WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: All Shook Up 0:00:03.560 --> 0:00:06.320 Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:12.719 the Bengals Booth Podcast. The I'm All Shook Up addition, 0:00:12.800 --> 0:00:15.880 as I catch up with Nick Shook from NFL dot 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:20.360 Com to discuss the Bengals roster additions, subtractions, and the 0:00:20.400 --> 0:00:24.720 team's biggest burning question heading into the draft. Then I'll 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:27.880 be joined by my colleague Marissa Contapelli, the Bengals team 0:00:27.920 --> 0:00:31.520 reporter and host of Bengals Weekly. She's been all over 0:00:31.640 --> 0:00:35.280 various mock drafts or Bengals dot Com, so we'll discuss 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:38.320 the names that pop up most frequently and take a 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:43.440 shot at our own three round mock draft. Spoiler alert, 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:47.559 she gets a better grade than I do. The Bengals 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:52.240 Booth Podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals. Download Ultimate Bengals 0:00:52.240 --> 0:00:54.880 ahead of the twenty twenty two season. It's free to 0:00:55.000 --> 0:01:00.480 play next level fantasy football with fantastic Bengals prizes. Get 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:03.560 it now on the App Store and Google Play. And 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:05.640 here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:08.840 edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:13.399 or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's 0:01:13.440 --> 0:01:17.280 the greatest thing since hearing the Hoo Day chant on 0:01:17.480 --> 0:01:20.640 Opening Day at Great American Ballpark. I've got to give 0:01:20.680 --> 0:01:23.480 credit to the Reds for honoring the Bengals on opening Day. 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:27.240 Joe Burrow throughout the ceremonial first pitch does Zach Taylor 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:31.039 no less, and Jamar Chase, the NFL's offensive Rookie of 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:34.080 the Year, presented the National League Rookie of the Year 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:38.320 Award to Jonathan India. That was cool symmetry. We knew 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:40.880 all of that was coming in advance, but I didn't 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:44.600 expect Reds fans to unite in a loud Hoo Day 0:01:44.680 --> 0:01:48.520 chant before the first pitch. Cincinnati has long been called 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:51.279 a baseball town, but let's face it, we are living 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:55.240 in a football world. Nothing unites a city like a 0:01:55.320 --> 0:01:59.440 contending NFL team, and Cincinnati has fallen head over heels 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:03.760 in love with the reigning AFC champs. Now time to 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:08.040 get to my first guest, Nick Shook from NFL dot Com. 0:02:09.360 --> 0:02:11.320 You've got a great piece on NFL dot Com this 0:02:11.400 --> 0:02:14.440 week called the AFC Roster Reset. You take a look 0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:18.200 at every team's best editions, key losses, and their burning 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:21.639 question heading into the draft. Let's start with the Bengals 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:26.359 and their additions. How did Duke Tobin do in your opinion, Well, 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:29.400 I think everybody knew what he needed to do after 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:31.640 Super Bowl fifty six, right it was, it was adjust 0:02:31.720 --> 0:02:34.600 and improved the offensive line, and then he immediately showed 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:37.959 some aggression in doing so, signing one of the better 0:02:37.960 --> 0:02:40.080 signings I think he had anybody had in the NFL 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:42.600 this entire offseason Lao Collins, you know, kind of pouncing 0:02:42.639 --> 0:02:45.079 on the cot on the opportunity presented by the Cowboys 0:02:45.120 --> 0:02:47.520 who moved on from Collins to save some cap space. 0:02:47.560 --> 0:02:49.120 You know, they also moved to Mark Cooper. They were 0:02:49.120 --> 0:02:52.280 trying to create caps based and Duke Tobin saw that 0:02:52.320 --> 0:02:54.880 opportunity and took advantage of it and really short up 0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:57.200 that right tackle position because you know as well as 0:02:57.240 --> 0:03:00.000 anybody that it's a very important position, number one, number two. 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:01.799 It was a position of weakness for the Bengals down 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:03.840 the stretch once they didn't have Riley Reef anymore, and 0:03:04.280 --> 0:03:07.840 so making sure that that could be solidified provided Collins 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:10.600 as available, stays healthy and everything else, that's a massive 0:03:10.639 --> 0:03:13.919 upgrade for them and solves a massive question for them. 