| NFC NORTH |
| DETROITThe Lions have a problem as CB TERRION ARNOLD is charged in Tampa with a multiple felonies including kidnapping from an incident in February. It seems to involve Arnold trying to recover items from people who had stolen from him. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: From the moment a story surfaced that two men with ties to Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold had been arrested on robbery and kidnapping charges, it seemed that Arnold eventually could be implicated. Arnold has now officially been implicated. The Hillsborough County, Florida, State Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday night that it “will file charges against Detroit Lions player Terrion Arnold following his arrest in connection with a February robbery and kidnapping in Tampa.” Also from the announcement: “Arnold is facing multiple felony charges which carry a potential sentence of up to life in prison.” Via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the arrest came hours after two defendants in the case agreed to plea deals. The Lions addressed the situation in a statement released on Wednesday night. “We are aware of the legal situation regarding Terrion Arnold,” the team said. “We will not comment at this time out of respect for the ongoing legal process.” Arnold previously denied wrongdoing in connection with the case. The issue first came to light when a detective testified in a hearing on charges against Lyndell Hudson and Christion Williams regarding their ties to Arnold. The men had been arrested for armed robbery and kidnapping in connection with an apparent attempt to recover property that allegedly had been stolen from a Florida home rented by Arnold. Arnold had reported the items missing to the Largo Police Department. The authorities contend that, within hours after making the report, Arnold orchestrated the kidnapping and robbery in an effort to recover the stolen property: watches, jewelry, designer bags and shoes, a cell phone, and an estimated $100,000 in cash. Hudson, Williams, and Freddie Hughes face life sentences on similar charges. Two other defendants — Arianna Del Valle and Jasmine Randazzo — agreed to plea deals on Wednesday. |
| NFC EAST |
| WASHINGTONT LAREMY TUNSIL, a decade into his own career, is mentoring T JOSH CONERLY, Jr.Nick Shook of NFL.com: Commanders offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil has reached the stage of his career in which he plays mentor for the next generation. He’s found his personal project in fellow Washington tackle Josh Conerly Jr. “I see myself,” Tunsil said last week of Conerly, via the Commanders’ official site. “I don’t wanna sound cliché. I see a dog. I see somebody who wants it. He wants to be great.” A first-round pick of the Dolphins in the 2016 NFL Draft, Tunsil has seen plenty in his NFL career, which has included five Pro Bowl nods earned during stints in Miami and Houston before landing in Washington last year. He knows a thing or two about playing tackle in the NFL and found a teammate in Conerly, a 2025 first-round pick of the Commanders, who could use his expertise. So far, so good. Conerly has committed himself to following in Tunsil’s footsteps, which includes Tunsil’s annual offseason training in Alabama as well as direction in diet and routine. The results are already noticeable: Conerly showed up to minicamp looking leaner, the product of “working our ass off,” per Tunsil. “We’re working every day; every single day,” Tunsil said. “He came to work with me every day. He ate right. It’s protein for lunch and breakfast. There’s no carbs for dinner. There’s supplements every day. It’s a routine that we have to live by.” Such a dedicated offseason routine might seem like standard practice for an NFL player, but acclimating isn’t as simple as showing up for work and being told what to do. Often, the best players only reach that status because a veteran was willing to consistently show them the way. In those moments, they often establish standards that propel them to consistent success well after their wise veteran teammates have moved on. Though his 32nd birthday is approaching in August, Tunsil isn’t going anywhere soon. He’s focused on helping Conerly — a naturally talented, all-conference tackle at Oregon who got off to a rough start as a rookie and could use some cultivating — become a premier tackle because it will benefit the Commanders in both the short and long term. “He has a lot of room for improvement, and he can keep getting better,” Tunsil said. “That’s why I’m on him. That’s why I’m telling him to come and build this routine.” He sees potential in Conerly. The second-year blocker has bought in. We’ll see if the improvements extend beyond mere appearance this fall. