Bengals News (2/1): Kool-Aid McKinstry mocked to Cincinnati

A first round cornerback? OH YEAH!

The Athletic’s Latest Mock Draft Has Cincinnati Bengals Selecting Alabama Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry with 2024 First-Round Pick
“Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is still one of the best in the league, but his defense struggled this season to hide some of its weaknesses,” Lee wrote. “There’s no replacing the kind of eraser Jessie Bates III was for the Bengals two years ago, but getting a legitimate lockdown corner would mitigate responsibilities for the entire back seven. McKinstry has height and speed, and he’s one of the most competitive players in this class at the catch point.”

Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton Sees Orlando Brown Jr. As Mentor
“People disappear pretty quickly and the line of scrimmage disappears faster than anything else,” Tobin said after arriving from workouts at the East-West Game in Frisco, Tex., and getting his first look Tuesday at the Senior Bowl linemen. You have to be good upfront. That’s where it always starts and that’s where it starts this year. There is a good crop of linemen. This is a good game here. They’ve done a good job bringing in people. Even at the East-West game there were some guys that were interesting.”

Bengals, Villa Madonna, and Campbell’s Chunky Team Up to Fight Food Insecurity
Students of Villa Madonna collected non-perishable items to help fight food insecurity in their community. Campbell’s Chunky donated 1,000 products to the Northern Kentucky school to contribute to the effort. Bengals safety Tycen Anderson, defensive tackle Devonnsha Maxwell and Who Dey all attended the pep rally.

Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins Shares Cryptic Message on Social Media Ahead of Free Agency: ‘Table Set’
Higgins recently shared a highlight reel from the 2023 season with the caption “Table Set.” Does he mean the table is set for free agency? There’s a good chance he won’t get to the free agent table this offseason.

Duke Tobin says Bengals ‘want Tee Higgins back’ but ‘we’ll see what happens’
“Last year, Tee Higgins was under contract to us,” Tobin said via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He was a guy that we drafted for that reason, to be a contributor for us. He’s not under contract now, so we’re going to have to work through how to do that and if it’s possible and we’ll have to go through the gymnastics of that. So it’s a different scenario than it was last year. Trading a high-level player that’s under contract just because the future might demand it, that’s never really on my mind.”

Another mock draft links Bengals to one of best weapons in class
That’s true of both Bengals fans who want to see Joe Burrow’s offense get another weapon and mock drafts that see the logic in the move as the team heads toward an offseason with Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins slated to be free agents.

Bengals’ Duke Tobin talks about a Ja’Marr Chase contract extension
“We like Ja’Marr. He’s in our long-term plans. He’s a high-level player in this league. And we want to keep those kinds of players on our team,” Tobin said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I want Tee Higgins back. Everyone on our team would like Tee Higgins back. There’s a pie and there are things we can do and can’t do because of it. We’ll see.”

Four Lessons for the Cincinnati Bengals From Championship Weekend
Sometimes it can be an over-arching theme threaded through all four organizations. At other times it can be a circumstantial element in which one team is forced to adapt but all four are capable. There are roster-building elements, coaching considerations, statistical signals, and various other tells when looking at the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and Baltimore Ravens.

Bengals focus at Senior Bowl is offensive, defensive linemen
In addressing questions about the possibility of Ja’Marr Chase getting his extension and pending free agents Tee Higgins and Jonah Williams also returning, Tobin went back to the pie metaphor he often used last year when discussing how Joe Burrow’s …