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:15.720 And then you know, the rest of the signings in 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:19.440 the offensive line, you know, adding some interior guys that 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:21.640 I was also very key for them because you know, 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:23.680 again you want to back to the postseason. You look 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:26.160 at that Kansas City game. You had Pikeman Energy and 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:29.440 Jackson Carmen rotating in and out at right guard depending 0:03:29.440 --> 0:03:31.679 on the series, depending on who is pass blocking better. 0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:33.600 Now they don't have to do that, and more importantly 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:36.880 than anything, to me, yeah, added depth. Yeah, added options. 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:38.680 You didn't have to rely on somebody with the lack 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:40.560 of experience in a position like Idenergy, or a lack 0:03:40.600 --> 0:03:44.120 of experience overall, like Jackson Carmen. You could go to 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:47.000 a veteran who is more reliable and get a performance 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:50.200 that you expect and most importantly, protect Joe Burrow and 0:03:50.240 --> 0:03:53.400 allow this offense to flourish as it should. Collins becomes 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:56.880 the right tackle, Alex Scappa becomes the right guard. Ted 0:03:56.960 --> 0:04:00.000 Carriss right now is penciled in its center, but obviously 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:02.400 he's played guard. He played left guard for the Patriots 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:06.280 last year. Jonah Williams is the left tackle, at least 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:10.960 on paper. Right now, left guard is still TBA Jackson Carmen. 0:04:11.640 --> 0:04:14.800 You'd love him to you know, take over and establish 0:04:14.880 --> 0:04:17.279 himself after being a second round draft pick last year. 0:04:17.800 --> 0:04:21.320 Do you think the line as is right now is 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:24.480 good enough? That's the only question is left guard? I 0:04:24.520 --> 0:04:26.520 think I think the other four guys are very solid. 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:29.600 You know, I was very impressed by their signing of 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:32.440 Ted Kris because he was a guy who has played 0:04:32.440 --> 0:04:35.320 well in New England. And I was surprised that it 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:37.680 didn't move the needle more when they assigned him out, 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:39.240 you know, for me just looking at the restaurant. So 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:41.279 that's a great signing. That's that's a great addition to 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:43.560 what they need. So I think the biggest question there 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:46.000 is left guard. And you know, I think Jackson Carmen 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:48.160 might have gained a lot of experience from those high 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:51.080 pressure situations playing in games like the AFC Championship game, 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:54.080 being asked to step up in a critical moment. And 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:56.640 this guy was not a highly tattered recruit, you know, 0:04:56.760 --> 0:04:59.960 for no reason coming out of you know, Southwest Ohio. 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:02.320 This is a reason. You know, he ended up at 0:05:02.320 --> 0:05:04.320 Clemson for a reason as well. And I think he's 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:07.560 gonna follow a suit and develop into a solid guard, 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:10.440 I hope. So because you know, spending the pick they 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:12.560 spent on him and the expectations that come with it. 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:14.840 You wanted to live up to that, and more importantly 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:16.920 than anything, you want him to fill that role that 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:19.160 you need filled in the offensive line. Because I think 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:21.240 the biggest challenge for the Bengals overall, and you would 0:05:21.240 --> 0:05:24.320 probably agree with this, is last year was great, but 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:26.800 they have to prove the doubters wrong. There are gonna 0:05:26.800 --> 0:05:28.520 be a ton of naysayers who say, oh, that was 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:30.760 a fluke. They were a flash in the pan. Everything 0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:34.000 went right for them, They stayed mostly healthy, and that's 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:37.120 fair to say. But the Bengals' biggest objective is to 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:39.839 prove them wrong, and getting good quality play out of 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:42.440 the left guard would be a big boost for them. 0:05:42.520 --> 0:05:46.040 Improving that and that is your burning question for the Bengals. 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:49.400 Can they prove that twenty twenty one was not a fluke. 