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| TAMPA BAYQB BAKER MAYFIELD hasn’t seen any urgency from the Buccaneers in getting a contract done (on his terms). Grant Gordon of NFL.com: Mayfield and the Buccaneers continue to be on a different page, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday on NFL Network’s The Insiders. Mayfield, 31, let it be known at the top of the month that parties were “not anywhere close” to a long-term arrangement ahead of the final season on his contract. That remains true in late June, per Pelissero. The two-time Pro Bowl signal-caller also went on the record that the deadline for an extension was training camp, which kicks off July 30 for the Bucs. With Mayfield choosing to focus solely on prepping for the season and then his play thereafter, he would be staring at a potential franchise tag or free agency after the 2026 campaign concludes. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft has resurrected his career during three seasons as the Bucs starter from 2023-2025. Both of his Pro Bowl selections have come with Tampa, though 2025 was the Buccaneers’ first losing season with Mayfield under center. As he played through nagging injuries, Mayfield’s 3,694 yards and 26 touchdown passes were lows for his time in Tampa. Still, it’s easy to argue he’s underpaid when it comes to franchise quarterbacks. Averaging $33.33 million on his current three-year, $100 million deal, Mayfield is smackdab in the middle of the road at 16th in average annual salary for QBs. We really don’t know what Mayfield wants or how low the Buccaneers are offering. River Wells of SI.com takes a stab at it. Mayfield is currently playing on the last year of his three-year, $100 million deal, making around $33 million a year. Mayfield balled out during his first year of that deal in 2024, throwing 41 touchdowns, and he played like an MVP candidate during the first half of his second year of that deal last year. During the latter half of the year, though — due to injuries or something else — he had a sharp downturn and played some very bad football, which is likely a big reason why both sides are at an impasse right now. The magic number Mayfield is likely looking to eclipse is $50 million APY, or average per year. As it stands, Mayfield is the 16th-highest paid quarterback in the NFL, and 11 of those quarterbacks have eclipsed the $50 million mark. Spotrac estimates Mayfield’s current market value at $53.6 million APY, which would put him tied for the seventh-highest paid QB in the league with the Detroit Lions’ Jared Goff and the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy. That makes a lot of sense. We don’t know what number Mayfield is asking for, but if his own comments are to be believed, Tampa Bay’s initial offer is quite far apart from what he was expecting. The Buccaneers may be cautious when it comes to Mayfield’s contract after his drop in play last year, and they also may be waiting to see what happens with the team’s record and head coach Todd Bowles at the end of 2026. Licht has repetitively stressed that the team wants to get something done with Mayfield, but whether or not the Bucs want to pay him to a top-10 deal remains to be seen. And with that, there is another option, and it may be increasingly more realistic if the two sides don’t get an extension done in the offseason. The Bucs will certainly be waiting to see how Mayfield does in 2026 if they don’t extend him now, but if he plays average or shows some flashes without playing good enough to warrant a huge deal, there is one other option — the franchise tag. The franchise tag allows NFL teams to lock one player in on a one-year deal worth either 120% of the player’s previous contract or the average of the top five salaries at whatever position that player plays for the current year. This year, it’s $43,895,000 for quarterbacks, but Over the Cap estimates it to be about $50,671,000 next year when Mayfield is a free agent. That would be about what Mayfield is likely seeking, and it would also give Tampa Bay one more year to evaluate him, especially if their coaching and staff situation remains in flux. |
| NFC WEST |
| SAN FRANCISCOWR BRANDON AIYUK signals his intentions if and when the 49ers cut him loose. Are the Commanders on board with this? Brandon Aiyuk continued his push to become a member of the Commanders on Wednesday, saying in a video posted to Instagram that if the San Francisco 49ers release him, he will sign with Washington “tomorrow.” Two days after posting a video to Instagram in which he shouted, “Go Commanders,” the wide receiver posted two more videos Wednesday. In the first, he holds an NFL football that has a Commanders logo. A graphic on the video says, “The best sport in the world. The best league in the world [and] the best team in the world.” The next part of his Story includes a picture with a graphic that says, “And I almost forgot.. The best WR in the world.” He then makes a proclamation about his intentions in the second Commanders-related video. “And if I’m crazy or if I’m cappin’, tell them boys cut me today. And I’ll sign with the Commanders tomorrow.” It’s unclear whether the Commanders would have interest in signing Aiyuk. Because he’s still under contract