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Cam Newton had his best game of the season while several former Tigers get prepared for the NFL playoff.
Despite several scares, the NFL was able to play a full regular season and is now turning to the playoffs.
The season saw several Auburn players have impressive seasons while others struggled. Now some former Tigers will be gearing up for the playoffs and trying to win Super Bowl LV.
Here is how every former Tiger performed in Week 17 of the NFL.
It was a rough weekend for former Auburn players in the NFL including Cam Newton and Carlton Davis.
Much like the Iron Bowl, it was not a great week for former Auburn players in the NFL.
Cam Newton had another tough day throwing the ball for New England and Carlton Davis was put in a rough spot against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Here’s a look at how every former Tiger performed in NFL Week 12 games.
Cincinnati Bengals LB Josh Bynes led his defense to the team’s first win.
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The Cincinnati Bengals weren’t just throwing out lip service when they said this offseason the emphasis was on finding winners and proven leaders from other programs — collegiate or otherwise.
Josh Bynes, a longtime NFL veteran, was a free-agent add tasked with suddenly being the senior-most guy in at the linebacker spot on a team that drafted three rookies and added more later.
After a struggle-filled start for Bynes’ defense during the march to 0-2-1, it was the veteran who stepped up with a surprise Saturday night speech to his teammates before the win over Jacksonville.
Star safety Jessie Bates explained, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
“Bynes is undrafted, he’s been in ten years, he’s been on a national championship (team), he’s won a Super Bowl. Him just being able to talk about his experiences and how that Super Bowl team, they started out 2-5 or whatever. How they came back and they won a Super Bowl. We’re trying to build that culture and that mindset here in Cincinnati.”
Rest assured the rookies noticed too, per ESPN’s Ben Baby:
Bengals LB Markus Bailey on Josh Bynes' surprise address to the team on Saturday night about overcoming adversity: "I thought it was what we needed to hear as a team"
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) October 5, 2020
The defense responded by generally looking improved and holding the Jaguars to a 2-of-10 mark on third downs in the win. Bates again looked like an NFL-wide breakout star and keep in mind Bynes’ unit did this while down a few starting corners and Geno Atkins.
The unit will need another upswing in play going into Week 5, where a battle against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens awaits.
Cincinnati Bengals coaches really like the addition of Josh Bynes via free agency.
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Josh Bynes wasn’t the biggest addition for the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency by a long shot. The honor goes to D.J. Reader and Vonn Bell, with room for others in the conversation.
But Bynes, a well-established leader, producer and participant on some great defenses, keeps coming up in conversations.
The latest to bring him up while talking about the defensive overhaul? Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin, according to Michael LaPlaca of Bengals.com:
“Coming from a great defense, we like his leadership, his instincts and ability to bring the young guys along, which is good. When we had the opportunity in free agency come up, we jumped on it. There’s a good piece for us going forward. I’m excited to see him in Bengals stripes.”
This is hardly the first time Bynes’ name has generated some hype this offseason. Back in May, the former Baltimore Ravens linebacker made it clear he was already taking control of the linebacker room.
Bynes has since gone into detail explaining how he’s making it his mission to serve as a mentor for the young linebackers on the depth chart. And as we wrote, he’s got a chance to land as one of free agency’s biggest steals.
Now the most senior member of the linebacker unit, Bynes doesn’t figure to play the most snaps — but it’s clear even those inside the organization think he’ll be a critical piece of whether the unit can take an important upswing.
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New Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Josh Bynes is already leading the team’s LBs.
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Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Josh Bynes arrived as the most experinced player at his position.
Bynes was a quiet free-agent add for the Bengals at a position where they added draft picks Logan Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither and Markus Bailey.
And Bynes quickly took a leadership role — and everyone noticed.
