Tag: Bengals

PFF names free-agent target for Chargers in 2024

Here’s who Pro Football Focus suggests the Los Angeles Chargers should pursue this offseason.

While the Chargers are still figuring out who will be the next head coach and general manager, they will have to quickly settle in and figure out a game plan to retool the roster, starting in free agency.

Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness named one free agent each team should pursue in the offseason. For Los Angeles, McGuinness believes they should target cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.

The Chargers need to get better in the secondary in 2024. Awuzie is a more-than-capable coverage player who has just one season with a PFF coverage grade below 60.0 and is coming off a year during which he allowed just 38 receptions from 446 coverage snaps.

The Bolts could be in the market for a starting cornerback if Michael Davis, who is a free agent, is not re-signed. But regardless of whether or not Davis is back in the blue and gold, the secondary needs to be shored up.

Awuzie, the eight-year veteran, was a slam-dunk signing by the Bengals in 2021. He was playing at an elite level until he suffered a torn ACL midway through the 2022 season.

Awuzie returned to the playing field in Week 1 of the 2023 regular season, and while he did not perform as he did in his first two seasons with Cincinnati, he was still a serviceable starter.

PFF projects Awuzie to land a contract for two years worth ($11.5 million per year) with $13.75 million total guaranteed.

The Chargers are currently strapped for cash, as they’re expected to be $40 million over the 2024 salary cap space. But with some wheeling and dealing with some players under contract, they should have some spendings to land a player like Awuzie.

Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher to interview for Saints OC job

Bengals QB coach Dan Pitcher to interview for the Saints offensive coordinator job after helping Jake Browning fill in for Joe Burrow:

We’ve got movement: after dismissing Pete Carmichael onTuesday, the New Orleans Saints are seeking an interview with a potential replacement on Wednesday in Dan Pitcher, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach, as reported by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones confirmed that the Saints requested an interview with Pitcher.

Pitcher, 37, has worked with the Bengals since 2016 after starting his career as a scout with the Indianapolis Colts back in 2012. He initially coached wide receivers for Cincinnati before being reassigned to the quarterbacks when Zac Taylor was hired as head coach in 2019.

He’s played a key role in developing Joe Burrow and other quarterbacks the Bengals have picked up over the years; it was his responsibility to work with backup quarterback Jake Browning when Burrow went down with a season-ending injury this season. The Bengals went 4-3 with Browning under center and finished the year with a winning record.

We’ll see if anything manifests beyond this interview. Pitcher has drawn a lot of attention (he twice met with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year when they were looking for a new OC) and he’s someone Taylor has pointed to as a coach with a good eye for game management, which is something the Saints have lacked on offense. Stay tuned.

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Chargers complete head coach interview with Brian Callahan

The Bengals have had one of the top offenses since Brian Callahan took over that role.

The Chargers completed their head coach interview with Brian Callahan, the team announced on Tuesday.

Callahan finished his fifth season as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator, where he has engineered one of the top offenses in that timespan.

Before joining Cincinnati, Callahan was the Lions quarterbacks coach during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Matthew Stafford threw for over 4,000 yards in both years. In 2018, he held the same role with the Raiders. Derek Carr also surpassed the 4,000-yard mark in passing.

Callahan joined the NFL ranks as an assistant in 2010 until 2015 with the Broncos.

Callahan’s coaching career began in 2006 at UCLA as a graduate assistant. He then worked with the wide receivers in 2007 before becoming the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, CA.

Chiefs’ Harrison Butker reflects on kicking six field goals vs. Bengals

Kansas City #Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker reflected on his six-field goals performance vs. the Cincinnati #Bengals.

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t walk out of Sunday’s victory over the Cincinnati Bengals with multiple touchdown drives. They instead saw their veteran kicker take control of the game and supply consistent points on their second-half drives.

During his postgame press conference, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker shared his thoughts on his fantastic performance and staying focused after bad outings.

“Going into any game, I say, you know there is going to be 10 possessions, and there is going to be an extra point or field goal in every possession,” Butker said. “I get my mind ready for a lot of kicks, whether you get that many kicks or not.