with the 49ers, the Commanders can’t publicly express interest in the wide receiver without violating the NFL’s tampering rules. San Francisco general manager John Lynch said in January that it was “safe to say that [Aiyuk] has played his last snap with the Niners.” However, the team has held onto him in the hope that it could find a trade partner. Veterans on the 49ers are scheduled to report to training camp July 25. It’s possible the 49ers are waiting until then to decide on Aiyuk’s status with the team. While he is in limbo, Aiyuk has been voicing his frustration toward the 49ers via social media. In early June, Aiyuk began to speak out publicly for the first time. In a pair of videos posted to Instagram, he called the 49ers “dumb” and “stupid” for paying him and suggested that the team was scared to release him because of how he might play for another franchise. This week’s videos aren’t the first time that Aiyuk has hinted at his desire to play for the Commanders and reunite with quarterback Jayden Daniels, his close friend and former teammate at Arizona State. He had previously posted photos of himself in a Commanders hat. Daniels and the Commanders are among the five accounts he is following on Instagram. The 49ers signed Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million contract extension in August 2024. However, San Francisco and Aiyuk have been at odds for almost a year with the situation escalating last July when the 49ers voided the remaining guaranteed money in his contract because he did not participate in rehab sessions for the torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee that he suffered during the 2024 season. The Niners then put Aiyuk on the reserve/left team list in December after he stopped showing up at the team facility. Before his knee injury, Aiyuk had emerged as one of the league’s most productive wideouts. He had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns on his way to second-team All-Pro honors in 2023. TE GEORGE KITTLE warns the Commanders, or any other team, about dealing with Aiyuk. Valentina Martinez of the New York Post: On the Pardon My Take podcast, tight end George Kittle weighed in on the Aiyuk situation and sent a cryptic warning to any team interested in the wideout. “The last time I saw Aiyuk was, call it Week 6, 7, or 8. I don’t really know,” Kittle said. “I used to make it a habit of mine to go out early in the morning before meetings to watch him train because he’d always be out there early, and I watched him run over 22 miles an hour and stop on a dime. So, he’s still got it, or at least that was a year, eight months ago, so I don’t really know. But you guys have fun with that, I guess…You have fun with all that comes with it.” It’s unclear what Kittle meant by his stark comments, but the situation has evidently affected the 49ers and their plans for the future. As for teams interested in Aiyuk, the Arizona State product has been linked to the Washington Commanders, a team that has an offense headlined by former Sun Devil quarterback Jayden Daniels and ex-49ers teammate Deebo Samuel play.– – -Unlike Aiyuk, QB MAC JONES is in no hurry to leave the 49ers. Mac Jones’ 2025 season kept the 49ers afloat amid adversity and boosted his stock as a potential starting candidate elsewhere. As of now, he remains in San Francisco. That hasn’t stopped the trade rumor mill from churning, though. With quarterback remaining a premium position that is never quite fully stocked across the NFL, Jones’ name will continue to own a prominent place in the market, even if the 49ers haven’t made him available. “I think this is my No. 1 question that I’ve been asked,” Jones, who went 5-3 in eight starts last season, said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. “Look, I love (49ers general manger) John (Lynch), I love (49ers coach) Kyle (Shanahan), the York family. It’s the best organization I feel like that I’ve played for in terms of just top-to-bottom greatness, so far, and I don’t like leaving good people. I hope they enjoy having me there. “I’m excited for this year, to be honest. A lot of that was offseason talk. Anything’s possible, right? I mean, the trade deadline’s not until a little bit through the season. But I try not to keep up with it. I really just want to keep getting better. … I played decent last year. I think I can play a lot better, which is what I’m striving to do this summer — improve on my technique and see if that helps me and elevates me to get a big deal or something in the future. I always say be where your feet are. My feet are in San Francisco, and I like it a lot.” Jones has reason to relish his current standing in the Bay Area. He occupies a relatively low-pressure job as Brock Purdy’s backup, is valued by Shanahan and the entire 49ers organization — especially after he kept them competitive in Purdy’s absence in 2025 — and is receiving top-tier instruction from one of the most stable organizations in the NFL. He isn’t receiving a salary that lands