Report: Bengals will evaluate Colin Kaepernick’s NFL workout

A new report says the Bengals will have an eye on the workout.

The Cincinnati Bengals will keep an eye on Colin Kaepernick’s NFL workout over the weekend.

According to Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the team will evaluate the details of the process. No word on if the front office will have anyone in attendance, but it sounds like the Bengals will indeed join the fray of at least getting the film to evaluate the happenings.

The NFL announced Tuesday that Kaepernick would partake in a workout for teams on Saturday in Atlanta, including on-field work and interviews. Teams have been invited, though we’ve yet to see official attendance sheets make the rounds.

Kaepernick turned 32 earlier this month and hasn’t played since 2016.

From a Bengals perspective, paying attention to the happenings there makes some sense with Andy Dalton clearly on his way out the door, leaving — for now — only Ryan Finley as the future of the position.

[vertical-gallery id=24592]

Titans expanding Saint Thomas Sports Park

PBG Builders is the company contracted to do the job, in collaboration with Smallwood Nickle Architects.

The Tennessee Titans open construction beginning next week to expand Saint Thomas Sports Park, which will “almost double its current footprint in Nashville’s MetroCenter neighborhood.”

PBG Builders is the company contracted to do the job, in collaboration with Smallwood Nickle Architects.

Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk and her staff toured multiple NFL facilities to make sure Tennessee’s facilities were on track with or exceeding the standards of the league.

The current 75,000-square-foot building will undergo renovations, and there will also be a new building near the practice field as a part of 60,000-square-feet add-ons.

[lawrence-related id=22653]

There will also be a 2,300-square-foot rooftop deck as a part of a new event space and a two-story, 39,000-square-foot parking garage with more than 100 extra parking spaces.

“We’ve added so many members to the Titans family over the past several years,” Adams Strunk said in a Titans Online report. “Evolving our workplace makes perfect sense from both a growth standpoint as well as maximizing our team’s overall effectiveness. This new facility will ultimately create the modern environment that will enable further success.”

With the expansion, the Titans’ growing staff will all be able to work in one space.

Ray Lewis jokes he’d return to Ravens to play with QB Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the talk of the NFL world and has some even joking about returning to the field.

[jwplayer 1vROLFUW-ThvAeFxT]

The Baltimore Ravens seemingly have something special going for them this season. With dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson leading a unique offense that has been on fire, they sit at 7-2 with a hefty lead in the AFC North standings and a hold on the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff race. It has legendary former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis joking about suiting up again.

On Showtime’s “Inside The NFL,” Lewis jokingly said he told owner Steve Bisciotti he still has “two quarters left” in him and he could come back to play with Jackson this season.

Lewis especially praised Jackson and Baltimore’s offense for being able to stretch out drives when needed. Against the New England Patriots in Week 9, Jackson led back-to-back touchdown drives late in the game that took just under 18 minutes off the clock in a 37-20 victory. While Lewis had a Hall of Fame career with Baltimore, he never played on a team with an offense as capable as what the Ravens have right now.

“If you all are holding the ball for seven minutes on a drive, and then nine minutes on a drive, I’m like, ‘Man, I’ve never had that in my career,'” Lewis continued.

The Ravens lead the league in time of possession, holding the ball for 34:07 per game, and points per game (33.3), so Lewis has a solid point here. The offense being able to sustain drives has helped keep an inconsistent Baltimore defense stay fresh late in games. In previous years, we’ve seen the defense falter in the second half and give up leads. But by putting up enough points early and keeping the ball out of the hands of the opposing offense, Baltimore has coasted to huge victories in recent weeks.

While Lewis is joking about a return to the sport after retiring seven years ago, it highlights just how quickly Jackson has earned respect in the league. With his leadership and playmaking ability, Jackson has clearly won over not only his own teammates but has seen plenty of opposing players give him high praise. As chants continue to grow for Jackson to win the NFL’s MVP award this season, the Ravens will continue to see people jump on his bandwagon.

Jackson’s energy and the respect he’s earned could cause priority free agents to choose the Ravens over more money from lesser teams. That could pay dividends as general manager Eric DeCosta continues to build up a young but talented roster.

Ravens place rookie DT Daylon Mack on injured reserve

The Baltimore Ravens placed rookie defensive tackle Daylon Mack on injured reserve after signing two veteran defensive tackles this week.

