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The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t announced a deal with No. 1 pick Joe Burrow just yet.
That wasn’t notable before this week with rookies and players in general unable to report to team facilities. But Bengals rookies were permitted to report to Paul Brown Stadium on Tuesday.
Fast forward to now, five Bengals rookies — the latest being fifth-round pick Khalid Kareem — have inked their deals.
That leaves just Burrow and second-round pick Tee Higgins as the only unsigned rookies. Burrow is especially notable because he’s one of just a handful of first-rounders yet to sign, as noted by James Palmer of NFL Network:
First rounders yet to sign:
CIN QB Joe Burrow #1
NYG T Andrew Thomas #4
LAC QB Justin Herbert #6
LV CB Damon Arnette #19
LAC LB Kenneth Murray #23
NO C Cesar Ruiz #24
SEA LB Jordyn Brooks #27
TEN T Isaiah Wilson #29
MIN CB Jeff Gladney #31— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) July 23, 2020
Panic time? Not exactly. The latest report on the contract situation between Burrow and the Bengals said there was nothing to worry about on that front.
But the delay is nothing if not interesting, as is the silence on Burrow in general. The longer things drag the more it could hold things up. Rookies, upon reporting, have to take a coronavirus test and then leave for home before reporting back for results and to get tested again.
Odds are there’s no reason to fret over the lack of a deal, though fans might not want to hear about it endlessly if the Bengals are the last team to get their first-rounder under contract — especially when this first-rounder is so important.
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