anywhere near starter money, but he did agree to a revised contract in May that added a $300,000 roster bonus, boosting his pay to $3.55 million in 2026 with the potential to earn an additional $2.5 million in incentives. If everything goes right, Jones stands to cash in as a valued free agent in 2027, too. In eight starts in 2025, Jones posted a 5-3 record and demonstrated clear capability to lead an NFL offense as its top option, as well as remarkable toughness while playing through minor injury. He’s produced a strong enough resume to attract interest on the open market — if he makes it there. Injuries are an unfortunate part of pro football, and, as of now, the 49ers hold a strong trade chip in Jones should a team develop a need for a starting-caliber quarterback. Keeping Jones is perfectly fine for the 49ers, too. They’ll have a trusted, low-cost backup behind Purdy who has already proven he can keep the offense going if called upon. It helps that Jones is content in San Francisco, the same place in which Sam Darnold began his career renaissance by spending a year as a backup in Shanahan’s system before moving onto Minnesota and eventually, Seattle. Jones could follow a similar route. There’s no need to rush the process, though. And as Jones sees it, he’s perfectly fine with being patient and living in the moment. |
| AFC NORTH |
| BALTIMORENow in Cleveland, Coach Todd Monken is still singing the praises of QB LAMAR JACKSON. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Todd Monken’s three seasons as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator didn’t result in a Super Bowl title, but his work in Baltimore was impressive enough to help land him the Browns’ head coaching job this offseason. Monken gives quarterback Lamar Jackson a lot of credit for that. In an interview with Brian Wacker of the Baltimore Sun, Monken called Jackson a “tremendous person” and said that he “wouldn’t have this job without him.” Monken also said that he told Jackson that in response to a congratulatory text from the quarterback after landing the Cleveland post, but added that those warm feelings will only extend so far. “Then I said, ‘go f—k yourself,’” Monken said. “We are going to blitz you every third down. He laughed.” Jackson won the MVP in 2023 and finished second in voting in 2024, but the Ravens lost close playoff games in both of those seasons. The quarterback’s injuries helped keep them out of the playoffs in 2025 and Monken said that “everything has a shelf life” in regard to the Ravens’ decision to clean house on the coaching side after the season. Given Cleveland’s interest, Monken may have been moving on either way and now he’ll be tasked with trying to stop a quarterback he was previously trying to lead to a championship. |
| CINCINNATIPaul Dehner, Jr. of The Athletic says the Bengals are contemplating breaking up QB JOE BURROW’s exclusive marriage with the shotgun. Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher didn’t flinch when he saw the chart posted on a screen during the conversation. Why would he? He didn’t just know these numbers; he’s living them. The quest over the last six months to become more explosive dominated offensive conversations inside Paycor Stadium and in practice sessions on the fields across the street. The reality of what’s happened across the league, in stark contrast to Cincinnati, can’t be avoided. The top five teams in usage of under-center and under-center play action last year all finished in the top quarter of the NFL in explosive-play rate. Six of those eight made the playoffs. Three were playing conference championship weekend, including both Super Bowl participants. “If you just look at the landscape of the league right now and how defenses have evolved, and if you truly are open to learning from your peers, it’s not hard to make the connection,” Pitcher said. “It kind of smacks you in the face.” NFL teams over the last three seasons have produced 1,499 explosive completions while using under-center play action. Joe Burrow produced one. That’s right. One. The number hits like another smack to the face. It also sparked an interesting debate as the Bengals evolve the offense in 2026. A group returning nearly every coach and all 11 starters offers the benefit of a strong foundation. For now, that might involve finally putting Burrow under center more often, something he’s rarely done during his seven-year career. “We’re trying to find ways to be explosive in the run game and then try to find some things off of that that can get us a couple of easy explosives,” Burrow said. “We’re committed to that. Our coaching staff has done a great job this offseason of putting a plan together to try to execute that. So I’m excited to see how it works out.” You could see Burrow working on under-center play-action drops no matter the day during the Bengals’ offseason program. He’s made clear behind the scenes that he’s on board with tinkering in this realm. He sees the same numbers everyone else does, he knows