On Facebook
On Flipboard
Bengals rookie named 2024 'breakout candidate'
The Bengals must continue to rely on several of their young players in 2024 after making Joe Burrow the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history last offseason. That's why Pro Football Focus named one of Cincinnati's rookies a 2024 breakout candidate.
PFF named safety Jordan Battle, the Bengals 2023 third-round pick, an "early breakout candidate" for next season.
"Battle was one of the highest-graded college safeties heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, and while he ... didn't get a starting job until Week 11 of his rookie season, all of those strong metrics remained," PFF's Jonathon Macri writes. "He should be locked in as a full-time starter to kick off 2024 and continue his impressive play for the Bengals."
Although Battle didn't start until late in the season, he was still about to put together an impressive rookie year with 71 tackles, two sacks, one interception and five passes defensed.
The emergence of Battle doesn't just help the team short term, but it can benefit it in the long run as well.
Cincinnati is projected to have $59.43M in salary cap space in 2024, per PFF. But the team has several key upcoming free agents, including WR Tee Higgins, WR Tyler Boyd, DT D.J. Reader and CB Chidobe Awuzie. If it hopes to retain all of them, it will need to clear up some more cap space.
The Bengals signed veteran safety Nick Scott to a three-year deal last offseason. But they could cut the soon-to-be 29-year-old with Battle and safety Dax Hill seemingly locked into the starting lineup. Moving on from Scott would save the team $2.3M in 2024 and $4.3M in 2025, per Spotrac.
Just a year ago, Cincinnati's starting safeties were veterans Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell. And although they have had success on their new teams, the Bengals have been able to quickly rebound at the position thanks to Battle, whose future looks bright.
More must-reads:
- Bengals director of player personnel's comments suggest team could be outbid on WR Tee Higgins
- Ranking NFL's eight new head coaches
- The 'Playoff QBs and coaches from the 1990 NFL season' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Ranking the five worst NFL QB situations
Quarterback is the most important position in the NFL — possibly the most important position in sports. Teams with inferior quarterback rooms don't stand much of a chance to compete in 2025, so it could be a long year for these five organizations. (QB situations are ranked in inverse order.) 5. New York Jets QBs: Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, Adrian Martinez, Brady Cook The Jets were happy to rid themselves of Aaron Rodgers this offseason, but Fields isn't much of an upgrade. The 2021 first-round pick has a completion percentage of 61.1 percent in the NFL, and he's thrown for only 45 touchdowns in 44 career starts (plus 31 interceptions). Fields, who went 4-2 with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, is reportedly struggling in training camp, which is nothing new based on his first four years in the NFL. New Jets coach Aaron Glenn recently was asked if he was concerned about Fields' play. "I don’t because it’s early," he said. Expect the Jets — who open at home Sept. 7 against Rodgers' Steelers — to be one of the most run-heavy offenses in the league this season. 4. Tennessee Titans QBs: Cam Ward, Brandon Allen, Tim Boyle, Will Levis (IR) The Titans are a tough team to rank heading into the season. Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, has the potential to become a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. But it's much more likely that the rookie struggles to adjust to NFL speed in the first few months of the season. The good news for Ward is that expectations are low for his first year in the NFL and he plays for a franchise off the radar. "You've probably seen that there's not enough focus on him being the first pick or whatever," Ward's father, Calvin, told Fox Sports' Ben Arthur in a story published Monday. "He honestly does not care. That's the honest truth. He doesn't care. "He just wants to work, get better, help his team improve." This season is more about getting Ward valuable reps and him improving with each start. The Titans better hope Ward stays healthy, because Allen and Boyle aren't NFL-caliber quarterbacks. 3. Indianapolis Colts QBs: Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard, Jason Bean The Richardson experiment is a catastrophe for the Colts. The fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft completed just 47.7 percent of his pass attempts last season and threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (eight). His rocket arm and athletic ability near the goal line are still tantalizing, but none of that will matter until he learns how to hit a five-yard slant consistently. Richardson suffered an ugly-looking finger injury during the first quarter of the Browns' preseason opener. If the backup plan for Richardson is Jones, who is 24-44-1 in his career, this offense could be a trainwreck. 2. Cleveland Browns QBs: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Tyler Huntley, Deshaun Watson (IR) Cleveland's quarterback room is a mess. Watson, who won't play this season because of a torn Achilles, carries a $35.9M cap hit in 2025 and an $80.7M cap hit in 2026. With Watson out, the Browns signed 40-year-old Flacco, traded for Pickett and added Sanders and Gabriel in the 2025 NFL Draft. As if that wasn't enough, the Browns recently signed Huntley to give themselves five active quarterbacks. Good luck predicting how the snaps shake out this season, but it won't be pretty. In May, an anonymous NFL executive said of Cleveland's QB situation: "I look at their (quarterback) room and I don’t know what they’re doing." 1. New Orleans Saints QBs: Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, Hunter Dekkers With Derek Carr retiring, the Saints could start a 25-year-old, oft-injured rookie at quarterback this season. Or perhaps New Orleans will go with Rattler or Haener, who combined to go 148-for-267 (55.4 percent) with five touchdown passes and six interceptions last season. Rattler may have the upper hand now, but he's not going to excite New Orleans fans, who endured a 5-12 2024 season. Rookie head coach Kellen Moore, a former NFL backup QB, has his hands full with this uninspiring QB room.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce might be making major moves in Cleveland Heights
First Travis Kelce went Instagram official with Taylor Swift, and now this! The star couple might be looking to take another big step in their relationship. The New York Post reports that Swift and Kelce have "toured at least two homes in Cleveland’s Eastside suburbs in June." The outlet speculated that this area could "potentially boast the perfect home for a post-NFL retirement." The two were spotted having lunch together in Ohio this summer at JoJo's Bar in Chagrin Falls, with eagle-eyed fans noticing that the singer was even wearing her merchandise. The manager of JoJo's Bar spoke with PEOPLE at the time about Kelce and Swift's lunch date. "Taylor and Travis came in and had a wonderful time," John Ponyicky told the outlet. "They had a great lunch, enjoyed our food, and were really impressed with the team. Travis grew up in Cleveland Heights, so he decided to visit somewhere he was familiar with. He and Taylor were both really pleasant. They sat at the bar for a bit, but also had a private lunch in a private room." Kelce is very proud of his hometown, so it makes sense that he would always want to make sure he has a place to go back to there. However, including Swift in this decision proves that he is building a future with her.
