Bleav in Cincy

Bleav

Bengals content central! Bleav in Cincy is your daily stop for news about the NFL's most interesting team: Ohio's Cincinnati Bengals. Listen in daily for news about everyone's favorite Tigers, Joe Burrow, and so much more! Bleav in Cincy is home to The Orange and Black Insider, Talking Football with Bengal Jim and Friends, Coach Speak/Chalk Talk, and Three-and-Out.

  1. Matt and Willie Know Free Agency

    1D AGO

    Matt and Willie Know Free Agency

    It was a slow start to free agency for the Bengals, but noon turned into afternoon, the Bengals made their moves Seriously, they made both of their moves, and it's been radio silence for two days. I mean what is that about? But I digress. The team made two pick signings. They signed Bryan Cook who was widely seen as the top safety in free agency. Finally, they did something to solidify that position in a meaningful way. The former Cincinnati Bearcat comes home. Tears in his eyes, I suppose. This was a great move for the Bengals, but it was not enough. Should we do one more? Let's do one more. Okay, one more it is. People have asked, "Who is this year's Trey Hendrikson." Well, it might just be Boye Mafe. They gave the young edge rusher a huge contract betting more on his future than his past. Like Hendrickson he might be right on the fringe of his breakout The excitement from these moves slowly decreased then to turned largely into rage as we got into Wednesday night and there was still no third move. It's coming. I'm telling you, it's coming. They have the money. The Bengals were also involved in the John Franklin-Myers sweepstake, but despite an initial report from a phony Twitter account, Ed McMahon did not come knocking on their door. Logan Hall was the other name to consider in this unimpressive lineup of interior rushers, but he went to Houston on the cheap, so it appears the Bengals were not in on that deal. Which is wired because it would have made a lot of sense. I am not totally confident in Hall, but he has the versatility to play the run on the edge, which would at least give them some value if he didn't pan out as an interior rusher. Speaking of making sense, let's talk Leo Chenel. He would have made a lot of sense for this defense. He is a linebacker who has some crazy athletic traits, is young, and has that oh so important ability to line up on the edge. He would have been an excellent complement to Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight, but alas, it was not meant to be. He wound up in Washington on a very reasonable deal. There was lots of talk from the fan base about Devin Lloyd, but apparently they were never involved even though everybody and their brother has been reporting that they have been interested in him. Perhaps it is Ezekiel Elliott all over again. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    36 min
  2. Matt and Willie Know Trey to Lachey

    FEB 18

    Matt and Willie Know Trey to Lachey

    This week on Matt and Willie Know Ball, your favorite ball-knowers discuss the idea of a Trey Hendrickson tag and trade. Tagging a player does not mean you are on the hook for that money. Quite the contrary. You can rescind the tag at any time before it is signed, and Hendrickson will be in no hurry to sign it. He wants out. He wants more than a one-year deal. Hendrickson has no intention of playing another down for the Bengals, but they should not let him walk out the door for nothing. Yes, he is in his 30s. Yes, he is coming off an injury. Yes, whoever acquires him is going to have to pay him a hefty fee. It doesn't matter. He is still the top free agent. He is still a year removed from leading the league in sacks. He is still a guy who had 35 sacks in two years. No, they aren't going to get what the Dallas Cowboys got for Micah Parsons. Parsons is 6 years younger and wasn't coming off a season ending injury. They can however get something. It starts with a third. That should be the asking price, a third round pick in 2026. If a few teams are interested in him for that, maybe it becomes a little more. Maybe a day three pick or a player is added. Maybe the third even becomes a second. Or maybe it goes the other way and you only get a fifth round pick. Who cares? It is something! The idea that it could be Kenny Clark occurred to me until I saw his contract. If I have a choice between Trey for $30 million or Clark for $20 million, the Treys have it. But maybe the next unappreciated B.J. Hill type is out there somewhere waiting for his moment to shine. Like a peacock, you gotta let him fly. We also talk about the Jalen Davis extension. Not only is it crat news, it was the next thing that needed to happen before we get to Dalton Risner. Both Davis and Risner stepped in and solidified the team this season. They should both be very reasonably priced compared to what their contribution to the team is. These are guys you've got to sign. There is no reason to create a need on your roster. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    31 min
  3. Matt and Willie Know We Are Too Up on Caleb Downs

    FEB 11

    Matt and Willie Know We Are Too Up on Caleb Downs

    Hot take alert! I (Matt) like Caleb Downs but find the prospect of drafting him at 10 rather uninspiring. I feel like I'm going out on a limb saying this. The consensus appears to be very high on Downs. There is, of course, the fact that he is a safety and safeties rarely go on the top 10. Honestly. I don't really care about that. It's not about position value. It is the lack of special traits. Downs is a good player who I would love to have on the Bengals defense, but I don't know if there is anything about him that is special. I know. You hate me, right? Not only is it a controversial take, but about a Buckeye no less. For shame. Can Willie talk him out of it? He's pretty high on Downs. Not only that, he's a true Ohio State guy. Surely Willie can talk some sense into me. Right? There is only one way to find out. Tune in to hear why I haven't bought in on Downs and see if Willie can bring me back into the light. Then we randomly veered off into a long conversation about pass rushers and money ball. What do the Bengals need to do to fix their pass rush? Is it on the inside? Is it on the outside? Is it in house? Is it in free agency? Is it in the draft? Maybe it's Maxx Crosby. Maybe it's Jeffery Simmons. Sorry, it's not Trey Hendrickson at this point. Matt and Willie discuss how to replace Giambi, I mean Henderickson. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    32 min

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Bengals content central! Bleav in Cincy is your daily stop for news about the NFL's most interesting team: Ohio's Cincinnati Bengals. Listen in daily for news about everyone's favorite Tigers, Joe Burrow, and so much more! Bleav in Cincy is home to The Orange and Black Insider, Talking Football with Bengal Jim and Friends, Coach Speak/Chalk Talk, and Three-and-Out.

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