the trends, and he wants the explosives. These portions of the playbook have always existed; they’ve just typically stayed there rather than reaching gameday. “It’s what’s been effective,” Burrow said before offering a rundown of how defenses have changed their plan against the Bengals throughout his career. It’s understandable, considering the Bengals’ superpower in the passing game. Let Burrow drop back and process the field better than any human on the planet; let Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins dominate with quick wins and enjoy the show. That’s what the Bengals do best. Nobody responsible for the offense wants to change that. Nor should they. They posted 0.16 EPA per play on plays with Burrow, Higgins and Chase on the field the last two seasons — best in the NFL by a wide margin. Those weren’t the numbers sparking debate and tinkering during the offseason program at Paycor Stadium, though. That would be an offense that ranked 22nd in explosive play rate, a fourth consecutive season in the bottom third of the league. Despite all the weaponry and success, the Bengals have never touched the top 10 in explosives with Burrow. That’s where the quarterback took time to outline his view of the journey. “We were heavy under center in 2020, 2021, and that worked out well for us,” he said. “But then we were so explosive that we stopped getting the defenses that the under-center runs and the under-center play-actions were built for. And then (we) weren’t explosive in the run game when we faced those light box defenses. “Then we transitioned to a gun team and our run game because of our RPOs and our quick game, basically. And the run game was kind of the icing on the cake because of that. And that was effective for a couple of years.” The Bengals were one of the most efficient running teams in football in 2022 when moving to a duo, downhill run game up the middle with Joe Mixon, designed to take minimal losses and keep the passing downs manageable. So many teams were playing deep shells, scared of Higgins and Chase burning them over the top, that they gave up the run efficiency and shorter passing game to contain the deep ball. “And then around 2024, we got so good at just picking people apart underneath and just marching the ball down the field that we started getting some more of the 2021 defenses,” Burrow said. “So now we have to get back to making people pay for playing that way against us. That will, in turn, then create that cycle again where we’re explosive, and teams play a certain kind of defense. And then we’ll be better equipped this time to be more explosive in the run game to try to take advantage of that.” So many of these adjustments are merely finding ways to elicit a specific personnel type and defensive structure on the field. Going under center and finding success with the run and play action could do for the Bengals what it has for other teams, consistently putting linebackers in a bind while throwing over the top of them. Leaguewide since 2020, UCPA plays have an explosive play rate of 19.4 percent. The explosive rate on all shotgun plays is 11.1 percent. “If you are looking at, ‘How are we going to be a really explosive offense?’ the data would suggest you got to have a component of your offense that allows you to get under center and attack the defense.” Pitcher said. “Truthfully, yeah, I believe in what those numbers say, and we are going to have to explore that part of our offense.” Perhaps no active player has taken more under-center snaps in the NFL than Joe Flacco. He ranks 10th in all snaps by a quarterback this century, and the 41-year-old lived in an under-center system for over a decade with the Baltimore Ravens. After spending the second half of last season around Burrow and experiencing the greatness of Higgins and Chase, he might be the most well-equipped player anywhere to dive into the existential question of how much the Bengals should go under center. He started the conversation with a simple phrase that ties into every argument. “You have to become good at what you do,” Flacco said. For the Bengals offense, that goes back to the shotgun passing game, where Burrow and company are as good as anyone. That will always be their identity. That’s also why they are spending so much time this offseason practicing the under-center portion of their playbook. Getting better at it will allow them to tap into under center when a game situation, opponent or their own injury issues make it the most favorable schematic weapon. In Flacco’s mind, going this direction helps everyone on the field, specifically the offensive linemen. “There’s a reason that has always been a part of the game,” Flacco said. “Obviously, the game evolves, but there is still base parts of the game that matter. On first and second down, if you can be a physical team and then play off of that physicality, it is going to help you get easy plays. The explosive plays are coming not because you are fighting an uphill battle all game but because