Tag: b.j. hill

Bengals provide key injury updates ahead of bye week

Some small Bengals injury updates for the bye week.

It isn’t all bad on the injury front for the Cincinnati Bengals during the Week 12 bye.

The team did lose an emerging defender and immediately made a roster move to help replace him.

But beyond that — good news. Speaking with reporters during the bye, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor revealed that defensive lineman BJ Hill would emerge fine on the other side of the bye.

On the subject of Tee Higgins, the franchise-tagged wideout is just fine despite the scary-looking hit to his back during the Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Hill had been playing through a rib injury and seemed to reaggravate that issue at some point during the loss to the Chargers, so the week off certainly comes at a good time for him.

As for Higgins, he’s had different soft-tissue issues that caused him different stretches of games this year. He seems to have avoided another setback going into the break.

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Bengals projected to lose star to Cowboys in 2025 free agency

Are the Bengals in danger of losing a star to the Cowboys in free agency?

The Cincinnati Bengals losing B.J. Hill in 2025 free agency is a topic that keeps coming up in recent weeks.

And it’s not hard to see why, either. As the season has progressed, it has become more and more apparent the team will need to put big money into fixing problem areas like the secondary and pass-rush — on top of a big extension for Ja’Marr Chase and other items.

As such, Bleacher Report has projected that Hill could go join the Dallas Cowboys on the open market:

The seven-year pro has earned above-average grades for his run defense and pass rush from Pro Football Focus. Through Week 9 in 2024, he’s earned marks of 68.3 against the run and 73.1 as a pass-rusher.

Like we stress each time this comes up, the Bengals have planned for this, at least partially, with rookies Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson.

But for fans, it’s a point of stress considering, well, younger guys stepping into bigger roles hasn’t exactly worked out lately. Dax Hill didn’t cut it at safety and the Cam Taylor-Britt regression has been stunning to watch in real time.

The Bengals could end up going with youth on the interior, get Trey Hendrickson an extension and let Hill walk, for better or worse. Dallas, indeed, would be one of the teams interested on the open market.

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Bengals lose star to 49ers in 2025 free agency projections

This would be a pretty big setback for the Bengals.

When it comes to the 2025 offseason and free agency for the Cincinnati Bengals, the conversation seems to fixate on Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for obvious reasons.

Chase, of course, needs an extension, while Higgins could leave on the open market.

As such, it’s a little easy to forget about names like B.J. Hill.

Bleacher Report hasn’t — and just projected that Hill will leave the Bengals for the San Francisco 49ers in free agency:

Hill will turn 30 in April, but remains one of the league’s more disruptive interior defenders when fully healthy. He recorded 26 solo tackles and 4.5 sacks while starting all 17 games for the Bengals in 2023.

It would be a pretty big setback for the Bengals. The team hopes rookies Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson are the future on the interior, yes. But Sheldon Rankins has been a bust of a free-agency signing so far and depth beyond that is pretty much zero.

Yet, Hill could indeed be one of those guys they have a hard time bringing back, especially considering other factors like free agents such as Mike Hilton and a name like Trey Hendrickson possibly wanting an extension.

That’s all before considering major investments necessary to bolster the pass-rush and a disaster of a secondary, too.

So yes, the Bengals could lose Hill to a team like the 49ers. And it just joins the long list of potential issues to keep in mind ahead of a critical offseason.

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Bengals get four key defenders back in lineup ahead of matchup vs. Ravens

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor says Trey Hendrickson, Myles Murphy, B.J. Hill and McKinnley Jackson all will play vs. Ravens

The Bengals are getting healthy at the right time. For Sunday’s AFC North matchup against the Ravens, they’ll have four critical defenders back in the lineup to face Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.

Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor says Trey Hendrickson, Myles Murphy, B.J. Hill, and McKinnley Jackson will all play.

Hendrickson was forced to leave last Sunday’s win over the Panthers with a stinger, but he has been able to practice all week. Head coach Zac Taylor said at a Friday press conference that he will play against Baltimore. Hendrickson has nine tackles and three sacks so far this season.

Murphy has been on the Reserve/Injured list and designated for return since Aug. 27 with a knee injury, while Jackson has been on the list since Aug. 29 with a knee injury.

Jackson is set to make his NFL debut.  The rookie defensive tackle spent the first four weeks of the season on injured reserve.

They’ll need the reinforcements, as Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and the Ravens have rushed for 881 yards (6.4 yards-per-carry) in their first four games.

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Bengals defenders brutally trolled Anthony Richardson after dominating a joint practice against the Colts

The Bengals kicked Anthony Richardson while he was down.

If there’s one thing I know about the NFL, it’s never to make sweeping conclusions about a team’s season (hey, Keenan Allen) based on August training camp practices and preseason exhibitions. Still, there’s nothing stopping professional athletes from trash-talking their opponents at every opportunity they get.

Even if it is just practice.

On Tuesday, the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts met up for a joint practice in the Queen City. While it means nothing for the Colts’ offense from a macro perspective, it was apparently a rough day for second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson against a smart and fast Bengals defense.

Rather than move on and accept their “win” graciously, some Bengals defenders decided to kick Richardson — who is working his way back from a shoulder injury that ended his rookie season in 2023 — while he was down.

Who are we kidding? Of course the Bengals — often known to puff their chests in public as much as possible — would talk like this over a practice:

Oh, man. That is brutal to read on its face.

The Bengals are basically rattling off lazy stereotypes and narratives for a talented quarterback still learning the nuances of the professional game. It’s like they’re just trying to plant seeds of doubt in Richardson’s head over thoughts that he probably tries to block out while ideally coming into his own.