“You have to stay ready and locked in. It has been easy for me in the past to make field goals and then relax. I think I have had a good game, and I probably won’t get any more. I thought I did a good job this game staying locked in and focused for any opportunity that came.”

Butker hit on all five field goal attempts, accounting for the last 15 points of the game. The veteran kicker said the previous week’s miss didn’t affect his confidence heading into the New Year’s Eve matchup.

“It felt great,” Butker said. “You know you make 13 in a row and are feeling on top of the world. You feel like you are in a great rhythm. You miss a makeable, easy kick in New England and another makeable kick [the next week against the Raiders]. I am sure you could see in my emotions last week against Las Vegas. Those are just gimme kicks that, unfortunately, you miss. I just pray for God’s will to be done on every kick. So sometimes on kicks, you say, ‘All right, God, you wanted me to miss for some reason.’

“Even today those last two, I don’t know how they went in, but they did. I work very hard, but when you get the opportunity in front of 80,000 fans, you are playing in front of a big international audience, and the kick happens in 1.3 seconds. It just happens so fast. I am so grateful for the successes and also misses and losses. I am just thankful to be in this position and the six kicks to be going through. Not me, God taking care of it.”

Butker’s ability to make kicks in pressure situations has immortalized him in the league’s history. He will again be needed this postseason, and Sunday’s performance was the perfect preparation.

Chiefs safety Justin Reid reflects on dominant defensive stand to close out matchup vs. Bengals

#Chiefs safety Justin Reid reflected on Kansas City’s dominant defensive stand that closed the door on the Cincinnati #Bengals in Week 17.

The team sealed its eighth consecutive AFC West division title only days following the Kansas City Chiefs’ disastrous performance against the Las Vegas Raiders. The victory over the Cincinnati Bengals featured the best the team can offer on defense heading into the playoffs.

Chiefs safety Justin Reid significantly contributed to Sunday’s win with his performance. He collected two critical sacks on Cincinnati’s last drive and finished with seven tackles, ranking second on the team in the win. Reid spoke about the final Bengals drive and the mindset of the defensive unit during his post-game comments to reporters.

“It was a big moment. All of it just came down to execution,” Reid explained. “We were executing really all game, and in the biggest moments, your biggest players – in every situation, your players have to make plays. (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Steve) Spags dialed it up for me to get home, and we practiced it all during the week, everyone played their role to give me enough time to get home, and we were able to make things happen.”

Reid’s thrilling display on the Bengals’ final drive thwarted their comeback hopes and reinforced the unit’s ability to close games. The option of not relying on getting the ball back to Patrick Mahomes and the offense is a luxury heading into another postseason.

“That’s what we want to be; that’s what we want our identity to be,” said Reid. “A defense where when our number is called, we go out there no matter the situation, and we play defense.”

Reid is in his second season with the Chiefs and has quickly become a leader in the secondary. He is playing at a high level at a prime time as Kansas City seeks back-to-back Super Bowl titles.

Inactives for Bengals vs. Chiefs, Week 17

Here are the players who will be inactive during the #Bengals vs. #Chiefs Week 17 game | From @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals have released their lists of inactive players ahead of their Week 17 matchup.

Here are the inactive players for the Chiefs:

  • DT Neil Farrell
  • DE Malik Herring
  • WR Kadarius Toney
  • OT Donovan Smith
  • DE B.J. Thompson
  • CB Nic Jones
  • RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Here is the inactive list for the Bengals:

  • RB Chris Evans
  • CB Jalen Davis
  • OL Trey Hill
  • OL D’Ante Smith
  • DT Travis Bell

Backstreet Boys’ Kevin Richardson to serve as drum honoree for Chiefs vs. Bengals

Backstreet Boys’ Kevin Richardson to serve as drum honoree for Chiefs vs. Bengals

The Kansas City Chiefs have chosen their drum honoree for the Week 17 regular-season home finale at Arrowhead Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Kevin Richardson, known globally as a member of one of the most prominent singing groups in history, the Backstreet Boys, serves as the team’s drum leader against the Bengals on Sunday. He will get a chance to put on a show for Chiefs Kingdom ahead of kickoff, pounding the drum on the GEHA Drum Deck and getting fans excited for the game.

