Tag: Sheldon Rankins

Bengals comment on shift from DJ Reader to Sheldon Rankins

The Bengals know they’re making a big change along the defensive line.

The Cincinnati Bengals will have a much different-looking defense in 2024 after the loss of DJ Reader and filling the void with Sheldon Rankins.

Just ask Bengals director of pro scouting Steven Radicevic.

Radicevic recently sat down with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com and brought up that fan-favorite combo of Larry Ogunjobi and B.J. Hill when asked about the frustrations with how free agency turned out along the defensive line:

SR: Yeah. Obviously (Sheldon) Rankins is a different style of player than what we had with DJ (Reader), but he’s going to help us with the interior rush and B.J. (Hill) is going to pair up really well inside. We haven’t really had that combo since Larry (Ogunjobi) and B.J. were rolling together. The interior rush is something we were missing and we’re hopeful that Rankins will give us that.

As outsiders have opined since free agency’s opening salvo, the Bengals look quite different in the trenches with Reader gone and Rankins traditionally viewed as a pass-rusher before anything else.

That said, the lack of interior pass-rush was a major issue last year that didn’t do the edge rushers any favors, either, so the team is clearly confident with its schematic fits and possibilities given the current depth chart.

For his part, Reader recently commented again on his Bengals departure in an interesting manner. Former nose tackle Josh Tupou remains a free agent and it is something the team could still look to address in the draft, too.

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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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Sheldon Rankins cites Geno Atkins, shares funny Zac Taylor story

Sheldon Rankins had some interesting words for Zac Taylor.

New Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins arrived with a bang at Paycor Stadium this week after a brief trip to free agency that resulted in him signing with the team.

In fact, Rankins says his first encounter with Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was a hilarious-sounding one.

As Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com tells it, Rankins brought up that whole three-sack game he had against the Bengals last season as his Texans picked up the win:

Rankins says he greeted Bengals head coach Zac Taylor not with, “hello” but with “why the hell (sort of) didn’t you slide to me?”

For some Bengals fans, the performance might’ve been a bit of deja vu in a different jersey. Rankins, after all, went on to reveal that one Geno Atkins inspired the way he plays.

“Geno was part of the inspiration for a lot of my power rushes,” Rankins said, per Hobson. “The way he was able to shock guys and come out clean and then cause a lot of destruction. With him being a shorter guy, I was trying to watch guys with similar body types and movement. Geno, Aaron Donald, Jurrell Casey. I watched those guys always looking to grow my game.”

The Bengals brought on Rankins for this very reason, hoping he can revive the entire line’s pass-rush by wreaking havoc from the middle with and alongside B.J. Hill.

So far, so good for the Rankins era in Cincinnati, it seems.

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New details on Bengals wanting DJ Reader and Sheldon Rankins, interest in Arik Armstead

An insider details how the Bengals played the free agency market.

The Cincinnati Bengals would’ve liked to pair DJ Reader with new arrival Sheldon Rankins on the defensive line in 2024.

But as fans know, Reader went on to sign with the Detroit Lions in free agency, revealing that he was a little surprised with how things worked out with the Bengals.

Thanks to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com linking up with the likes of director of pro scouting Steven Radicevic and senior personnel executive Trey Brown, we now have a little more information about how the market developed and another player the team liked:

But then it got hard for Radicevic and Trey Brown as they focused on re-signing nose tackle DJ Reader. The frustration grew with the escalating deals for the defensive tackles. They were talking to players like Reader and the just-released Arik Armstead, among others. Others didn’t have passing grades or weren’t locker-room fits.

One of the other reported players that presumably didn’t fit for one reason or another was Teair Tart. With Armstead, Jacksonville giving him $51 million over three years probably pushed the Bengals out of their comfort zone.

If nothing else, the interest in other guys shows the front office still views the area as a massive need, properly thinking of the schematic hole they now have at the nose.

Comments from the organization back this up, too.

“It was a good market for D-Tackles. I think a lot of teams saw what was coming in the draft and felt the need to spend there,” Radicevic said, per Hobson. “We were hopeful to try and keep DJ. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. I think Rankins is going to do a great job filling a different type of void.”

