Who won’t be a part of the Cincinnati Bengals’ long term plans?

The Cincinnati Bengals are ushering in a new era of professional football. Andy Dalton is gone, and the future lies on the arm of Heisman Trophy-winner Joe Burrow. Selecting him with the first overall pick was the first step in their rebuild.

With the Bengals looking to return to prominence in the AFC North, there are going to be some decisions for the organization to make in terms of player personnel. With Burrow signed to a rookie contract, the team must build a contending team around him now, before he’s due for a hefty pay raise.

To continue the process, the Bengals will have to ship out some players that aren’t in their long term plans. Here are three players that make the most sense.

3

Bobby Hart

OT Cincinnati Bengals

New York Giants fans remember the name of Bobby Hart for all the wrong reasons. Prior to the start of the 2017 regular-season opener, Hart confidently dubbed himself as “the best right tackle in the NFL,” before he got utterly embarrassed by the Dallas Cowboys pass rush. The Giants released him following the season, and signed on with the Cincinnati Bengals a mere five days later.

His first season mirrored that of his stint in New York, where he struggled mightily against the opposing defensive line. Even so, the Bengals willingly gave him a three-year, $21 million contract in 2019! To the shock of nobody, Hart hasn’t lived up to the contract, as he garnered a 57.7 grade by Pro Football Focus, where he allowed six sacks last season and was penalized seven times.

We’d say Hart is an easy cut candidate come training camp, but the Bengals haven’t even attempted to bring in proper competition. Cincinnati would save over $5 million in cap space if they release him following the 2020 season. It’s an easy move for the Bengals, who can draft an offensive tackle in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Hello, Penei Sewell?

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Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson decides to lead by example for the nation.

One former NFL player decides to take action and provide a stimulus for the United States of America. Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, former six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and three-time First-Team All-Pro selection, called out President Donald Trump in a recent tweet.

”I’m giving out stimulus checks July 1 if you have cash app since Trump want to keep playing games,” Johnson tweeted Tuesday.

Johnson also tweeted out a graphic that included his $245,000 cash balance in the app. The graphic implies Johnson will generously be giving out nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

Known for his flamboyant touchdown dances during his NFL playing days with the Cincinnati Bengals, Johnson would infamously brace himself to pay hefty fines as the league would fine him for his celebration antics. Johnson took pleasure in putting on a show for the fans in attendance who paid to see him play rather than playing in the NFL solely for money.

Johnson rose to fame during his NFL career as a television icon as well. He starred in his own dating reality show in VH1’s Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch and was a participant in season 10 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

After retiring, he has been known to be conservative with spending on material items for himself by keeping things simple with a house and his smart car.

Johnson has an NFL career net worth of about $47.7 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Through it all, Johnson has not forgotten about his humble beginnings growing up in the Liberty City area of Miami, Florida.  Whether he’s showing up to a fan’s house to play EA Sports‘ soccer video game FIFA or leaving a $1,000 tip to a waitress for a tab that cost less than $38 dollars, he has remained down-to-earth.

Johnson stepping up to give money for those impacted during the Coronavirus pandemic is another way he continues to give back.

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The Bengals are talking contract extension with A.J. Green, but here’s why he should just play the 2020 season on the franchise tag.

Given his history with the franchise, it was a no-brainer for the Cincinnati Bengals to franchise tag wide receiver A.J. Green in March. With the July 15 deadline to reach a multi-year agreement nearing, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported the Bengals have discussed an extension with the seven-time Pro Bowler.

Green suffered an ankle injury on the first day of training camp last year, and wound up missing the entire season. He appeared closest to returning in Week 10, but a setback with his ankle ended that idea. Perhaps he saw overwhelmed rookie quarterback Ryan Finley practice as the starter. Green has now played 10 or less games in three of the last four seasons, missing 29 of 64 games, and he will turn 32 on July 31.

Green is slated to make $17.97 million on the franchise tag this year. He lingers as a possible trade candidate, but at this point it seems certain he’ll be a Bengal come Week 1.

Why A.J. Green should just play the 2020 season on the franchise tag

Green has said he hoped to avoid the franchise tag but understood the business aspect of it for the Bengals and himself.

“I have no problem with the franchise (tag). I don’t like it, but I’m not a guy that’s going to sit out the whole year,” Green said. “But at the end of the day, that shows me they’re not committed to me. That’s fine. They have a business they have to run. As the player I have my own business, so if you do that I have to protect myself.”

At this stage of his career, Green might like to play for a playoff contender. The Bengals might have found their quarterback of the future in Joe Burrow, but they are at least a couple years away from being there. A multi-year deal to stay in Cincinnati still might not put him into that new potential contending window, and a number of teams interested in trading for him might turn away.

Talent Around Him

In Burrow, Green will have an upgrade in talent under center. After missing an entire season, he has to rehab his value by being 1. healthy and 2. productive. With Tyler Boyd and rookie Tee Higgins forming a nice trio of wide receivers and Joe Mixon in place as a capable running back, defenses won’t be able to key on Green, in a diminished state or not.

Will The Bengals Pay Green What He Thinks He’s Worth?

Bengals owner Mike Brown is famously stingy, with a pared-down scouting staff and a general refusal to pay top dollar for free agents. The uncertainty of next year’s NFL salary cap could have an affect on contract extension talks league-wide, and the Bengals could use it as a reason to low-ball Green (and Mixon, for that matter).

Green may be looking to top Adam Thielen’s $16 million in average annual value in a new deal, and his resume says he’s worth it. But the aforementioned durability concerns are sure to diminish Cincinnati’s desire to commit much fully guaranteed money beyond a year or two out, and that would be a smart path.

Even if the Bengals come with an offer to his liking, Green would still better off to play the 2020 season on the franchise tag. That keeps all options open, including the Bengals moving him between now and the trade deadline. If he stays healthy and has a nice season, he can hit the market in a better position for a multi-year deal next March.

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Tee Higgins has a bright future, but will he make an instant impact for fantasy owners as a rookie?

The Cincinnati Bengals took quarterback Joe Burrow No. 1 overall in April’s draft, as expected. But a sneaky move came with the first pick of the second round, when then took Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Higgins had a big final season at Clemson, with 59 receptions for 1,167 yards (19.8 yards per catch) and 13 touchdowns. He averaged 13.4 yards per target, and Pro Football Focus gave him the second-highest grade among rookie wide receivers (90.5).

Higgins joins a wide receiver group that includes A.J. Green (who he was compared to pre-draft) and Tyler Boyd. Green did not play last season after suffering an ankle injury early in camp, but Boyd is underrated and Cincinnati now has a pretty good-looking trio of receivers. According to Sharp Football Stats, the Bengals used 11 personnel (one RB, one TE, three WR) 76 percent of the time last year. Add in a bit of three or four wide receivers in other personnel groupings, and the percentage becomes 78 percent. So Higgins is stepping into a starting job.

Will Tee Higgins Be An Immediate Fantasy Factor?

Right or wrong, the fantasy community is pretty high on Burrow. Even with some improvement to the Bengals defense this offseason, he should be throwing the ball plenty. Green, Boyd and even running back Joe Mixon will be prominent targets, with John Ross, Auden Tate and tight end Drew Sample in the mix.

That said, there should be room for Higgins to contribute. Tate had 80 targets in 12 games last season, with Green of course missing all 16 games, and something in the 70-80 target range seems reasonable for Higgins as things look right now.

The Bengals franchise tagged Green this offseason, and they don’t seem inclined to trade him even it makes some sense in the big picture. But if that tune changes and Green is moved between now and Week 1, or even during the season, Higgins would be in line for more targets. If Green struggles to stay on the field again, Higgins would also be in line for a big role.

With Green likely heading into his last season as a Bengal, Higgins is (or at least should be) prominent on the radar in dynasty/keeper leagues. But in single-season leagues he’s only worth drafting as a late-round flier in the deepest leagues, unless something changes his immediate outlook. He’ll start on the waiver wire everywhere else otherwise, with the possibility to become a factor if things break a certain way.