Bynes talked on the “Bengals Booth Podcast” with Dan Hoard about how he’s taken command:
“It’s just being vocal in the meetings. I ask a million and one questions…if I don’t know anything I want to ask as many questions as possible so I can get a clear understanding of what it is that’s being asked of us. Just trying to set the standard for our room, you know trying to bring everyone along. We got some young guys in the room, they gotta be involved quickly and ready to play…I’m just in a position enough to have so much experience…just want to pass as much knowledge as possible down to the young guys…
…I’m always opening to listening, you never know where great ideas come from. I don’t turn our rookies from bad ideas, everybody has a great idea and you don’t turn your nose up at anything. That’s just called growth and evolving kjnowing you can get lessons from anybody no matter whre they are in life.”
It’s an incredible bit of interview with one of the newest Bengals on the roster and it’s not hard to see why coaches liked him so much.
Thanks to some key stats and his already acting like a mentor, Bynes has a chance to prove he’s one of free agency’s biggest steals.
Given the all-virtual nature of the offseason, it’s quietly very underrated the Bengals have a veteran like this — new to the team or not — who has taken over and likes to lead by example.
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The Cincinnati Bengals could have something special with Josh Bynes.
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The Cincinnati Bengals made some big splashes in free agency this offseason.
Josh Bynes was a quieter addition though. Bynes wasn’t a big name on the market and over the past few years he’d bounced around three different teams, most recently Baltimore.
Feel free to tack on the fact Bynes only played on 40 percent of Baltimore’s defensive snaps last year.
As if to push Bynes even further under the radar, the Bengals then drafted three linebackers and also added some intriguing undrafted free agents.
And now Bynes has a chance to really make the team look good if he can be wildly effective in his typical usage spots.
Pro Football Focus recently highlighted one such area:
Highest-graded linebackers in the red-zone in 2019
1. Bobby Wagner – 91.7
2. Josh Bynes – 90.4
3. Eric Kendricks – 89.1
4. Jaylon Smith – 88.3 pic.twitter.com/4rAActPb34— PFF (@PFF) June 22, 2020
We already know Bynes is assuming a leadership role as the veteran force for a very young depth chart. But if he can excel in his situational role on the field itself and help the unit improve, he’s going to register as an incredible value signing.
And if Bynes registers as one of the better low-key signings of free agency while big gets like D.J. Reader break out, the defense should have quite the quick rebound.
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Josh Bynes is now a veteran leader for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Cincinnati Bengals are throwing a lot at veteran linebacker Josh Bynes — and fast.
Bynes arrived via free agency this offseason and is immediately the most experienced linebacker on the roster. Meaning, he’s tasked with bringing along a young positional group that just got a major makeover.
Here’s his response when Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com told him he’s got more games played than all other linebackers on the roster combined:
“Really?. I didn’t know it would be that far apart. My job is to impart that knowledge they can use and then they can pass it on in their career. There’s no point keeping it to myself.”
Bynes on how the other linebackers have done during the all-virtual offseason so far:
“Right now, they’re picking it up. The changes come when you practice it. You get to a high level by practice. That’s what this league has been built on since before time. It’s good to be ready in the classroom, but you have to do it on the field.”
Bynes has played for three teams over the course of a career that started in 2011, playing for Baltimore twice. Over that span, he’s put up 378 total tackles, four interceptions and 26 passes defensed.
While he only played 40 percent of the snaps last year, Bynes will play an important rotational role right away. But it’s clear the team has much bigger plans for him as he looks to mentor Logan Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither and Markus Bailey, not to mention Germaine Pratt and others.
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The Baltimore Ravens find their replacement for C.J. Mosley a year after his departure, getting LSU LB Patrick Queen in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Daniel Jeremiah is one of the NFL Network’s draft analysts but his qualifications come a little stronger than that. As a former scout for the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles, Jeremiah has been in the thick of the actual draft world like few other analysts. When Jeremiah makes a mock draft, his thoughts about who the Ravens will pick should garner a certain amount of respect.
With his fourth and final mock ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, Jeremiah has Baltimore picking LSU linebacker Patrick Queen, who he calls a “steal” as a top-15 rated player.
