Tag: Bengals

Chiefs GM Brett Veach on trading with AFC rivals: ‘Asking prices are a tick higher’

#Chiefs GM Brett Veach told reporters that trading with Kansas City’s AFC rivals is difficult because “asking prices are a tick higher”

The Kansas City Chiefs’ success over the past few seasons has been partly due to decisions the team has made in the offseason. Their front office, led by general manager Brett Veach, has found ways to reshape the roster around its stars to maintain its supremacy, and the rest of the league has taken notice.

During a press conference on Friday, Veach spoke openly about the Chiefs’ mindset heading into the draft next week and revealed that doing business with every team in the league isn’t easy due to Kansas City’s status as Super Bowl champions.

“I think that if it can benefit them (another team), I think they’re always going to pick up the phone and call and be willing to work,” Veach explained. “I don’t think a team will diminish their ability to do something they really want to do just because it’s the Chiefs.

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“I do think that the ability to deal with certain teams it’s always been understood that if you’re going to deal with the team in your division, there’s a little bit more of a premium. Still, I think just some of the AFC teams, in general, that are consistent playoff performers.”

The Chiefs have consistently had battles with rivals in the AFC on their way to three titles over the last five years. Veach understands that other teams take caution to avoid adding to Kansas City’s dominance in the offseason.

“The Buffalo (Bills) and the Cincinnati Bengals and [the] Baltimore (Ravens), it’s probably a little bit harder to deal with those teams,” Veach continued. “Even if they pick up the phone, I think some of their asking prices are a tick higher. So I think we get hit with a little more interest. I think that there’s always a way to make a deal, but I think certain teams will probably up the price a little bit.”

Kansas City’s dynasty will be remembered for the fantastic players that Veach and his staff have brought in over the years, and the classic games that have been won due to the Chiefs’ exceptional foresight in roster construction.

B/R found the perfect destination for former Saints starter in free agency

Andrus Peat remains unsigned in free agency, but Bleacher Report believes he’d be a perfect fit for this AFC Super Bowl contender:

There are still plenty of New Orleans Saints free agents searching for their new team, and the most notable of them might be Andrus Peat. New Orleans declined to re-sign Peat and in turn suffered a $13 million dead cap hit. Saints head coach Dennis Allen has left the door open to Peat returning to New Orleans this offseason, but the team signed Oli Udoh to fill a similar role on the depth chart.

So where could Peat end up? Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay thinks the former Saint would be a perfect fit with the Cincinnati Bengals, writing:

The Cincinnati Bengals would be a great fit for Peat, especially after they let incumbent tackle Jonah Williams walk in free agency and brought in Trent Brown as his replacement on the right side of the line. Brown has a history of inconsistent play and could struggle to live up to the $4.8 million deal he inked this offseason.

The great part of Peat’s skill set is he has the versatility to play guard or tackle. Peat has been viewed as a tackle in the offseason by publications ignoring his more expansive history as a guard. Signing right tackle Trent Brown doesn’t take Peat off the table at all. He’ll be inexpensive and can compete at both tackle or guard on the left side.

The offseason has been quiet for Peat. The versatile offensive lineman has visited with the Titans, but nothing came from it. Pairing him with the Bengals makes a lot of sense. Their Super Bowl window remains open, and protecting Joe Burrow will be imperative to ensuring it doesn’t close. Peat will help fortify their protection. He’d also be joining some familiar faces in Cincinnati like former Saints draft picks Trey Hendrickson, Sheldon Rankins, and Vonn Bell.

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Tyreek Hill teases Dolphins adding WR Odell Beckham Jr.

Tyreek Hill says “OBJ to Miami confirmed.”

In March, the Miami Dolphins hosted Odell Beckham Jr. on a visit and, according to head coach Mike McDaniel, made a contract offer to the free agent wide receiver.

Two weeks later, there’s no further indication that a deal could come together, but Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill appears to think it’s coming soon. On his Snapchat story, Hill said Friday that Beckham joining Miami is “confirmed.”

“Things went great with him,” McDaniel said of Beckham in late March. “We did make him an offer and business takes time, especially with players like Odell, who’s had a phenomenal career and still has really good football in front of him and has options. I think those conversations will be ongoing. We’ll see where they go.”

Beckham, 31, sat out the entire 2022 season after suffering an ACL tear in Super Bowl LVI, but returned in 2023 on a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens. In his sole season with the team, the receiver recorded 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

In his nine seasons in the NFL, Beckham has recorded 566 receptions for 7,932 yards and 59 touchdown receptions.