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Joe Burrow doesn’t even play for LSU anymore and he’s STILL winning awards.

Joe Burrow was so good at college football, he’s still winning awards five months after his final game at LSU.

Burrow took home every major award last season as the Heisman Trophy-winning superstar quarterback of the LSU Tigers. He became the second Bayou Bengal to take the Heisman back to Baton Rouge, as the 2019 LSU team achieved 15-0 perfection, winning the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history.

Burrow dominated college football so much last season that he earned the right to be drafted by the worst team in the NFL in the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s cool because Burrow is cool and he’s going to take this long moribund AFC North franchise and turn it into a winner. If he can become a legend throwing the forward pass at a place like LSU, Burrow can do the unthinkable.

If you need any more proof of how transformative of a player Burrow was at LSU, the guy just added another award to be put on the mantle. Burrow hasn’t played for LSU since January, yet he was named the James J. Corbett Award winner on Friday, which goes out to the best amateur athlete in the state of Louisiana. It’s still good to be Joe.

All Joe Burrow does is win college football awards because he’s the best!

The really cool part of taking home the Corbett Award is Burrow isn’t a native son of Louisiana. He hails from The Plains, Ohio, as he spent his childhood primarily in Athens watching his father Jimmy Burrow serve on Frank Solich’s Ohio Bobcats coaching staff as defensive coordinator.

“I still can’t believe how everything came together for me at LSU,” said Burrow, via The Advocate. “I had the opportunity to join an amazing team and together we reached and surpassed all of our goals. The state of Louisiana embraced me along the way and became a second home to me.”

“To be recognized as the top athlete in the state is a tremendous honor and I want to thank my teammates and coaches as well as everyone who supported me.”

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And how can anyone tell the story of Burrow without mentioning his favorite college head coach Ed Orgeron? Coach O believed in the former Ohio State backup so much he asked him if he wanted to start some games in the SEC. Together, Burrow, Orgeron and LSU football achieved the impossible. We’re so glad they did it together.

“I’ve never been around a player like Joe,” said Orgeron, “and obviously he’s very talented and he’s a leader, but day in and day out, he’s the same guy. Very focused. Focused on the task at hand. It’s about execution and winning and being great. The guy is a perfectionist. It does rub off on our football team. He’s an outstanding leader.”

Though Burrow will never play another snap for LSU, his status as a Louisiana legend will never change. Burrow has a tremendous opportunity to be the best quarterback in Bengals franchise history. Though none are in Canton, this franchise has given us excellent players like Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason, Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton over the years. It’s his turn to win big.

If there are any more awards to honor Burrow for what he did in 2019, we’d so welcome them.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.

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Joe Burrow is the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year.

Joe Burrow put together the single greatest season for a quarterback in college football history. And now expectations are high for the former LSU quarterback to be the best rookie in the NFL in 2020.

His 2019 LSU Tigers won all 15 games they played en route to a perfect National Championship campaign. While many of his teammates were rewarded for their efforts by being drafted, Burrow was deemed the top pick this spring and now finds himself on the worst franchise in football.

The Athens, Ohio native is the chosen one to bring the long moribund Cincinnati Bengals back to life. He’s expected to be the latest signal-caller in stripes to lead his team to the AFC playoffs and make it to the Pro Bowl. Despite Cincinnati being seen as the worst team in the AFC North yet again, that doesn’t change the perception of Burrow among his peers.

MGM has Burrow as the runaway favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year at +240. Other notable players with +1000 odds or better are Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (+600), Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (+900), Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift (+1000) and Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (+1000).

While this looks to be a strong rookie class at least on the offensive side of the ball, how sure are we Burrow will do what last year’s No. 1 overall pick did in Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals? Winning the Heisman Trophy and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in back-to-back seasons is quite the parlay. Does Burrow have this in the bag or are we overlooking a clear dark horse here?

Should Joe Burrow be the favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year?