Yankees' unlikely answer emerges from depth chart to save season — for now
One out, seventh inning, 2-2 tie in Arlington. Ben Rice watched from the dugout as manager Aaron Boone called Paul Goldschmidt to pinch-hit for Austin Wells. When Goldschmidt crushed a 0-2 fastball over the left-field wall for the go-ahead run, the New York Yankees had their first lead since the fifth inning. More importantly, they had it because Rice's catching ability made the crucial substitution possible. The 26-year-old's emergence as a multi-position weapon couldn't be more timely. The Yankees entered Wednesday's Texas series finale having blown a seven-game AL East lead since May 28, sitting 6.5 games behind Toronto and 3.5 behind Boston for the first wild card. They'd started August 0-5, desperate for any break before facing Houston at home. Rice represents the internal solution they've needed. His .779 OPS sits well above the .719 MLB average, powered by 16 home runs and elite contact metrics. Baseball Savant ranks him in the 95th percentile or higher in hard-hit percentage, average exit velocity, expected slugging and expected weighted on-base average. Those numbers seem impossible considering where Rice started. The 2021 12th-round Dartmouth pick hit .171 in 178 plate appearances last season. But knowing he'd catch in 2025, Rice added 10 pounds to his frame and worked relentlessly on his receiving skills. The defensive flexibility pays dividends beyond Wednesday's game. Rice has posted a +2 fielding run value across 84 innings caught and 180 innings at first base. Not spectacular, but competent enough to create the matchup advantages Boone exploited against the Rangers. Rice embodies exactly what championship teams find within their system. Aaron Judge remains the Yankees' best player, but Rice may be their most valuable in pure utility terms. His ability to produce above-average offense while handling two premium positions creates strategic options other teams lack. Wednesday's sequence proved the point. Without Rice's catching ability, Boone couldn't have pinch-hit Goldschmidt in that crucial spot. The move worked because Rice had spent months building trust through consistent performance at both positions. The Yankees still trail Toronto by 6.5 games with the Astros series looming next. Their playoff chances remain fragile yet likely, per FanGraphs, after months of disappointing baseball. But Rice's ascension from .171 hitter to essential depth piece shows what's possible when overlooked talent meets opportunity. If the Yankees accomplish anything meaningful this season, they'll trace it back to moments like Wednesday's seventh inning. Not because of Goldschmidt's clutch homer, but because Ben Rice made that moment possible.
NBA Analyst Believes Former League MVP Would 'Flourish' With Knicks Amid Free Agency Rumors
The New York Knicks entered the offseason looking to make some small upgrades to their roster as they try to build of their run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Of course, the Knicks are set to bring back their core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges next season but one area they needed to improve was their bench. That is exactly what the Knicks focused on during free agency as they signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, filling two key holes in their second unit. After signing both Yabusele and Clarkson, New York still does have one more roster space open and they have been linked to many players. Rachel Nichols believes Knicks should sign Russell Westbrook Two player who have garnered the most attention from the Knicks are Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook and NBA analyst Rachel Nichols believes that Westbrook would “flourish” in New York. “That’s a team that needs a guy like him. That actually has a slot for a guy like him. I think he would flourish in New York,” Nichols said on the Open Floor podcast. “I think New York fans would love him, and I think he would be able to fill that sort of vet energy role really well.” Nichols does make a great point about Westbrook being a solid fit in New York off the bench as the backup point guard behind Brunson. Of course, Westbrook revitalized his NBA career last season with the Denver Nuggets as he proved that he could still be a key piece both off the bench and in the starting lineup on a contending team. Last season, the former MVP averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 44.9% from the field and 32.3% from three. For the Knicks, adding Westbrook to their roster would give them another great scorer and playmaker off the bench and would allow Miles McBride to slot in as the backup shooting guard with Clarkson being a forward. By signing Westbrook, the Knicks would be able to upgrade their bench even more this offseason and with the East being weakened due to injuries, New York could be the team to beat next season in the conference.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