While the Dolphins have a star duo of receivers in Hill and former top 10 draft pick Jaylen Waddle, the team has seen little production out of the rest of its receiving corps. Hill and Waddle combined for more than 2,800 receiving yards in 2023, but no other wide receiver on the team topped 300 yards.

In addition to their interest in Beckham, the Dolphins have reportedly kept an eye on former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd.

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Saints announce a deal with former Bengals WR Stanley Morgan

The New Orleans Saints announced a deal with former Bengals WR Stanley Morgan, who should compete for a role covering punts and kickoffs:

Here’s another veteran added to the New Orleans Saints receiving corps. On Friday, the team announced a deal with former Cincinnati Bengals wideout Stanley Morgan — a New Orleans native who studied at St. Augustine High School. He played college football at Nebraska before turning pro with Cincinnati. And he’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds.

Morgan, 27, spent the first five years of his career with the Bengals as a backup behind stars like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, totaling just 15 targets in 51 career games (catching 5 of them for 29 yards). But he’s been a very important player on special teams for Cincinnati with 909 snaps covering punts and kickoffs.

So look for Morgan to compete for a role on special teams. The Saints have added two veteran receivers in as many days after signing Cedrick Wilson Jr. from the Miami Dolphins, but that still puts them at less than half the total brought into training camp a season ago. There are seven, maybe eight vacancies still open, so expect more additions.

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Saints’ comp picks take a hit after NFL adjusts 2024 draft order

The New Orleans Saints saw several compensatory picks fall lower after the 2024 draft order was altered on Monday:

The NFL made an adjustment to the compensatory pick formula for the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, which moved what was a sixth-round pick for the Cincinnati Bengals up to a third-round pick at No. 97 overall. So what’s the ripple effect for the New Orleans Saints?

Ultimately, this also moves the remaining compensatory picks behind 97 overall down one spot. The Saints began with picks at No. 167, 169, and 174, which will now all move down to 168, 170, and 175.

As a refresher, those three picks the Saints received are from losing David Onyemata, Marcus Davenport, and Kaden Elliss in free agency last year. They will not receive picks for Shy Tuttle, Andy Dalton, or Deonte Harty as those losses counteracted the additions of Nathan Shepherd, Jamaal Williams, and Khalen Saunders. The loss of Justin Evans will also not be factored in as a CFA (compensatory free agent) as he was countered by the signing of Jonathan Abram.

After this adjustment, here is what the Saints’ 2024 draft picks are looking like:

  • Round 1, Pick 14
  • Round 2, Pick 45 (via Denver Broncos)
  • Round 5, Pick 150
  • Round 5, Pick 168 (compensatory)
  • Round 5, Pick 170 (compensatory)
  • Round 5, Pick 175 (compensatory)
  • Round 6, Pick 190
  • Round 6, Pick 199 (via Philadelphia Eagles)
  • Round 7, Pick 239 (via Denver Broncos)

While the Saints are missing third and fourth round picks after last year’s trades, they ultimately have enough Day 3 picks to trade back into Day 2 if they so choose.

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NFL rumors: Chiefs reach an agreement with free agent TE Irv Smith Jr.

Kansas City Chiefs reach an agreement with free agent TE Irv Smith Jr.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made their first splash in the legal negotiations period of free agency by adding to their offense.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cincinnati Bengals free agent tight end Irv Smith Jr. has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Chiefs. The reported agreement adds another dynamic option for Patrick Mahomes to play alongside Travis Kelce or provide rest moments in games. During his lone season with the Bengals in 2023, he struggled with hamstring injuries, leading him to lose his starting job midway through the year.

Smith Jr. was a standout in college for Alabama and was a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to the Minnesota Vikings. He spent his first four professional seasons in Minnesota, missing the entire 2021 year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He has accumulated 109 catches for 973 yards and ten touchdowns in four seasons on the field so far in his career.

When healthy, the 25-year-old’s versatility makes him a valuable part of the offense. Head coach Andy Reid usually finds success in players who can adjust to the fast offensive style and play a key role.

PFF says the Saints should pursue this DL on Day 2 of free agency

Pro Football Focus says the New Orleans Saints should sign former Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader on the second day of free agency:

The first day of free agency was quiet for the New Orleans Saints, who lost a couple of backups on defense to other teams — but things could pick up as we enter the second day of the NFL’s legal negotiating window. Could the Saints finally make a move to improve their team?