[jwplayer rzKgNnfu-ThvAeFxT]

The Baltimore Ravens made a whole host of roster moves over the last few days. In addition to activating rookie cornerback Iman Marshall from injured reserve, the Ravens signed two defensive tackles in Justin Ellis and Domata Peko. To help make room for the roster additions, Baltimore placed rookie defensive tackle Daylon Mack on injured reserve.

Mack was listed as “questionable” for Week 10’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, after being limited in Friday’s practice with a knee injury. Mack played in just one game this season — being a healthy scratch through seven others. With the signings of Ellis and Peko, the move to injured reserve was to be expected.

It will allow Baltimore to get more experienced defensive linemen on the field, especially with Michael Pierce’s ankle injury potentially keeping him out of the lineup. But it still allows the Ravens to continue developing Mack for the future. As a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, there were no expectations that Mack would become an immediate contributor but could hopefully grow into a solid depth player or potential heir for guys like Pierce and Brandon Williams down the line.

According to the team’s site, Mack becomes the 10th Ravens player to head to injured reserve this season — all on defense.

Former Browns GM Michael Lombardi says Titans were split between Marcus Mariota and Ryan Tannehill ahead of 2019 season

The Titans weren’t even through Week 6’s shutout loss to the Denver Broncos before they benched Mariota in favor of Tannehill.

The Tennessee Titans acquired former Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill ahead of the season to serve as an insurance policy for starting quarterback, Marcus Mariota.

But the Titans weren’t even through Week 6’s shutout loss to the Denver Broncos before they benched Mariota in favor of Tannehill.

The team hasn’t looked back since, and Tannehill has completed 97-of-136 passes for 1,161 yards, with eight touchdowns and four interceptions.

Before Tannehill took over, Mariota was 94-of-159 passing for 1,179 yards, with seven touchdowns and two interceptions.

[lawrence-related id=22633]

According to former Cleveland Browns general manager Michael Lombardi on his “The GM Shuffle” podcast, the move to hand over the reins to Tannehill could have come much sooner than six games into the season.

He claims to have been informed of quarterback controversy earlier in the year, and that the decision to keep Mariota as the starter came down to the opinions of the front office.

“I was told this summer that the coaches really wanted to play Tannehill, but the front office was so endeared that they had to give this Mariota one more look,” he said.

[lawrence-related id=22641]

Regardless of whether or not this has any true substance to it, Tannehill is the man under center for Tennessee for the foreseeable future, and will be leading the charge as the Titans face the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars at 3:05 p.m. CT on Nov. 24.

Titans LT Taylor Lewan serves as an example of accountability to other NFL players

Lewan wasted no time taking responsibility for his blunders after Sunday’s 35-32 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Nissan Stadium.

Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan has almost set the team back more than he’s helped them move forward this season.

The culprit? Penalties.

Lewan wasted no time taking responsibility for his blunders after Sunday’s 35-32 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Nissan Stadium.

He’s now committed a team-high of nine penalties this year, despite being suspended for the first four games. No other Titans player has more than six penalties to their name in 2019.

[lawrence-related id=22641]

“First of all, before we even start this whole thing, my penalties are f—–g awful. I am 100 percent at issue with that,” Lewan said, per The Tennessean.

It goes without saying that Lewan’s errors are not purposeful, and that he means well.

“It is not intentional. I do not mean to do it. My intentions are good. I am just trying to finish, and it is killing the team. I know that. You guys know that. No one needs to call me out because I’ve got a voice. I am completely screwing the team with the amount of penalties I have had, what, these last six games.”

In a league where so many players are entitled and want to skate around owning their wrongdoings, it’s refreshing in a way to see the Pro Bowl offensive lineman boldly calling himself out.

[lawrence-related id=22622]

The Titans are on a bye this week, but will get back to action when they face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 24 at 3:05 p.m. CT on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.

Lamar Jackson wins second straight AFC Offensive Player of the Week award

Lamar Jackson’s perfect passer rating and spectacular rushing won the Ravens quarterback his third weekly award of the 2019 season.

For his work in Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson earned another AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. It’s his second consecutive week winning the honor and his third of the season through just nine games.