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:51.880 Do you get the sense that a lot of people 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:54.200 around the league, based on the contact and the people 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:56.400 that you've talked to, feel that way that the Bengals 0:05:56.400 --> 0:05:58.480 were somewhat of a fluke. Well, I think that they 0:05:58.520 --> 0:06:01.039 know that the Bengals have a legit quarterback in Joe Burrow. 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:03.839 I mean, I saw it in Week two of twenty twenty, 0:06:03.880 --> 0:06:05.320 and now the rest of the world has kind of 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:07.640 caught up to that thanks to the Bengals most recent season. 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:09.880 So you know, if you have the quarterback, you always 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:11.719 have a chance people are going to take you seriously. 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:14.200 But I do kind of think that they've gotten a 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:17.880 little lost in the rush of the off season, the 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:20.480 loading up of the AFC West. They're just not in 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:23.719 the conversation if you talk to people and ask them 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:25.599 for you know, your favorites coming out of the AFC. 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:28.320 You get the Bills, you get the Chiefs, maybe you 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:30.880 get the Broncos. You get you know, one of the 0:06:30.920 --> 0:06:33.480 AFC South teams, although I think neither are very high. 0:06:33.560 --> 0:06:35.120 You know, people aren't high on either of them right 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:37.640 now at Tennessee in Indianapolis, and then the AFC North, 0:06:37.680 --> 0:06:39.000 we don't really know what you're going to get out 0:06:39.000 --> 0:06:41.160 of the division other than the Bengals. So I think 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:43.039 they get kind of lost in the shuffle a little bit. 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:45.520 But I don't think it's necessarily that people don't think 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:47.560 that they could be contender. It's just that they're not. 0:06:47.880 --> 0:06:49.800 Even though they won the AFC last year and they 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:52.839 were one touchdown driveway from potentially winning the Super Bowl. 0:06:53.040 --> 0:06:56.640 They're not held in quite as high of a regard because, unfortunately, 0:06:56.720 --> 0:06:59.880 signing offensive linemen is not like the sexiest move. It's 0:06:59.880 --> 0:07:02.240 not the move that's going to really get people excited 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:04.400 when when the Chargers are training for Khalil Mack and 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:07.279 Lebroncos are training for Russell Wilson. But that's okay because 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:09.000 if you don't have to make those moves, that means 0:07:09.000 --> 0:07:11.560 you're already in a pretty good spot, and that means 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:15.160 that you have a good chance of continuing sustaining the 0:07:15.240 --> 0:07:18.560 success that you've established last season. Our guest is Nick 0:07:18.560 --> 0:07:20.680 Shook from NFL dot Com. You can follow him on 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:24.040 Twitter at the Nick Shook. Let's move to the key 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:27.640 losses category. The Bengals lost tight end c j Uzama 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:31.400 right now, at least, they've lost defensive tackle Larry Ogan Joebi, 0:07:31.480 --> 0:07:34.120 although he's still out there. You mentioned Riley reef Riley 0:07:34.160 --> 0:07:36.440 will not be back. It's hard to keep everybody in 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:38.880 this day and age in the NFL. But how do 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:42.320 the Bengals compare to most in terms of the key losses? Yeah, 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:44.960 you're gonna have some turnover. It happens with everybody more, 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:47.080 you know, with some teams than others. I think the 0:07:47.080 --> 0:07:50.080 biggest question for me is that defensive interior, because you know, 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:53.960 Larry provided the depth quality depth that you needed. I 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:55.840 think they'll feel fine if they don't get him back, 0:07:56.400 --> 0:07:58.840 but yeah, I think that's a position that they could 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:01.400 also addressed in the draft as well. So that's probably 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:03.760 my biggest question mark. I think they're standing pretty well 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:06.040 in terms of who they lost Usama. I feel like 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:09.720 they can replace him, you know, because tight end often 0:08:09.960 --> 0:08:12.240 is a young quarterback safety valve, but it's also a 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:14.920 position that can be elevated by a quarterback's play. We've 0:08:14.920 --> 0:08:16.600 seen that with other tight ends across the league. So 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:19.160 I think they'll be