Pregame entertainment will include Goldpine, a recording duo, which will sing the national anthem, and the Topeka Police Department Honor Guard will present the colors. If the weather permits, A KC-130 tanker from the 139th Airlift Wing of the Missouri National Guard will conduct a flyover.

In 2021, days before Super Bowl LV, Richardson spoke exclusively to Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. about how he became a die-hard Chiefs fan due in large part to his wife.

“My girlfriend at the time was a Kansas City girl. We started dating in 1992. Fast forward 28 years later, and she’s my wife. We have two boys, so she’s from Overland Park, Kansas. She went to school at Shawnee Mission High School. She’s Kansas City grown and grew up going to the Chiefs games with her family; her dad was a Chiefs’ ticket holder. She’s running around there in the 1970s at Arrowhead (Stadium) growing up as a kid, and so I married into the Chiefs,” said Richardson, “and ironically, (Marcus) Allen and (Joe) Montana had come over; it was a perfect fit, and I’ve been a fan ever since, all the way through Derrick Thomas, Tony Gonzalez, Priest Holmes, Will Shields, Trent Green, Larry Johnson, Dante Hall, Tamba Ali, all the greats.”

Richardson will get the crowd in a frenzy as the Chiefs look to clinch another AFC West division championship.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco clears concussion protocol ahead of Week 17 vs. Bengals

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco clears concussion protocol ahead of Week 17 vs. Bengals

The Kansas City Chiefs need a victory on Sunday against their AFC rival Cincinnati Bengals to clinch another AFC West division title and spot in the postseason. The injury bug has hit the team recently, with key players out on both sides of the ball, but some good news has emerged, with a starter potentially ready to play tomorrow.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Isiah Pacheco should be ready on Sunday following his concussion during last Monday’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Rapoport shared the news Saturday via his ‘X’ social media account, posting that the second-year running back has passed the battery of tests while in the league-mandated concussion protocol.

“Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and is expected to play, source said.” posted Rapoport. “He was listed as questionable with a concussion and also a shoulder injury.”

Pacheco was forced out of the game on Christmas Day due to the accidental blow he took to the head from a teammate as his helmet was knocked off and fell backward. The impact from the defender caused a nasty collision as the independent doctor ushered Pacheco off the field for further examination and was later ruled out for the rest of the day.

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo reveals potential plan to play without CB L’Jarius Sneed vs. Bengals

Kansas City #Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo revealed his plan to play without cornerback L’Jarius Sneed against the #Bengals.

The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a disappointing loss on Monday against the Las Vegas Raiders in more ways than the scoreboard. Injuries to Isiah Pacheco, Mike Edwards, and L’Jarius Sneed have their availability this week in question; with the prospect of their top cover cornerback missing a must-win game, there is growing concern.

During his Thursday press conference, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo addressed these concerns about Sneed’s availability.

“It’ll look a little different. I mean, you guys have seen LJ (L’Jarius Sneed) kind of traveled with, usually, the top wideout,” Spagnuolo explained. “So, the decision we’ll have to make is, do we put somebody else in that role? Or do we do what we normally do and stay right and left? So we’ll figure that out. When the time comes.

“We’re hopeful for L’Jarius. I mean, I thought he and Mike Edwards, going back in the game last week, was big; they got dinged up there. And when you lose two key secondary guys, and in any game, there’s some shuffling and some scrambling. And when those guys bounce back in there, that was huge, but you know, we’ll, you know, the training staff will, and LJ will make that decision. So hopefully.”

Sneed left momentarily during Monday’s game with a calf injury and has continued to suffer lingering effects by missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday.

“We got to have plans A, B, and C, and that’s what we do now,” said Spagnuolo, “The other guys that are in there as we practice will practice as if we don’t have LJ, and then we’re ready to go if we get to Sunday, and that happens.”

Sneed still hasn’t been officially ruled out for the New Year’s Eve battle with the Cincinnati Bengals, but Spagnuolo and his staff will be prepared for the worst possible outcome.