It’s hard to argue with that logic. The Ravens have a desperate need for a starting inside linebacker right now. Though Baltimore has L.J. Fort and recently signed Jake Ryan, neither is an obvious starter and there’s no one remotely proven behind either of them. Queen has been widely considered the second-best linebacker in this draft, capable of coming up in run support or dropping back into coverage. He’d fit in nicely with what the Ravens do and be a Week 1 starter on Baltimore’s defense.
The Ravens have been trying to find a suitable replacement for C.J. Mosley after his departure in free agency last offseason. Mosley ended up being too costly for Baltimore, signing a massive contract with the New York Jets. While the Ravens looked to their own roster for a starter, linebacker Patrick Onwuasor struggled in the role and was eventually replaced by midseason free-agent signing Josh Bynes.
Inside linebacker is really the last major piece of the puzzle for the Ravens on defense. They have Pro Bowl starters at cornerback, safety, outside linebacker and on the defensive line. By adding in a clear cut No. 1 inside linebacker, Baltimore would be fielding one of the most fearsome defenses in the league this upcoming season. When combined with 2019 NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ highest-scoring offense, that could be enough to make a real run at Super Bowl LV.
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The Bengals are far from done at linebacker.
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Big moves or not, free agency doesn’t figure to stop the Cincinnanti Bengals from drafting a linebacker early.
The front office in Cincinnati clearly emphasized positions it values more than linebacker by getting defensive lineman D.J. Reader and multiple cornerbacks.
But based on a note from Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com after the Josh Bynes signing, linebacker is still a plan in the draft:
“He’ll line up inside with sophomore Germaine Pratt in the Bengals’ hybrid 3-4. The only other backer under contract is fourth-year outside man Jordan Evans. Bynes isn’t one of the big money backers they pursued last week, but he’s the kind of a guy they think fits a room that is going to need some experienced guys to tell the young ones where to line up. The Bengals figure to draft at least one starting linebacker.”
No surprise here. As we noted at the time, while Bynes was a great Week 2 linebacker signing, he’s more of a rotational player who specializes against the run.
Were the Bengals to ignore linebackers in the upcoming draft it’d leave sophomore Germaine Pratt as the only well-known coverage player at the position.
This is a little note in the grand scheme of things. But it’s an important one — while No. 33 is more unpredictable than ever thanks to how the Bengals performed in free agency, linebacker remains a prominent focus just based on the current depth chart and Bynes’ skill set.
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The Baltimore Ravens have a huge hole in the middle of their defense at inside linebacker and now both of their free agents are gone.
One of the Baltimore Ravens’ biggest needs remaining is at inside linebacker. While they’ve shored up their defensive line, which should help outside linebacker Matthew Judon get better matchups, Baltimore doesn’t even have enough inside linebackers on the roster to go into the regular season.
The Ravens had shown some interest in both of their free-agent inside linebackers — Josh Bynes and Patrick Onwuasor — during free agency. With how Baltimore was re-signing their own players this offseason, it seemed as though a reunion was forthcoming with at least one of them. However, Onwuasor is signing a one-year deal with the New York Jets while Bynes is signing with the Cincinnati Bengals, taking both familiar options off the table. Now with only lesser or older options still remaining in free agency, the Ravens might be forced to remedy the problem in the early rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Mock drafts have frequently given Baltimore Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray or LSU’s Patrick Queen in the first round, filling a need with a quality player. But there are no guarantees when it comes to the draft — either in a player falling or in any prospect being good.
If there’s a run on wide receivers, pass rushers and quarterbacks, the Ravens might see either Queen or Murray fall into their laps. But just as easily, both could be off the board which would force Baltimore to either hope they can get one of the second-tier linebackers in a later round or reach for one of them there. While the second wave of free agency following the draft could still net them a starter-quality player at inside linebacker, it’s something the Ravens rarely leave to chance.
This hypothetical is exactly why the Ravens like to address as many of their needs as possible ahead of the draft. Instead of drafting the players they like most, Baltimore is now eyeing up the possibility of having to adjust their entire draft to find a starter at a key position.