you are finding ways to get easy chunks.” Andrew Whitworth speculated during a conversation last year that playing offensive tackle in the Bengals’ system might be the hardest job in the NFL. You are asked to drop back in true pass sets at a higher rate than anyone. That sets up these diabolical defensive coordinators to unleash more disguises, simulated pressures and all the pass-rush tricks that fill offensive linemen’s nightmares. Which brings up a critical element in Cincinnati. More under-center run plays would mean a smaller percentage of hits on Burrow. The under-center game, simply firing off as if a run with the option to play action behind, counters all those tricks. It also makes everyone’s job easier, simplifying the game and becoming the aggressor. “It’s allowing you to play fast,” Flacco said. “It’s allowing you to play physical without too much thought. When you get good players playing fast and physical, that is what football is about.” Flacco sees those downs where you give guys a break and don’t have to be diagnosing disguises — whether linemen or quarterback or whoever — having a long-term effect over the course of a game, no matter how much a team excels in shotgun, third-down style pass plays. “If you are trying to do that third-down-type atmosphere all the time, it can just bog you down a little bit,” Flacco said. “Whereas, you give your players some freedom to go up to the line and make a play, it’s very freeing.” Just because a team goes under center on early downs doesn’t mean they automatically become the Rams or Patriots, spitting out explosive plays on repeat. The numbers show an obvious trend, but Flacco points out there is an underlying factor not illustrated in the rankings. “There are 10 other teams that are trying to do what they are doing, but they aren’t as good at it, so they have to abandon it earlier,” Flacco said. “Now it doesn’t look like they do it as much. Well, they don’t do it as much. They are abandoning it because they are not as good at it.” Which brings the debate back to his original point: “Become good at what you do.” Two players find themselves at the fulcrum of any potential shift in the amount of under-center the Bengals use this season: Erick All and Chase Brown. The offense already morphed around All during his rookie year in 2024. The tight end’s physicality and versatility were weaponized as his role expanded and the Bengals found themselves motioning him into the fullback position, setting the edge with vicious crack blocks and overall serving as a hammer in front of Brown in the run game. He tore his ACL, which required two surgeries, missed the second half of that season, all of the next and became the feel-good story of this offseason program as he works back from injury. The idea of his full return makes all of this under-center plan more plausible. It would be playing to the strengths of the personnel. Without All, the Bengals don’t have a weapon with the same skill set to put at the tip of the play-action sword. Then there’s Brown, whom Pitcher admits can thrive in whatever style of offense they want to play and has done so. He’s done it all en route to 2,806 scrimmage yards over the last two seasons combined. He’s developed great chemistry with Burrow running routes out of the backfield as much as he’s broken long runs between the tackles. An interesting subset of his production, however, shows the success he has enjoyed when rushing with the quarterback under center on neutral downs. The Bengals are taking the situation where he’s been most effective and doing it a little while also taking the situation where he’s less effective and doing it a lot. Providing Brown more opportunities from the under-center alignment early in games could be an obvious way to find the explosives Burrow was talking about in the running game. It doesn’t have to stop there, though. If all goes well, it wouldn’t. One point of emphasis beyond fixing the defense this offseason was getting better at finishing games. The Bengals are 7-12 in one-score games the last two seasons and lost the final five in a row last year. Much of that falls on the horrific defense. The Bengals are famously 6-7 in games where they score at least 33 points over the last two years, while the rest of the NFL is 159-13. Still, there have been examples where the offense could have run out more clock or finished the game with a kneeldown but failed, instead forcing the defense to make a stop. They want closers, and that could come from an under-center game performing at a higher level. “I think there’s always ways we’re looking to evolve our offense, and a great way to play football is to have a lead with eight minutes left in the game and find ways to milk the clock, and certainly running the football is a big part of that,” coach Zac Taylor said. “If there’s ways you can blend that throughout the game, and we’re always going to look for ways that can effectively elevate our offense, we’re not afraid to do whatever that’s going to