Yes, Burrow should be favored to take home this honor at this juncture for two big reasons: He plays the right position and he’s going to start right away. By being a quarterback who is asked to start Week 1, he’ll have a jumpstart over the likes of Tagovailoa in Miami and Justin Herbert with the Los Angeles Chargers. They’ll start as rookies, but not right out of the gate like Burrow.

While the running back trio of Edwards-Helaire, Swift and Taylor are intriguing dark horse candidates for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, they all will have the ball in their hands less than Burrow will under center in Cincinnati. All things equal, a quarterback will win the award, just like Murray did over Oakland Raiders running back Josh Jacobs last season. That’s just how it goes.

What is cool for Burrow is he doesn’t have to have the Bengals anywhere near playoff contention to take home his first major NFL honor. If the Bengals finish the year around 5-11 and upset a team or two, he and Cincinnati football will already be heading in the right direction. Keep in mind the Bengals went 2-14 last season, which is why they ended up drafting Burrow No. 1 overall.

Swift plays for another bad franchise in Detroit. Unless he’s the second coming of Barry Sanders, which he’s not, he won’t take home the hardware. Edwards-Helaire and Taylor play for well-run franchises. If either rushes for well over 1,000 yards and Burrow can’t move the needle in the Queen City, then it might be Edwards-Helaire or Taylor of the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner.

For now, the best bet is to put money on Burrow as the 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

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Chad Johnson left a $1,000 tip for a Florida waitress to show he’s got a big heart.

Chad Johnson leaves a four-figure tip for a waitress in need.

Formerly known as “Ochocinco,” the former Cincinnati Bengals flashy receiver helped a waitress in need. Due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, dine-in restaurant Havana’s Cuban Cuisine in Cooper City, Florida had been closed. Shortly after it reopened, Johnson was a costumer. While paying his $37.40 tab, he tacked on an extra $1,000 tip for his waitress Catalina.

“Congrats on the re-opening, sorry about the pandemic, hope this helps. I love you,” Johnson hand-wrote under his signature on the receipt.

Johnson tweeted a photo of his receipt on Monday, May 18.

“Proverbs 11:25,” Johnson captioned the tweet.

A verse that reads as follows: “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”

Havana’s Cuban Cuisine thanked Johnson via Facebook.

“We would like to thank Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson for his continued patronage. We greatly appreciate your generosity to our employees now during these most difficult times. Many blessings to you and your family. Thank you again!” Havana’s Cuban Cuisine posted on Facebook, along with a photo of the receipt.

Johnson was known on the gridiron for his quickness and flamboyant touchdown dances. Dances where he knew he would get fined by the NFL but done so to provide entertainment for fans.

Johnson once legally changed his last name so his nickname “Ochocinco” could officially be labeled on the back of his NFL jersey. No longer on the football field, his generosity to make others feel better is still a part of him. Leaving a $1,000 tip for a waitress in need is just another example.

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Expectations are high for No. 1 pick Joe Burrow but how soon can he take the Cincinnati Bengals back to the playoffs?

The Bengals were not good in 2019. They were terrible actually, and as a result, they wound up with the number one overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Luckily for them, there was a no brainer pick at that spot: Joe Burrow of LSU, who threw for over 5,600 yards and 60 touchdowns en route to a National Championship.

It’s tough for a rookie quarterback drafted early on to lead his team to the playoffs right off the bat, but it is possible. It happened with Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III in 2012 as well as Lamar Jackson in 2018 and while the Bengals aren’t quite set up as nicely as those three signal-callers were, Bucky Brooks of NFL.com discussed why he thinks Burrow could make Cincinnati a playoff team sooner than we all think.

The Bengals have plenty of offensive weapons at Burrow’s disposal and that’s why they could be a sneaky team in 2020. One such playmaker is running back Joe Mixon, who rushed for 1,137 yards and had 287 receiving yards as well while scoring a total of eight touchdowns.