okay there. It's not as if 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:22.400 the cupboard is completely bare, and you know, it's difficult 0:08:22.400 --> 0:08:25.240 to lose Usama, who really endeared himself to Bengals fans, 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:27.320 especially leading up to the Super Bowl, talking about diving 0:08:27.360 --> 0:08:30.080 into a pool full of Skyline chili, and it's a 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:32.400 bummer to see him go. But I think they'll be 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:34.560 okay there. I think my biggest question mark is the 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:37.160 defensive interior, and there as some opportunities in this class 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:40.640 to resupply there with some of these players in this draft, 0:08:40.720 --> 0:08:43.240 so I'm feel pretty good about where they are rosterwise 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:44.520 right now. I think the biggest thing for them is 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:46.960 staying healthy, and that's the same case for every team. 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:49.320 We could talk about what teams look like on paper 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:51.160 all we want right now, because that's all we can do, 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:53.440 but really, one of the biggest things that has to 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:55.160 happen for a team to go deep into the playoffs 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:57.439 and repeat success is staying healthy, and that's gonna be 0:08:57.440 --> 0:09:00.360 the biggest challenge. They did sign Hayden Hurst to a 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:03.320 one year deal to potentially do what c. J Uzama 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:05.960 did last year. I kind of think that's potentially a 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:08.760 sneaky good move. What do you think? Yeah, I would agree. 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:12.400 I thought he played pretty well in Atlanta. You know, 0:09:12.400 --> 0:09:14.360 if it's just one of those under the radar signings 0:09:14.360 --> 0:09:16.240 because he doesn't quite have the name value. It's weird 0:09:16.240 --> 0:09:18.840 because tight end, especially in free agency, between this year 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:20.880 and last year, was vastly different. You know. Last year 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:22.920 it was Johnny Smith and Hunter Henry both going to 0:09:22.960 --> 0:09:25.560 New England and Hunter Henry the solid season. John Smith 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:27.360 didn't do much of anything. So I think moving the 0:09:27.360 --> 0:09:29.720 needle at the tight end position of free agency doesn't 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:33.480 necessarily produce the greatest results, so and under the radar 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:36.320 signing could end up, you know, being more successful and 0:09:36.360 --> 0:09:39.520 more effective for you. And it also patches that hole 0:09:39.600 --> 0:09:42.160 that's left by the departure of Uzama while also allowing 0:09:42.480 --> 0:09:44.480 you know, other players to develop as well. So I 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:46.400 think you're right it is a sneaky I think it's 0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:49.160 a sneaky signing. We'll see if it pays off. The 0:09:49.240 --> 0:09:51.760 Bengals have the thirty first overall pick in the draft. 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:55.360 Any thoughts on what they should do. There is some 0:09:55.480 --> 0:09:58.600 potential to add another offensive lineman. I like the tackles 0:09:58.600 --> 0:10:00.200 in this group. I like some of the guard It's 0:10:00.400 --> 0:10:02.520 not quite as deep at guard and in the interior 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:05.079 as it is outside at tackle. But there's an opportunity 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:06.959 for them, depending on how the first round shakes out, 0:10:06.960 --> 0:10:08.920 for them to add another player. And I think it's, 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:11.560 like you know, we did this on the Inside Report podcast. 0:10:11.600 --> 0:10:14.320 You can never have enough offensive lineman, much like you 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:17.120 can't have enough pitching in baseball. So if they went 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:20.120 tackle again, got somebody like a Charles Cross who might 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:22.440 still be there or maybe a little bit further down 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:25.280 the list, you know, the Penning kid, he might be 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:27.280 another option as well if he's still there. I think 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:29.040 that there's some value that could be had there. And 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:31.240 the fun thing for the Bengals at this point is 0:10:31.240 --> 0:10:32.839 it's a bit of a luxury to be picking at 0:10:32.840 --> 0:10:35.480 thirty one because you have a roster that's largely intact, 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:38.760 didn't have too much turnover, made some nice additions. Short 0:10:38.800 --> 0:10:41.240 up the offensive line. You could go best player available. 