Bengals News (10/19): Alex Cappa dominates last 2 weeks

Alex Cappa closes out the weeks before the bye with great pass blocking numbers.

Joe Burrow And The Art Of Being A Teammate: ‘I Knew Exactly What He Was Doing’
“Joe loves his teammates. He knew not every guy got their name in the paper, but everybody on the team is invaluable. Our whole team was like that,” White says. We had guys score 20, 30, 40 touchdowns in their career. Joe’s running back had 100 himself. But when a guy who didn’t score much had a chance to make a play, it was a huge thing for our kids. Those guys celebrated like it was one of the guys scoring his 40th. It was an infectious thing. They wanted everybody to have success. You saw very simple things in high school.”

Bengals’ Alex Cappa had monster two-game stretch before bye
Cappa and the interior of the offensive line dramatically struggled over the first two weeks of the season, as can somewhat be expected when the first two games after limited summer snaps came against Myles Garrett and the Browns and then the vast array of talent on the Ravens defensive line.

Cincinnati Bengals offense underperforming through NFL Week 6
Before the players were given the week off, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan led a meeting with the offense. The agenda for the meeting was to be brutally honest of where things stand as an offense.

Why the Bengals and Saints can make the playoffs – ESPN Video
Why the Bengals and Saints can make the playoffs Herm Edwards and Booger McFarland pick the teams currently out of the playoff picture that have the best chance of making the postseason.

Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Coordinator Brian Callahan Discusses Adding Wrinkles to Bengals Offense: ‘Don’t Be Stubborn’
“Somewhere in between is probably the best answer,” Callahan said about balancing additions to the offense on the Locked On Bengals Podcast. “Because there’s things that are core to who we are and we feel really good about being able to execute those particular things. There’s also an element of don’t be stubborn and there’s ways that we can help our guys get in better position. We can help Joe find a little bit easier path sometimes and having him not shoulder it all. And I think that’s my job and our job as an offensive staff to put ourselves in that position where we can do a little bit more to help still lean on the things that we know we’re really good at and capable of executing at a high level.”

Around the league

Buyers/sellers at 2023 NFL trade deadline: Will Chiefs target WR? Should Titans deal Derrick Henry?
Part of the reason for the lack of a frenetic trade market is clubs’ belief they can turn things around. Look no further than 2022, when the Lions were 1-6 before a late-season run had them at the precipice of a playoff game. Now Detroit is the darling of the NFL. Those types of turnarounds will make coaches and GMs pause before tearing things down so early.

Jets trading WR Mecole Hardman to Chiefs
Hardman began his career in Kansas City, where he caught 151 passes for 2,088 yards and 16 touchdowns over four seasons and was part of Super Bowl-winning teams in 2019 and 2022, providing a speedy element alongside Tyreek Hill (prior to his 2022 departure for Miami). Changes to the Chiefs’ receiving corps this offseason followed Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVII triumph, including the decision to not re-sign Hardman, who eventually made his way to the East Coast, signing with the Jets in March.

NFL RB Index, Week 7: Five running backs who could be on the move ahead of trade deadline
I doubt this will be the only major running back transaction prior to the deadline. To get a sense of who else might be dealt, I scanned NFL rosters for backs who look to me like ideal candidates to be traded, based on factors like team competitiveness, the depth of the running back depth chart, contract status and player performance. Below are five running backs who could plausibly be moved by their teams.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (knee) questionable to play vs. Saints
In a Week 6 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Lawrence tweaked his left knee. Though he avoided a major injury, the ailment could still knock out Lawrence for at least one game, which would be a first in his two-plus-season career.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery
“After consultation with our medical staff, Anthony, and those close to him, it has been determined that he will undergo surgery to repair his injured shoulder, which will end his season,” owner Jim Irsay said in a statement. “Anthony is a competitor, and we know how difficult and disappointing this is for him and our team. We collected several medical opinions and we felt this was the best course of action for his long-term health. We anticipate a full recovery and there is no doubt Anthony has a promising future. In the meantime, I love the fight of this team and I’m excited for the opportunity we have ahead of us. It starts this week with Cleveland.”