The Bengals are going to be well set-up in the wide receiver department too, as A.J. Green is still there and rookie Tee Higgins will provide a reliable WR2 for Burrow. Yes, Green is injured frequently, but it felt like whenever he was injured, Andy Dalton wasn’t the same guy. Green makes a huge difference and Burrow should have no problem finding him down the field.

Higgins was a great pick by Cincinnati too, as he totaled 1,167 yards and 13 touchdowns for Clemson in 2019. As long as Burrow doesn’t bring up the National Championship Game, he and Higgins should be able to get on the same page early on.

Brooks also mentioned in his article that the Bengals are getting Jonah Williams back in 2020. Williams was Cincinnati’s first round pick in 2019 and missed the entire season due to injury, so having him along the o-line will be huge in protecting Burrow during his rookie campaign.

While the Bengals probably won’t win the AFC North, especially considering how good the Ravens are going to be again in 2020 and that the Steelers will have Big Ben back in the fold. Will they be anywhere near as bad as they were in 2019 though? No, but Brooks summed it up well.

The Bengals aren’t likely to make a worst-to-first turnaround in this AFC North with a rookie quarterback at the helm, but Burrow’s arrival coincides with a culture change that could result in the team forging a quicker-than-expected climb up the charts.

The first year with Burrow at the helm probably isn’t going to result in a playoff appearance. That being said, 2021 isn’t out of the question. 2020 will give Burrow a chance to make mistakes and learn from them so that in 2021, he can avoid making those same mistakes and take the next step.

The AFC North is a tough division, but the Bengals will play a fourth-place schedule in 2020, which should help them gain confidence and traction moving forward. If the Bengals continue to give Burrow talent after seeing what he can do in 2020, then Cincinnati being a playoff contender in 2021 is a very real possibility.

The Bengals are easy to count out each year because they’re the Bengals and, for the most part, are considered an organization that doesn’t spend much in free agency. Burrow is an exciting prospect at the quarterback position though and he’s going somewhere that has talent at the playmaking positions.

If Green can stay healthy and the offensive line is able to keep Burrow upright, don’t sleep on Cincinnati making things interesting as soon as this year.

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Joe Burrow was the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but here is why the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback hasn’t signed with the Cincinnati Bengals yet.

Joe Burrow has yet to put pen to paper with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Burrow went No. 1 overall to the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft a few weeks ago, but has yet to sign his rookie contract with Cincinnati. While annual salary is usually allotted by where a player is selected in the draft, this is all about Burrow and his representation getting the most out of his signing bonus. He’s only guaranteed inking one big contract in his NFL career at this juncture.

“We’re just waiting to see what happens over the next three months because we really don’t know,” said Burrow when he appeared on the Pardon My Take podcast Friday. Obviously, this has more to do with the global pandemic affecting potential losses in revenue, which could tie into what he garners in a signing bonus, than him not wanting to sign up to play for the Bengals.

While people tried to poke holes in Burrow’s willingness to go to the Bengals, this doesn’t look to be the case. The Athens, Ohio native seems to be up for the challenge of turning around this long moribund AFC North franchise from the other side of the state. Burrow will do it, but he’s not going to dot the t’s and cross the i’s for pennies on the dollar if the Bengals go all frugal again.

There are a few NFL organizations where you have to fight for every penny and the Bengals are one of them. They’ve always done it their own way since the late Paul Brown founded this team out of spite for his former franchise’s namesake up on the lake. Though holding out late into fall camp could be possible, it won’t be the end of the world for Burrow or the Bengals this year.

This offseason will be unlike any other before it. Many rookies and free agents will run into challenges getting caught up to speed in their new organizations. As long as Burrow has the playbook and can study film of rivals’ defenses, he should be in good shape. “I’m glad this is over, let’s finally start to get back to football,” said Burrow.

The first first-round pick to sign his rookie contract was Derrick Brown. The former Auburn Tigers defensive tackle went No. 7 overall to the Carolina Panthers. He put pen to paper very quickly to play for new-look Panthers under owner David Tepper and head coach Matt Rhule. Burrow will sign his contract soon, but he will wisely take his time in the negotiation process with the Bengals.

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