Pro Football Focus analyst Brad Spielberger has a suggestion, pointing to the Saints’ mediocre run defense as an obvious problem. Spielberger writes that former Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader would make sense for New Orleans:

Only injuries slowed Reader down in Cincinnati. Otherwise, he was a dominant force on the interior of a talented defensive line that was able to control the line of scrimmage and win big games up front over the past few seasons. The eighth-year veteran was the anchor in the middle. Reader is as stout as they come and nearly impossible to displace by just one blocker. And while he’ll never fill up the stat sheet with sacks, he can push the pocket and free up teammates as well as any nose tackle. Reader, unfortunately, suffered a torn quadriceps injury in Week 15 that knocked him out for the remainder of the season. We will await more details on the recovery process before changing his projection, but the injury could obviously impact his market.

Reader’s ability to stop the run would be a welcome addition to a team that ranked in the middle of the pack in PFF run-defense grade.

Reader hasn’t played a full season since 2018, back before the NFL expanded to a 17-game regular season. But he wouldn’t be asked to play as many snaps in the Saints’ rotation with Bryan Bresee, Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders as he has been in Kansas City. Reader has averaged 51.8, 39.3, 37.1, and 38.2 snaps per game through four years with the Bengals.

Here’s how many snaps per game the Saints’ top four defensive tackles averaged last year:

  • Nathan Shepherd: 34.9 (51.1% on running downs)
  • Bryan Bresee: 31.7 (27.5% on running downs)
  • Khalen Saunders: 30.8 (52.9% on running downs)
  • Malcolm Roach: 24.2 (47.9% on running downs)

Roach is a free agent himself, so if he’s on the way out then there’s a clear void for Reader to fill. He’ll turn 30 this year and can clearly still play at a high level when healthy, so limiting his snaps in the rotation would help protect him from injury and keep everyone fresh. Bresee was a liability against the run last year, which is why the Saints focused on playing him against the pass, so Reader could shore up that weakness, too.

The move would make sense, but the money would need to check out, and it’s unclear what Reader’s seeking in a new contract. We’ll have to wait and see if anything materializes here but it’s a good suggestion.

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Panthers cutting former Saints safety Vonn Bell

The new Panthers GM is cutting many of his predecessor’s free agent signings, including former Saints safety Vonn Bell. Would a reunion make sense?

The Carolina Panthers are releasing veteran safety Vonn Bell, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, who they just signed a year ago. Depending on whether or not the Panthers are designating Bell a post-June 1 cut, they’ll be paying $7.9 million to $9.8 million in dead money while Bell is playing elsewhere.

Could he return to the New Orleans Saints? Bell, who turned 29 in December, has developed into a well-rounded safety with better ball skills than he showed in his four years with the Saints. After intercepting just one pass (and breaking up 14 others) in his first 61 games, all in New Orleans, Bell has picked off opposing quarterbacks 6 times with 23 pass deflections in his last 61 games, all starts for the Panthers and Cincinnati Bengals.

Bell clearly knows the system Dennis Allen is running very well. He just had the misfortune of being stuck in Carolina during the middle of a regime change with new general manager Dan Morgan torching many of the contracts his predecessor handed out, including Bell’s. The Saints have to be looking for a replacement at free safety after deciding to release Marcus Maye, or at least competition for second-year pro Jordan Howden. Bell would fit the bill.

So this is something to watch in the days ahead. Bell is several years younger than Malcolm Jenkins was when he reunited with the Saints after a successful run on the Philadelphia Eagles, and he may still have something left in the tank. We’ll see if any interest materializes.

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1 pending free agent the Ravens could target from each AFC team

We’re looking at one pending free agent from each AFC team that the Baltimore Ravens could target

Free agency is about two weeks away, and the Baltimore Ravens have several players set to hit the open market. General manager Eric DeCosta has to make crucial decisions to fill roster holes.

While DeCosta will likely look to the free agent market for answers, several in-house free agents are candidates to sign an extension ahead of free agency.

But there are also many of them, including some of Baltimore’s higher-profile free agents, likely on the way out.

With the NFL combine set to wrap up and the new league year just eight days away, we’re looking at one pending free agent the Ravens could target from each AFC club.

1 pending free agent Chargers should target: AFC North Edition

Listing one free agent from the Steelers, Ravens, Browns and Bengals who could be a fit for the Chargers.

The Chargers won’t be aggressive when it comes to signing free agents, as they’re currently $35 million over the projected salary cap.

While they’re cash-strapped, general manager Joe Hortiz will make some moves to have some spendings available to them so they can sign some.

That said, I will list one pending free agent from each team in the NFL that could be a realistic target for L.A.

Next up is the AFC North.