 is a positive step forward for a team that was in the Super Bowl just two short years ago. Joe Burrow’s hand injury honestly appears, from the film, to be a non-issue, but it is easy to expect his health to be a major question each week this upcoming season. Orlando Brown, Jr., Trent Brown, as titanic men, can certainly address those concerns, along with their fellow linemen, but there is no question that the Bengals’ most valuable commodity (perhaps ever) cannot be allowed to be roughed up as much as he has been in his young career.

    But for now, it’s enough to just sit back, watch Number 9 take the field in the orange and black, and imagine how glorious it will be to take it all in come that first game in the fall.

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Cincinnati Bengals Apply the Franchise Tag to Tee Higgins

    Cincinnati Bengals Apply the Franchise Tag to Tee Higgins

    Photo by Wikimedia Commons

    Though a Long-Term Deal May Still Be a Possibility, Absent a Holdout, The Bengals Should Have Their Clutch Second Wide Receiver Back In 2024

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – As most expected, this weekend the Cincinnati Bengals applied the franchise tag to wide receiver Tee Higgins. I previously discussed what the franchise tag could potentially mean for the team and for Tee going forward, but the fact that the Bengals chose to use the tag so soon in the offseason leads to some interesting speculation about what the future could bring.

    The franchise tag makes it extremely likely that Tee Higgins will be on this team for at least one more year. However, as early as a few days ago there were reports that both sides were working towards a deal that would keep Higgins in the orange and black for multiple years. But the fact that the team opted immediately resort to the franchise tag so soon after those negotiations even began leads to legitimate concerns that both sides are still miles apart.

     

     

    The absolute worst-case scenario is that the two sides of can’t get a deal done and Tee refuses to report and play under the guaranteed one-year contract he has been given. On the other end the optimistic outlook is that the exercise of the franchise tag allows both sides to continue to negotiate and come to some sort of agreement on a contract that benefits all parties.

    The fact that the franchise tag came so early in the offseason is a legitimate cause to be concerned about how badly the negotiations may be going. And yet, it is hard to see a player as committed as Tee Higgins choosing to abandon the entire 2024 season by sitting out simply because he didn’t get the contract he wanted.

    At the same time, Bengals fans shouldn’t trick themselves into believing that Higgins will fetch some sort of massive haul on the trade market. The tag and trade scenarios simply don’t make sense given the Bengals’ history of avoiding that very situation, and that most teams likely wouldn’t be willing to part with significant picks or players that would make such a trade worthwhile for the Bengals.

     

     

    The Bengals have a surplus of cap space, and they need a proven second option behind Ja’Marr Chase. This gives them more flexibility to keep Tee on the squad for one more year to run it back and give the Bengals the best chance to make it back to the Super Bowl.

    The primary focus now should be ensuring that if the Bengals can’t give Tee Higgins the multi year contract that he wants, that they get him ready for at least one more year with the Bengals to make a run at a championship.

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.