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Bengals offensive line coach Scott Peters led with the guard play that needs to improve in his comments to the media on Wednesday.
Cincinnati had arguably the worst pair of guards in the NFL last season rolling out Cordell Volson and Alex Cappa.
"At guard, you know, you got Cordell at left guard. So we're looking to find some developmental tools to get his game up a little bit," Peters stated at the NFL Combine. "And with right guard, Cappa, just looking look at some of those things we can get better at as far as protection goes, because the biggest thing is trying to keep Joe [Burrow] healthy and safe and upright back there. So we're targeting that area big time as far as development goes."
Some players can develop in their later NFL years, and some can't. Cincinnati may not have time to find out with this rough duo.
According to PFF, Cappa finished last among all NFL guards in pressures (51), hurries (36), and sacks allowed (eight, tied with Houston's Shaq Mason) this past season.
Volson wasn't much better than Cappa, he actually ranked second in total pressures allowed among guards (43) and gave up six sacks (t-third worst). Both spots are worthy of new talents in 2025.
"There are things you can do, but there's limitations to that," Peters said about developing veterans. "It depends on the strength level to build kind of the size, and really the tools that they have. That's what we're targeting, because there are ways to improve that, for sure, but some guys are just going to have more firmness than others, just as far as anchor goes, but certainly, there's always something you can do to help achieve that as it relates to technique."
Both have flashed nice play at times in Cincinnati but Cappa is entering his eighth season and Volson is looking at the last year of his rookie deal.
More must-reads:
- Micah Parsons trade winners, losers: Packers fleece Cowboys for All-Pro
- Jerry Jones again proves he shouldn't be making decisions for Cowboys
- The 'Most 1,000-rushing yard NFL seasons' quiz
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Cowboys land three-time Pro Bowler in Micah Parsons trade
It may be no consolation to Dallas Cowboys fans, but their team did land an outstanding defensive player as part of the stunning blockbuster that sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. The Cowboys have traded Parsons to the Packers in exchange for a pair of first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. While Clark is nowhere near the same caliber player as Parsons, he has been one of the top players at his position in the NFL for several years now. Clark spent nine seasons with the Packers after they drafted him in the first round out of UCLA in 2016. He became a full-time starter in 2017 and has started every game in which he has played since. Clark started all 17 games for Green Bay the past three seasons and has missed just one game in the last four years. He had a career-high 7.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss in 2023, which is when he made his third and most recent Pro Bowl. The 6-foot-3, 314-pound tackle also made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2021. Almost all Cowboys fans would have preferred for their team to work out a long-term extension with Parsons. The tension between the two sides simply escalated to the point where a divorce became the most viable option. If the Cowboys felt they had no choice but to trade Parsons, they at least seem to have maximized the return. The future first-round picks will give them flexibility to build through trades and/or the draft. It should also soften the blow — even if only slightly — that they landed a 29-year-old player who has played like an elite defensive tackle throughout much of his career.
Taylor Townsend reveals how Jelena Ostapenko insulted her during post-match argument
Taylor Townsend claimed Jelena Ostapenko made insulting comments about her background and education after their heated U.S. Open match on Wednesday. Townsend beat Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1 during their second round match Wednesday, but the two players got into an argument during the traditional post-match congratulatory handshakes. Townsend and Ostapenko continued the argument at Ostapenko’s player bench before Townsend ultimately broke off to celebrate. Townsend was asked during her post-match interview what was said between her and Ostapenko. The American claimed Ostapenko had personally insulted her. “It’s competition. People get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things,” Townsend said. “She told me I have no class, I have no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the US. I’m looking forward to it. I beat her in Canada outside the U.S. … let’s see what else she has to say.” Townsend was certainly insulted by what Ostapenko told her. She even had the American crowd jeer Ostapenko as the Latvian left the court. Ostapenko has clashed with other players before, but most would agree that if Townsend correctly represented what she said, that undoubtedly crossed a line.
Report reveals Cowboys’ final contract offer to Micah Parsons
Micah Parsons may not have wanted to leave the Dallas Cowboys, but it sounds like the star pass-rusher has secured himself a significant raise by doing so. Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday in a stunning blockbuster deal. As part of the agreement, the Packers signed him to a 4-year, $188 million contract extension. The deal includes $136 million guaranteed. Parsons is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history in terms of both average annual salary and total guarantees. The $47 million average annual value on his new contract dwarfs the $41 million per year T.J. Watt got from the Pittsburgh Steelers and $40 million Myles Garrett got from the Cleveland Browns earlier this offseason. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Cowboys’ final offer to Parsons was for around the same annual salary as Watt and Garrett — $41 million or so per year. “Jerry Jones said when they had their negotiations with Micah Parsons they got to what he thought was an agreement, which was about $41 million or a little less per year in new money. He thought they were done,” Rapoport said. “The agents wanted to keep going. The Packers kept going. It is $47 million per year in new money on the extension. Micah Parsons’ agents did right by him. That is a $6 million-plus difference.” Jerry Jones has said publicly that he had a handshake agreement with Parsons in April but that Parsons’ agent torpedoed the deal. If that is true, that would mean Parsons had an offer for $40-41 million per year before both Watt and Garrett signed their deals, which would have reset the market. It would now be an understatement to say that Parsons reset the market with the Packers. Jones has gone into damage control mode by making some laughable claims about the trade, but there is no question Parsons is the big winner in the deal.
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