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:43.080 You could also go need. You could go for potential, 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:45.600 and I think potential would be at tackle, to develop 0:10:46.480 --> 0:10:48.600 a successor at one of the positions, or maybe move 0:10:48.640 --> 0:10:51.440 them into guard. Have some options, and I think they 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:53.960 can find that at tackle in the draft. Our guest 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:56.080 is Nick Shook from NFL dot com. Let's get back 0:10:56.120 --> 0:10:59.199 to your roster reset, specifically in the AFC North. You're 0:10:59.240 --> 0:11:04.199 burning question for the Baltimore Ravens is can they basically 0:11:04.280 --> 0:11:07.320 prove that their issues with health and everything else last 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:11.360 year was their biggest problem because they have some they 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:13.320 still need to work on their defense, and Eric da 0:11:13.360 --> 0:11:15.880 Costa has talked about this. They went and signed clay 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:18.679 As Campbell, which I thought was, you know, a smart move, 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:20.600 something that came a little bit later than I expected. 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:24.760 They swung and missed on Zadarius Smith, which I thought 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:27.880 was interesting considering his history there and where the franchise 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:31.760 is positioned currently. And also there's that lingering doubt about 0:11:31.840 --> 0:11:34.160 Lamar Jackson and his contract. So they have some questions 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:37.160 to answer personnel wise, but more importantly than anything, they 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:39.120 need to get a healthier season out of their team now. 0:11:39.480 --> 0:11:41.959 A lot of how they've approached this offseason and how 0:11:42.120 --> 0:11:44.280 Eric da Costa has spoken, and even John Harbou to 0:11:44.360 --> 0:11:48.080 an extent, has been look, we're gonna get guys back. 0:11:48.120 --> 0:11:50.439 It's almost gonna be like we're adding key players because 0:11:50.440 --> 0:11:53.080 we lost so many guys last year. And that's great, 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:55.079 and that's easy to say right now, but then you 0:11:55.120 --> 0:11:57.120 got to prove that that's all you really needed. I 0:11:57.120 --> 0:11:58.400 still think they need to work on their defense a 0:11:58.440 --> 0:11:59.880 little bit. If you go look at the roster right now, 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:03.560 get a lot of guys who departed it and not 0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:07.160 a ton of the players on the roster coming back 0:12:07.200 --> 0:12:09.319 that that you know, you can look at his key contributors. 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:12.040 So there's still some work to be done, but more 0:12:12.080 --> 0:12:14.240 importantly than anything, it's getting healthy and proving that all 0:12:14.280 --> 0:12:16.720 they really knew was be healthy. Let's move to the 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:20.480 Cleveland Browns. Obviously they made a huge splash by obtaining 0:12:20.520 --> 0:12:23.719 Deshaun Watson. What is your biggest question for Cleveland? Is 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:26.520 that risk going to pay off immediately for them? Because 0:12:26.920 --> 0:12:28.880 you know, there may be a suspension. It could be 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:31.000 four games, could be eight games. We don't know. And 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:33.319 that's the biggest question right now is we don't know 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:36.199 what the immediate future with Deshaun Watson is now. If 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:37.840 you take that out of the equation, there are other 0:12:37.920 --> 0:12:39.720 questions that still have to be answered as well, because 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:42.360 Deshaun Watson is not the same quarterback as Baker Mayfield, 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:43.800 which makes me think a little bit of a scheme 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:45.360 change is gonna be coming, not so much of the 0:12:45.360 --> 0:12:48.160 wide zone boot action that you saw with Baker Mayfield, 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:50.480 because Deshaun Watson is not that guy. He's somebody who's 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:53.480 more skilled and you don't necessarily rely on that necessarily. 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:56.959 So how are they going to adjust? How is Kevin 0:12:57.000 --> 0:12:59.240 Stefancy gonna adjust? How is the team going to weather 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:03.720 the the negative, the negative, the negativity that comes from 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:06.719 you know, acquiring to Shaun Watson and fully guaranteeing his 0:13:06.760 --> 0:13:08.560 five year or two and a thirty million dollars contract. 0:13:08.559 --> 0:13:11.960 We've already seen some owners and other gms, you know, 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:15.000 kind of bash that because, well, you know, you have 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:17.679 the issues with Botson off the field, but you also 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:21.080 have the precedent that it sets that it makes these 0:13:21.160 --> 0:13:24.000 personnel man their job harder to do, especially with the 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:26.400 Ravens and Dacostaa trying to figure out a deal with 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:29.240 Lamar Jackson. So there's gonna be a lot of a 0:13:29.280 --> 0:13:31.560 lot of haters for the Browns this year and they're 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:33.200 gonna have to fight through that, and they also still 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:35.880 need to answer feed questions. Personnel wise, they need another receiver. 0:13:35.960 --> 0:13:38.760 I think Mark Cooper was a great addition. Donovan People's 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:41.600 Jones has shown some promise, but I still kind of 0:13:41.640 --> 0:13:43.680 need to see him in a bigger role and prove 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:46.240 it over a full season. Anthony Schwartz is a fast guy, 0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:48.360 he's a burner, but he needs to become a complete receiver. 0:13:48.559 --> 0:13:49.840 I think they need to add somebody else. I don't 0:13:49.840 --> 0:13:51.680 know if that's gonna be Jarvis Landry or somebody else. 0:13:52.400 --> 0:13:53.880 You know, that's a big loss if he does not 0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:56.720 come back. Got to answer defensive end janev and Clowney 0:13:56.760 --> 0:13:58.880 does he come back, we don't know. And the defensive 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:01.520 interior they lacked depth there. So there are some holes 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:03.360 that they still need to fill. And they're going to 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:05.560 be dealing with a lot of a lot of doubt 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:08.160 from some other, you know, outside sources. It's it's gonna 0:14:08.160 --> 0:14:10.240 be a challenge. But if it all pays off, it 0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:13.720 could pay off dramatically. So and we'll wait to see 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:17.080 if that happens last but not least or maybe least, 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:20.360 we'll see the Pittsburgh Steelers big Ben has done, Mitchell 0:14:20.440 --> 0:14:24.080 Truebisky has arrived as the savior or at least the 0:14:24.080 --> 0:14:26.640 stop gap a quarterback. What do you think? Yeah, the 0:14:26.640 --> 0:14:28.920 bridge maybe, I'm not sure. That's my biggest question. My 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:31.040 burning question for them is what's next under center for them? 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:34.080 Because you know, you signed Mitch Rubisky and it sounds great. 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:37.200 He got a ton of positive momentum for himself in 0:14:37.200 --> 0:14:39.720 this offseason despite only throwing eight passes last year, just 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:42.880 because he was on the Bill's roster. I for one, 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:45.520 you know, Mitch is a product of Mineral Ohio. He's 0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:48.600 a you know, suburban Cleveland kid. I would like to 0:14:48.640 --> 0:14:51.160 see him, you know, kind of reclaim his career after 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:53.400 it didn't go well in Chicago. But I think that 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:56.480 it's it's a risk, it's a franchise and transition. You 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:59.080 have your general manager headed out, he's gonna be done it. 0:14:59.200 --> 0:15:02.680 For this draft. You have uncertainty at quarterback. It's either 0:15:02.720 --> 0:15:05.480 it's mister Whiskey or it's Mason Rudolph. Do they take 0:15:05.520 --> 0:15:07.200 a quarterback in the draft? I tend to think that 0:15:07.240 --> 0:15:09.040 they do. They were at all the quarterback pro days, 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:10.600 but they tend to be at those anyways, so it's 0:15:10.600 --> 0:15:13.400 not like you know, we're getting any sneak previews there. 0:15:14.120 --> 0:15:16.240 They also have to answer, you know, for the departure 0:15:16.280 --> 0:15:18.840 of Joe Hayden, and it's in the departure of Jujus 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:20.800 miss Suster. Now they went and signed to Anthony Miller, 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:22.320 which you know, maybe they can get more of out 0:15:22.360 --> 0:15:24.960 of him than Chicago and Houston could. But it's just 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:27.480 a lot of uncertainty, and when you don't have the 0:15:27.560 --> 0:15:30.440 question answered at quarterback, it makes everything else a little, 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:33.160 you know, the footing a little less stable. So I 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:34.840 don't expect a lot from them. If I had to 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:36.440 order the division right now, I got them finishing the 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:38.240 last I think it's gonna be a tough division again. 0:15:38.960 --> 0:15:40.760 It's just that the Steelers have more questions to answer 0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:44.400 than any other team in this division. The AFC Roster 0:15:44.560 --> 0:15:47.600 Reset is great. It's a perfect snapshot of where teams 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:49.880 stand heading into the draft in a couple of weeks. 