take.” Taylor said during the 2021 season, following a loss against San Francisco, that he regretted taking the ball out of Burrow’s hands at the most important moments. That feeling has followed his play-calling and has largely paid off. That’s why there’s an understandable reluctance to shift the success of plays away from his franchise quarterback. Every change produces risky side effects. Remember, the Bengals have ranked in the top five in red zone and converting third downs each of the last two seasons. There’s a reason for that beyond Burrow and the boys. “Part of that is some teams, the first time they ask their quarterback to drop back and pass is on third down,” Pitcher said. “If you are only asking him to do something in the most critical part of the game, and that is the first time you are asking him to do it, it is hard to develop a rhythm and a proficiency level that he is going to be operating at his best when the game dictates you need him to do that. Whereas we do more of it, so it’s the norm for us. That plays itself out in how you see us operate and succeed in those areas.” What will all this mean? We’ll see. The debate rages on internally and externally. Just know the Bengals are tinkering. They’ve entered previous seasons with thoughts of expanding the under-center game, only for it to get shelved by injuries to Burrow or All, shifting to the shotgun run game or battling a defense constantly forcing them to play from behind. The new wrinkle explored two years ago in the summer for the offense involved moving Chase around the formation more to find new ways to dictate terms to the defense. It resulted in Chase winning the receiving triple crown. Could more under-center produce a similar spark? Perhaps instead of ranking 31st again in under-center plays, they rank 20th and the percentage shift produces a higher rate of explosive plays, fewer hits on Burrow, a less-taxing approach for the offensive line and an improved four-minute offense consistently closing out games with kneeldowns instead of punts. That world is currently an offseason dream set against the backdrop of routes on air and seven-on-seven sessions. It could end up shelved again while Burrow, Chase and Higgins keep doing what they do best. The Bengals merely want to be better prepared for both. “You want to be great at all of it,” Pitcher said. “We have to be open and willing — and we are — to: How do we evolve and get more explosive?” No matter where it lands, understand for now that Burrow’s bought into the concept — with a permanent asterisk. “I’m excited to see how it works out,” he said. “But I’m always ready to drop back 65 times to make it work, too.” |
| CLEVELANDThe Browns welcome front office operative Ryan Grigson back in the fold after he leaves the Vikings. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: A report earlier Wednesday indicated Ryan Grigson was leaving the Vikings to pursue another opportunity in the NFL. We now know what that opportunity is. Grigson is returning to the Browns as a senior football advisor, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.comreports. He held the same position for the Browns from 2020-21 and was a senior personnel executive in Cleveland in 2017. New Vikings General Manager Nolan Teasley offered to keep Grigson in a different role after hiring Andrew Healy and Trent Kirchner as assistant General Managers. Grigson, though, chose to leave for Cleveland. Grigson served as assistant General Manager for the Vikings last season under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. It was a promotion from senior vice president of player personnel, a position he held with the Vikings from 2022-24. Grigson worked as the Colts’ General Manager from 2012-16. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| JACKSONVILLEThe Jaguars surprised the NFL when they drafted two tight ends, Texas A&M’s NATE BOERKIRCHER and Houston’s TANNER KOZIOL, back in May, but that didn’t stop them from lavishing a big contract on TE BRENTON STRANGE. Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com: The Jaguars and tight end Brenton Strange have agreed to a three-year extension worth up to $48 million with $25 million guaranteed, agents Jim Ivler, JR Roggio and Jon Perzley of Sportstars told ESPN and NFL Network. Strange, 25, was entering the final year of his rookie contract, and general manager James Gladstone said shortly after the 2025 season ended that the team had begun preliminary discussions with him and receiver Parker Washington on contract extensions. Strange, a second-round pick (61st overall) in 2023, emerged as the Jaguars’ top tight end last season, setting career bests in catches (46), receiving yards (540) and touchdowns (three) in just 12 games (he missed five with a hip injury). The Jaguars were 11-1 and averaged 30.1 points per game when he played and 2-3 averaging 22.6 points in those he missed. Over his career, Strange has 91 catches for 981 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons. |