While many fans understandably focus on offensive tackle even after the addition of Trent Brown, the way the Bengals played the market and comments suggest that interior of the defensive line is right there as a priority as early as Round 1, too.

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Bengals make Sheldon Rankins signing official

Sheldon Rankins dons the Bengals stripes.

The Cincinnati Bengals made the signing of defneive lineman Sheldon Rankins official on Monday after a quiet stretch for the team in free agency.

Cincinnati signing Rankins to the big contract was reported last week.

Rankins was the subject of a reported bidding war the Bengals won as the team was losing DJ Reader to the open market and the Detroit Lions.

The new star defensive lineman will pair with B.J. Hill as an interior pass-rusher and alongside whoever the team elects to bring in via free agency or the draft as a nose tackle.

An obvious fit and solution to the team’s lack of pass-rush last year, Rankins’  reported deal worth $26 million over two years speaks to the way he fits into Lou Anarumo’s plans for the defense.

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Ranking 2024’s top 12 free-agent interior defensive linemen

Free agency’s top interior defensive linemen

The Carolina Panthers have themselves one of the very best defensive tackles in the game. In fact, they have the one who just set an single-season tackle record for the position.

But if they’re looking to add to their front, let’s keep you in the know about the very best free-agent interior defensive linemen.

15 Most Impactful Texans of 2023: No. 15 Sheldon Rankins

We’re kicking off our “15 Most Impactful Texans of 2023” series with Sheldon Rankins, a key component of Houston’s defensive turnaround.

The Houston Texans had, by all accounts, an extremely successful 2023 campaign.

They cruised to a 10-7 record under new head coach DeMeco Ryans and captured several accolades along the way. They won the AFC South and won a playoff game for the first time since the 2019 season. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud won PFWA’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, rookie edge rusher Will Anderson won PFWA’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, and even Ryans took home hardware with PFWA’s Coach of the Year.

With a revamped team effort that led to dramatic improvements compared to both the 2021 and 2022 Texans, it’s worth examining who created that impact this past season and what their future projects moving forward.

This series will examine the Top 15 most impactful Houston Texans of the 2023 campaign — first up on that list is defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins.

AFC Divisional Round picks: Who the experts are taking in Ravens vs. Texans

The NFL experts have made their picks, and the Baltimore Ravens are favored to defeat the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round

We’re a little over 30 hours away from the Ravens (13-4) and Texans (11-7) kicking off the AFC divisional round of the playoffs on ESPN.

Houston advanced to the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs for the fifth time in franchise history with a 45-14 win over the Browns in Super Wild Card Weekend.

The playoff win earned the Texans a rematch against the Ravens, and they’ll return to M&T Bank Stadium hoping to avenge a 25-9 loss in Week 1.

With kickoff fast approaching, here’s the NFL expert picks.

Ravens divisional round preview: 10 things to know about the Houston Texans

We’re looking at ten things to know about the Houston Texans ahead of their AFC Divisional Round matchup against the Baltimore Ravens

The Texans advanced to the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs for the fifth time in franchise history with a 45-14 win over the Browns in Super Wild Card Weekend.

The playoff success earned Houston a rematch against the Baltimore Ravens, and they’ll return to M&T Bank Stadium hoping to avenge a 25-9 loss in Week 1.

The Texans are a different team since that humble welcome to the NFL moment for C.J. Stroud, and all the former Ohio State star has done is shatter records and lead his team to the postseason as a rookie.

With final preparations for Saturday’s kickoff underway, we’re looking at ten things about the Houston Texans.

5 free agents for Saints fans to scout in Browns-Texans playoff game

Here are five free agents for Saints fans to scout in Saturday afternoon’s Texans-Browns playoff game:

We’re closing in on kickoff of the NFL’s wild-card round, which is a great opportunity for New Orleans Saints fans to scout upcoming free agents while they compete on the biggest stage. And there are plenty of prospects worth watching when the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns match up.

Whether the Saints are looking to get more explosive in the running game or deeper on the defensive side of the ball, here are five players we’re watching closely: