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The Cincinnati Bengals have had no shortage of contract situations turn adversarial in recent years. With how long it took receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to land extensions, it feels like a miracle that quarterback Joe Burrow committed himself to Cincinnati.
The Bengals’ contractual procrastination now resides on defense, where edge rusher Trey Hendrickson is yet to reach a new deal. First-round edge rusher Shemar Stewart is currently holding out, too.
Needless to say, some of the Bengals' own aren’t happy with their current circumstances. That extends to linebacker Germaine Pratt, too, who requested a trade shortly after the season.
Pro Football Focus urged the Indianapolis Colts to trade for the disgruntled Bengals defender, helping Cincinnati alleviate one of its remaining offseason concerns.
“Outside of Zaire Franklin, the Colts have very little starting experience in their linebacking corps,” Mason Cameron wrote. “New defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo could target the captain of his former defense in Cincinnati, Germaine Pratt.
“The veteran linebacker is technically still under contract, but the writing is on the wall that he will be cut or traded this summer. The price to trade for Pratt would likely be minimal, or the Colts could take their chances following his release. While Pratt’s modest grading profile (60.5 PFF overall grade in 2024) doesn’t excite, his knowledge of Anarumo’s scheme should.”
If Pratt is indeed on his way out, the Bengals might as well get something for him. Any trade or cut would save Cincinnati $5.85 million with a $2.3 million dead cap charge, per Over the Cap. Perhaps more importantly, Cincinnati has his replacements in the building.
Linebacker Logan Wilson is a quality starter, and the team insulated the unit with Oren Burks in free agency and Demetrius Knight Jr. in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. As Cameron notes, the writing is on the wall, and an expensive, veteran roster could use additional draft capital to further replenish a poor defense.
The fit with Anarumo makes sense, although Pratt struggled in 2024. If the defensive coordinator believes in a rebound (or is planning to play him primarily on early downs) a move to Indianapolis could become the most likely landing spot for the linebacker.
More must-reads:
- Five best NFL offseason value signings on offense: Bills get great deal with RB extension
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- The '2023 NFL AP second-team All-Pro' quiz
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Troubling news emerges on Bears QB Caleb Williams’ workout with HC Ben Johnson
It might have been a good thing the Chicago Bears didn’t play Caleb Williams on Sunday. The Bears might need to hide their second-year quarterback as he irons out his wrinkles in the pre-snap process and with accuracy issues. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft struggled with timing and accuracy during the Bears’ joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Friday. Caleb Williams was inaccurate in the red zone against no defenders On Sunday, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson chose not to play second-year quarterback Caleb Williams against the Dolphins in their first preseason game. Instead, Johnson led a workout with Williams and wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore before the game. Per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears ran a total of 87 plays during the workout. All of the plays were routes in the air with no defenders on the field for the scripted practice. Despite going against no defenders bringing pressure or guarding his receivers, Williams struggled to hit his targets in the red zone. "Williams would stand next to Johnson, who would give him the play," Biggs wrote. "Then, the quarterback simulated a huddle with the player (only one ran a route on each snap) and gave the play call. They’d break the huddle, go to the line of scrimmage, Williams would simulate pre-snap actions and then the play would be run… "Before ending the session with eight deep balls, there was a 25-play set of snaps in the red zone. One thing Williams struggled to connect on was out routes to Moore and Odunze near the goal line. Those throws were not close and Williams consistently led the receivers too much." A closed-door problem for the Chicago Bears The throws weren’t close during routes on air… in the red zone? Williams wasn’t ready to take the field for the preseason game. For all of the flak he’s been getting from practice reports, the quarterback would have been relentlessly mocked for having these issues shown during an NFL Network broadcast. Biggs’ report is troubling, with a month to go before the season. Williams has much to improve upon, and the Bears are very much trying to do so without cameras present for a reason.
Oregon suspends former five-star WR recruit indefinitely
Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has struggled to live up to expectations in his first two seasons with the Ducks, and he is now in a terrible position heading into 2025 as well. Dickey has been suspended indefinitely by Oregon, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Tuesday. Lanning also suggested that Dickey may not play for the Ducks again. "We have two team rules; that’s respectful, be on time,” Lanning said, via James Crepea of The Oregonian. “There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now. "Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere; that might be here that might be somewhere else.” Dickey was a five-star recruit and rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country when he came out of Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California, in 2023. He suffered an injury in his senior year in high school and redshirted as a freshman at Oregon. Dickey has two catches for 14 years during his time with the Ducks. Oregon went 13-1 in Lanning's third season with the program last season. The Ducks lost to eventual national champion Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Bengals rookie learns important Joe Burrow rule
Cincinnati Bengals rookie EDGE Shemar Stewart learned an important rule Wednesday: Don't hit the franchise quarterback during practice. In the 11-on-11 period of practice, Stewart knocked down Bengals QB Joe Burrow, a perennial league MVP candidate. A scuffle then ensued between Stewart and the offensive line. After practice, Bengals center Ted Karras said he likes Stewart's intensity but reminded him not to hit Burrow. "Just be smarter," Karras said, via Charlie Clifford of WLWT-TV in Cincinnati. "Great player. But, come on, man. That's all our hopes and dreams right there. And we got to be better, too. That's on us." Without Burrow, the Bengals' Super Bowl hopes would evaporate. He already carried Cincinnati to the big game during the 2021 season and is coming off a career year. Last season, he led the league in touchdown passes (43 in 17 games) and passing yards (4,918), winning Comeback Player of the Year for the second time. Not to mention, Burrow can be injury-prone. He suffered a season-ending left knee injury during his rookie season in 2020. Then in 2023, he tore his right wrist, sidelining him for the season's final seven games. The Bengals subsequently finished 9-8 and failed to make the playoffs. Burrow didn't suffer an injury after Stewart hit him, but the Bengals don't want to put their most important player at risk. "We've gotta protect No. 9," Bengals right guard Lucas Patrick said, via Jay Morrison of Cincinnati Bengals on Sports Illustrated. "It starts with me up front. I've got to play better, protect better. Can't let No. 9 get hit." The Bengals need their O-line to provide Burrow with much better protection for the rest of the season. And they need Stewart to follow the critical rule.
Former Chargers draft pick signs with Texans in free agency
Another former Los Angeles Chargers player is on the move in free agency. Not long after a former Chargers tight end signed with the Los Angeles Rams, yet another former Chargers tight end has found a new home. This time, it’s Tre' McKitty signing with the Houston Texans. As Chargers fans surely remember, Los Angeles drafted McKitty in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft and he was with the team through October of 2023 before his release. Since, McKitty has bounced around with teams like the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns before this latest stop with the Texans. Over his first two seasons with the Chargers, McKitty caught 16 passes, yet hasn’t broken onto the field in a regular season game since. As for the Chargers, they’re currently enjoying a nice period of depth at a position that is usually problematic. They added Tyler Conklin in free agency and Oronde Gadsden in the draft to a depth chart with Will Dissly.
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