I can’t say I blame them for trying.

Unfortunately for us, the only scheduled matchup between the Colts and Bengals this season is in their preseason finale this Thursday. Barring a playoff matchup in January, we won’t get to see Richardson exact any revenge or try to put the Bengals in their place any time soon.

Ugh, what a bummer.

At the very least, I now REALLY want to see Richardson against this Colts defense in the winter. Store this little August practice incident for later. It might come in really handy.

B.J. Hill honors bet with Joe Burrow, rocks blond hairdo

B.J. Hill is now blond, just like his quarterback.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman B.J. Hill is, it seems, a man of his word.

Hill showed up to Sunday’s practice with bleached blond hair, taking after quarterback Joe Burrow — owning up to his end of an apparent bet.

Last week when Burrow showed up to training camp with the Athens, Ohio, throwback look the team dubbed the “Slim Sheisty” style, he said that it was a bet he made with Hill.

So there was Hill on Sunday with a new hairdo and little to say to team media and fans who watched him walk by, taking it in stride with a laugh:

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We know who encouraged Joe Burrow to cut and bleach hair (it’s B.J. Hill again)

There’s a predictable culprit behind the whole Joe Burrow hair thing.

It turns out Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman B.J. Hill is once again behind some of the team’s hair shenanigans.

Apparently, Joe Burrow’s cut and Slim Shiesty-bleached hair are the result of a dare from Hill.

Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com caught the important bits:

Burrow’s camp looks to be unfolding as one of feel and improv that fittingly began with a dare from defensive tackle B.J. Hill to bleach a buzz cut.

“I was bored,” said Burrow, who won’t be now with this busy August itinerary.

A year ago, Hill infamously made a bet that his good friend Germaine Pratt wouldn’t re-sign with the team in free agency. Pratt did and Hill had to shave off all his hair.

Now, Burrow’s calling for fans to hold Hill accountable — he must honor his side of the deal by bleaching his own hair, per Spectrum News’ Katie Kapusta:

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The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Why defensive tackles matter more than ever

Why are defensive tackles more important in today’s NFL than they’ve ever been before? Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar are here with the answers.

In today’s NFL, with as much quick game as teams are using, it’s more important than ever to get to the quarterback as quickly as possible. Often, the shortest distance between the line of scrimmage and the quarterback is a straight line, and when your edge-rushers don’t have time to get home, it’s up to your interior defensive linemen to make those sacks and pressures happen.

It’s why the NFL has placed an increasing importance on those inside guys, and the money has gone up accordingly.

In 2019, there were 15 interior defensive linemen with in-season cap hits of more than $10 million, led by Aaron Donald at $17,108,000. In 2024, there are 22 such players. Now, a lot of those contracts are ones in which the cap hit happens to explode in this league year, but the point still stands – the NFL is placing an increased financial priority on interior defensive linemen. 

It’s also why NFL is paying more centers and guards more money and selecting more higher in the draft, as well.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into all the reasons why interior defensive linemen are of such crucial importance, the techniques they use to pester enemy quarterbacks, and the best players at creating pressure in the shortest possible time.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

You can also listen to and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Bengals view Kris Jenkins as B.J. Hill ‘with more upside’

An insider reveals how the Bengals feel about their second-round pick.

The Cincinnati Bengals expect big things from a handful of the 2024 rookie class right out of the gates.

While the attention goes to first-rounder Amarius Mims and even a later-round possible steal such as Josh Newton, there are clearly big expectations for Kris Jenkins, too.

In his latest insider buzz for each team column, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, notes how highly the team views second-round defensive lineman Kris Jenkins:

Cincinnati expects both players to contribute right away. In Jenkins, Cincinnati sees shades of B.J. Hill with more upside. And Jackson is a true run-stopper.

It’s no secret the Bengals were anxiously waiting and hoping Jenkins would fall to them in the second round. Based on the post-selection analysis, it’s not hard to see why.

As a rookie, Jenkins will rotate with B.J. Hill and Sheldon Rankins as the Bengals seem ready to mix up the approach in the trenches after DJ Reader’s departure.

Over the long term, if the Bengals really see this upside with Jenkins, he projects as an every-down starter, potentially alongside fellow rookie McKinnley Jackson.

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Bengals’ B.J. Hill floated as cut candidate

One expert thinks the Bengals could make a surprise move this offseason.

The Cincinnati Bengals will undoubtedly seek defensive line help this offseason, likely both in free agency and the draft.

After all, the team lost DJ Reader to injury before his upcoming trip to free agency and had a severe lack of production, especially as the season continued.

What the Bengals don’t figure to do, though, is make subtractions to the defensive line.

While outlining the Bengals’ offseason outlook, though, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler does float BJ Hill as a cut candidate:

The Bengals’ roster is well-stocked but needs reinforcements, particularly on defense. Expect Cincinnati to attempt to add speed and explosion to its front seven, particularly on the interior defensive line, via free agency and the draft. Many around the league believe Cincinnati will franchise-tag wide receiver Tee Higgins and let veteran slot receiver Tyler Boyd walk. Running back Joe Mixon ($5.8 million cap savings) and defensive tackle BJ Hill ($7.5 million) are among potential cap casualties, though Mixon posted 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns.

On sheer money alone, Hill might look like a cut candidate. While some might suggest the veteran had a down season, despite so little going on around him, Hill posted more pressures (23) than 2022 on fewer snaps.

Given the severe lack of depth and production from the defensive line, it’s safe to say Hill isn’t going anywhere. What this does possibly point out, though, is he might be a restructure candidate (or even an extension that flattens the cap hit?), should the Bengals somehow find themselves strapped for cash.

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