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:53.640 Always enjoy what you crank out for NFL dot Com 0:15:53.640 --> 0:15:56.040 and appreciate check coming out on the podcast. Thank you, Nick, 0:15:56.480 --> 0:15:58.560 Thank you so much. Dan appreciate it. I love being on. 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:03.320 In addition Knicks AFC Roster Reset, his colleague Greg Rosenthal 0:16:03.440 --> 0:16:08.040 published a piece on Friday listing the AFC hierarchy heading 0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:11.200 into the draft. He has the Bills and Chiefs listed 0:16:11.200 --> 0:16:13.640 at the top two teams in the conference, with the 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:16.400 Bengals listed as one of five teams and the next 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:20.600 best tier, a group that also includes Baltimore and Cleveland. 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:24.440 Pittsburgh is one of six teams in Tier three, with 0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:28.000 the fourth and final tier made up of the Jets, Jaguars, 0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:32.560 and Texans. The Bengals Booth podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals, 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:35.800 the free to play fantasy football game. This past season, 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:38.320 Ultimate Bengals awarded a weekly winner during the course of 0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:42.160 the year, with tickets, autograph merchandise, and money can't buy 0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:46.440 experiences all up for grabs. Find Ultimate Bengals in the 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:50.320 app Store and Google Play. There used to be just 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:53.840 a handful of mock drafts. Now it seems like they 0:16:53.840 --> 0:16:59.360 are about fifty published every day, including seven round mock drafts, 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:02.600 which are mostly worthless, but I find myself looking at 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:05.400 them anyway. I used to spend a ton of time 0:17:05.440 --> 0:17:07.960 searching the Internet and keeping track of all of the 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:11.080 players mocked to the Bengals in Round one, but now 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:15.160 I don't have to. Thanks to Bengals team reporter Marissa Contapelli. 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:18.800 She's been posting regular updates on the various mock drafts 0:17:18.840 --> 0:17:21.760 from Bengals dot Com, and we got together this week 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:25.600 to discuss that and much more. All right, Marissa, A 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:27.879 couple of years ago, we knew exactly who the Bengals 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:29.439 were going to take in the first round. It was 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:31.800 obviously going to be Joe Burrow. Last year, we had 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:34.280 a fifty fifty shot it was going to be Jamar 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:37.080 Chase or Piney Sewell, this year, since they have the 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:40.360 thirty first overall pick, we really don't know. I mean, 0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:43.480 you've been doing a deep dive into all these mock drafts, 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:45.520 and there are a lot of different names that we've seen. 0:17:45.960 --> 0:17:48.159 I thought it would be fun to take advantage of 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:50.600 your research and take a look at some of the 0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:54.919 most common names that keep coming up on these mock drafts. 0:17:54.960 --> 0:17:58.600 Now you've posted five of these to Bengals dot com. 0:17:58.640 --> 0:18:01.320 Have the names changed much during the course of the 0:18:01.359 --> 0:18:03.480 time you've been doing this, you know, Dan, That's been 0:18:03.600 --> 0:18:05.639 one of my favorite parts of doing this is seeing 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:08.919 the volume of names that I've been able to come 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:11.720 across through so many of these draft gurus and experts 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:14.080 putting out their mock drafts. There has been a lot 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:15.879 of change. You look at the first couple of weeks 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:18.760 and it was really offensive line heavy. Then we signed 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:21.000 the three offensive linemen, then all of a sudden, they 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:23.240 shifted to the defensive side. But there have been a 0:18:23.240 --> 0:18:26.320 few consistent names. The one name that has been on 0:18:26.440 --> 0:18:29.080 every single mock draft to this point has been centered 0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:32.440 Tyler Linderbaum out of Iowa. Even though we have ted 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:36.919 Harris Lale Collins, and Alex Kappa, they still think a 0:18:36.960 --> 0:18:39.400 lot of drafts works, still expect us to go with 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:42.320