Jackson completed 15-of-17 passes for 223 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, marking his second perfect 158.3 passer rating this season. Jackson also dazzled on the ground, adding 65 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven attempts, including a highlight-reel 47-yard scamper.

Jackson continues to pile up AFC Player of the Week awards, which has him in the mix for the NFL’s MVP award this season. With Baltimore sitting atop the AFC North standings and holding the No. 2 overall seed in the AFC playoff picture at 7-2, Jackson has helped put the Ravens at the top of the league. If he continues to play like he did in Week 10 against the Bengals, this won’t be Jackson’s last award this season, though he might have to miss the NFL Honors ceremony to prepare for Super Bowl LIV.

[vertical-gallery id=36838]

Draft heat check: Is it Tua Tagovailoa or Joe Burrow for the Bengals?

Is it Tua or Burrow for the Bengals? Vote in our poll.

The Cincinnati Bengals remain on pace to hold the top pick in the 2020 NFL draft — which means it is Tua Tagovailoa or Joe Burrow time.

While Ryan Finley still has plenty of time to show he can be the player of the future for the Bengals under center, it has always seemed like he wouldn’t do enough to nudge the front office toward a Chase Young on draft day.

So for right now, the question is simple — which one?

Do the Bengals prefer Tagovailoa, the Alabama passer with a 70.9 completion percentage with 31 touchdowns and three interceptions? Do they like his leadership, playing experience and ability to move in the pocket? Does the recent ankle injury scare them?

Or what about Burrow? Does his 78.9 completion percentage with 33 touchdowns and four picks outweigh the fact he’s only just now emerging as a top prospect?

What about age and locale? Will Tagovailoa survive the draft process’ look at his just being another Alabama quarterback surrounded by elite prospects? Will Burrow’s leap go under the microscope? Burrow was born in December of 1996, Tagovailoa March of 1998, which is another factor to keep in mind given the developmental track of young quarterbacks that is well established (Finley, December 1994).

Heck, the questions don’t stop there. Does Burrow’s head-to-head win over Tagovailoa mean much, or does the Alabama product get the benefit of the doubt for playing through injury?

No easy answer exists right now. But for fans, it sure beats the tar out of solely focusing on a winless team with no end to the struggles in sight. Vote below to determine who should lead the quarterback race for the Bengals right now.

[polldaddy poll=10457284]

[vertical-gallery id=24592]

Titans add OL Daniel Munyer, waive RB Rod Smith

The Tennessee Titans made roster moves on Tuesday, adding new offensive line help to the practice squad.

The Tennessee Titans made roster moves on Tuesday, adding new offensive line help to the practice squad.

The 27-year-old saw action in three games for the team after signing with them on Oct. 8. He also appeared on on 39 special teams snaps this season, recording no snaps on offense.

The team brought on offensive lineman Daniel Munyer, and waived running back Rod Smith from the active roster on the same day.

The news was originally reported by the team’s Jim Wyatt.

[lawrence-related id=22622]

The Titans enjoy a bye week for now, but will face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 24 at 3:05 p.m. CT in Nissan Stadium.

AFC North Week 11 preview: Big AFC North battle behind Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football is the game to watch as it sets up second place behind the Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens ride high atop the AFC North standings, maintaining their lead in Week 10 by beating the Cincinnati Bengals.

All four teams inside the AFC North have had their bye weeks, meaning we’ll get a chance to see football from the entire division for the final seven weeks of the season.

With a tough schedule ahead for Baltimore, the coming weeks are an opportunity for the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers to make up some ground on the Ravens. It’ll start this week as those two square off in the national spotlight.

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4) at Cleveland Browns (3-6)

Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images

First up on Week 11’s schedule is an AFC North rivalry on Thursday night. It’s the first time the Steelers and Browns have met and only the second division game Cleveland has played this season.

Pittsburgh has been heating up after their trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, putting together solid defensive performances en route to a four-game winning streak. The Steelers have come alive in spite of an offense that has been downright dreadful, ranking 28th in yards and 19th in points scored.

The Browns would love nothing more than to beat their division rival and put themselves back in the hunt for a playoff spot in front of a national audience. With a fairly easy remaining schedule, Cleveland could very well get to 9-7 and put themselves in the running for a wild-card berth. A loss here would all but eliminate them from contention.

This is a pivotal game for the division behind Baltimore and one worth watching.